Background & Project Description:

II. BACKGROUND

Nigeria continues to face persistent challenges in achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), particularly for women and adolescent girls. Maternal mortality remains high, contraceptive prevalence is low, adolescent fertility and child marriage persist, and harmful gender norms continue to undermine women’s autonomy and access to services. These challenges are exacerbated by regional disparities, with northern states bearing a disproportionate burden of poor SRHR outcomes.

To respond to these challenges, UNFPA, with funding from the Government of Norway, has been implementing the project “Advancing Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls and Women in Nigeria” since 2023, with a no-cost extension requested to June 2026. The project operates in Gombe, Kaduna and Akwa Ibom States, strengthening SRHR service delivery systems, supporting adolescent empowerment, addressing harmful practices, and promoting gender-transformative social norm change.

An endline evaluation is being undertaken to assess the project’s performance, results, and contribution to UNFPA’s transformative results and national SRHR priorities. The evaluation will be conducted by an International Consultant (Team Leader) supported by a National Consultant, who will play a critical role in contextual analysis, field engagement, gender analysis, and interpretation of findings.

Role and Purpose of the Consultant:

III. ROLE AND PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL CONSULTANT

The National Consultant will work closely with and under the technical leadership of the International Consultant (Team Leader) to support the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of the endline evaluation.

The purpose of the National Consultant role is to:

• Provide contextual, cultural, and gender expertise relevant to Nigeria’s SRHR, GBV, and harmful practices landscape;
• Support field-level data collection, stakeholder engagement, and validation of findings;
• Ensure gender-responsive, rights-based, and contextually grounded analysis, particularly in relation to women, adolescents, and marginalized groups;
• Strengthen the quality, credibility, and usefulness of evaluation findings and recommendations.

While the International Consultant remains fully responsible for overall evaluation design, quality assurance, and final reporting, the National Consultant will provide substantive analytical and operational support throughout all evaluation phases.

IV. SCOPE OF WORK AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The National Consultant will support the evaluation across all five phases of the evaluation process, in close coordination with the International Consultant and UNFPA.

A. Support to Evaluation Design and Desk Review

Under the guidance of the International Consultant, the National Consultant will:

1. Review key project and contextual documents, including:
   • Project design, logframe and theory of change;
   • Progress reports, monitoring data, and relevant National policies;
   • Gender, GBV, Adolescent SRHR, and harmful practices frameworks.
2. Contribute to the contextual and gender analysis, particularly:
   • Gender norms, harmful practices, and power relations affecting SRHR outcomes;
   • State-level policy, institutional, and sociocultural dynamics.
3. Support the International Consultant in:
   • Refining the evaluation questions from a gender and human-rights perspective;
   • Developing and contextualizing data collection tools (KIIs, FGDs, observation guides);
4. Reviewing the sampling strategy to ensure inclusion of women, adolescents, and marginalized groups.

B. Field Data Collection and Stakeholder Engagement

In collaboration with the International Consultant, the National Consultant will:

1. Support planning and coordination of field missions to Gombe, Kaduna and Akwa Ibom States.
2. Conduct and/or co-facilitate:
   • Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with government counterparts, CSOs, health workers, traditional and religious leaders;
   • Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women, adolescent girls and boys, and community members, ensuring safe and ethical engagement.
3. Lead or co-lead data collection related to:
   • Gender equality, women’s empowerment, GBV, harmful practices, and adolescent SRHR;
   • Community engagement and social norm change interventions.
4. Ensure that all field activities adhere to:
   • UNFPA ethical standards;
   • Informed consent, confidentiality, and do-no-harm principles;
   • Child safeguarding and survivor-centred approaches.

C. Data Analysis and Interpretation

The National Consultant will support the International Consultant by:

1. Organizing, synthesizing, and summarizing qualitative field data, with particular attention to:
   • Gender dynamics and differential impacts on women, girls, and boys;
   • Variations across states, LGAs, and population groups.
2. Contributing to the analysis of findings related to:
   • Gender equality and women’s empowerment outcomes;
   • Effectiveness of adolescent and community-level interventions;
   • Sustainability and institutionalization of gender-responsive approaches.
3. Participating in internal evaluation team analysis sessions and validation discussions.

D. Reporting and Validation

Under the direction of the International Consultant, the National Consultant will:

1. Provide written analytical inputs for:
   • Relevant sections of the draft evaluation report (particularly gender, adolescents, social norms, and harmful practices);
   • Case examples and contextual illustrations from fieldwork.
2. Review draft findings, conclusions, and recommendations to ensure:
   • Accuracy and contextual validity;
   • Clear articulation of gender and equity dimensions;
   • Practical and actionable recommendations.
3. Support preparation and delivery of:
   • Debriefing presentations at state and national levels, as required.

V. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

The National Consultant is expected to contribute substantively to the following outputs:

All outputs will be reviewed and consolidated by the International Consultant, who retains responsibility for the final deliverables. Final distribution of the deliverable will be proposed by the evaluation team in the design phase which may not exceed 32 days.

VI. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND REPORTING LINES

1. The International Consultant (Team Leader) is the overall technical lead and is responsible for:
   • Evaluation design and methodology;
   • Quality assurance;
   • Consolidation and submission of all deliverables.
2. The National Consultant will:
   • Report technically to the International Consultant;
   • Work closely with the UNFPA Evaluation Manager for coordination purposes;
   • Participate in scheduled team meetings and briefings.
3. UNFPA Nigeria Country Office will:
   • Manage the contract;
   • Facilitate access to stakeholders and documentation;
   • Provide logistical support for field missions where feasible.

VII. DURATION OF THE CONSULTANCY

The consultancy will be conducted over 32 working days between February and June 2026, aligned with the overall evaluation timeline.

All outputs will be submitted electronically, according to the approved timeline in the design report and overall schedule.

Progress will be monitored through:

• Weekly/Bi-Weekly meetings with the Evaluation Manager
• ERG technical review at critical stages
• Quality assurance by the UNFPA Regional Office Evaluation Advisor

The evaluation team must follow UNFPA’s Evaluation Handbook and adhere to agreed timelines and quality benchmarks.

VIII. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Academic Qualifications
•     Master’s degree in women/gender studies, human rights law, social sciences, development studies or a related field.
Professional Experience
•     5 years of experience in conducting evaluations, reviews, assessments, research studies or M&E work in the field of international development.
•     Substantive knowledge on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, GBV and other harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, early, child and forced marriage, and issues surrounding masculinity, gender relationships and sexuality.
•     Ability to ensure ethics and integrity of the evaluation process, including confidentiality and the principle of do no harm.
•     Ability to consistently integrate human rights and gender perspectives in all phases of the evaluation process.
•     Solid knowledge of evaluation approaches and methodology and demonstrated ability to apply both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.
•     Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
•     Experience working with a multidisciplinary team of experts.
•     Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and spoken).
•     Work experience in/good knowledge of the national development context of Nigeria.
•     Familiarity with UNFPA or other United Nations organizations’ mandates and activities will be an advantage.
Competencies
•     Strong understanding of gender-responsive and human-rights-based evaluation approaches;
•     Excellent qualitative research and facilitation skills;
•     Proven ability to engage sensitively with women, adolescents, and community actors;
•     Strong analytical and synthesis skills;
•     Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary evaluation team.
Language
•     Fluency in written and spoken English;
•     Knowledge of Hausa and/or other Nigerian languages is an advantage.
 

IX. LOGISTICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

UNFPA will facilitate:

• Access to project documentation and stakeholders;
• Coordination with state offices and partners;
• Logistical arrangements for field missions, where applicable.

Payments will be made upon satisfactory completion of deliverables:

• 20% – Upon approval of the Design Report
• 40% – Upon submission of a high-quality Draft Final Report
• 40% – Upon approval of the Final Report and PowerPoint presentation

Travel and DSA follow UNFPA Duty Travel Policy.

X. OTHER CONDITIONS

• The consultant must not have been involved in the implementation of the project.
• All information accessed during the assignment must be treated as confidential.
• The consultant must adhere to UNFPA ethical standards, including zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Use of artificial intelligence tools requires prior written approval from UNFPA.