To strengthen initiatives aimed at transforming nutrition governance, CS-SUNN supported a Stakeholders Consultative Meeting for the Upgrade of the National/State Committees on Food and Nutrition (N/SCFN) Performance Management System (PMS). This marked a new era of efficiency, accountability, and collaboration in data collection and management for addressing nutrition challenges across Nigeria.
The Performance Management System (PMS) is an innovation, empowering the coordinating Ministry (Budget and Economic Planning) to seamlessly collate, store and analyze data on the level of implementation of Multisectoral Plans of Action for Food and Nutrition as well as budget performance in line ministries departments and Agencies. This online gateway not only streamlines reporting processes but also provides timely insights into program effectiveness, coverage, and budget performance.
The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, with support from CS-SUNN, spearheaded the meeting. This collaborative effort received technical assistance from esteemed partners like Alive and Thrive, Datadent, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and N/SCFN members. Deliberations ensued, fuelled by insights garnered from previously collected feedback from the Partnership for Improving Nigeria Nutrition Systems (PINNS) states; guiding the comprehensive review of the PMS, encompassing aspects such as aesthetics, user experience/interface, and performance indicators.
The meeting served as a platform for stakeholders from diverse sectors to jointly assess the PMS structure, review feedbacks, agree on recommendations for its upgrade to be consolidated into a comprehensive Terms of Reference (TOR) for the engagement of a consultant for the system’s upgrade.
It further underscored the critical importance of stakeholder engagement in driving project success and sustainability. Moving forward, the harmonization of recommendations, review with key partners and thorough testing of the upgraded PMS will further consolidate the gains made and ensure inclusivity and effectiveness of the system.
The PMS initiative is spearheaded by the NCFN Secretariat, situated within the Federal Ministry of Budget, and Economic Planning, with support from the Partnership for Improving Nigeria Nutrition Systems (PINNS 2.0) Project, implemented by CS-SUNN. The inception of this digitized PMS marks a significant improvement from the hard-copy appraisal tool. Initially piloted in the five PINNS project states, its success prompted expansion to other states through strategic partnerships with esteemed organizations like UNICEF and Alive and Thrive. Over the past two years, the system has evolved based on valuable feedback, suggestions, and recommendations from users across various states, all aimed at enhancing user experience and functionality.
In the coming months, CS-SUNN in collaboration with partners will consolidate all recommendations, review recommendations with partners, implement the PMS upgrades and conduct a comprehensive testing of the upgraded PMS to ensure inclusivity of all recommendations.
