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Independence
Our officers are independent of the implementing agency and of any commercial interest in the project. We accept neither performance bonuses tied to favorable findings nor restrictions on what we may report.
Project Monitoring & Reporting
Independent verification,
on the ground.
A continental initiative offering international donor organizations rigorous, independent reporting on the progress and outcomes of funded projects across Africa — under the leadership of Dr. Victor Oluwi, FIIAS.
Rich in vast quantities of human, material, and natural resources, the developing countries of Africa are culturally, economically, and ecologically diverse.
African countries are predominantly characterized by a low standard of living — though some have made significant strides — and far too much development funding has been spent without adequate monitoring of outcomes.
The Institute's view is that scholarship has a role to play here. Not in replacing implementing agencies, but in providing the independent verification that good governance requires.
How We Work
Three commitments to every engagement
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Methodological rigor
Each engagement begins with a documented monitoring framework — indicators, sampling strategy, data sources, and triangulation methods — agreed with the donor before fieldwork begins.
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Plain reporting
Reports are written in clear language, accessible to both donors and host communities. We issue them quarterly to the supporting agency and, where appropriate, in summarized form to the affected community.
What We Monitor
Sectors and project types
- Health systems projects
- Hospital construction, workforce training programs, vaccination campaigns, maternal-child health interventions, infrastructure for laboratory and diagnostic capacity.
- Education infrastructure
- School and university construction, scholarship and bursary programs, doctoral training pipelines, vocational training centers.
- Agricultural & rural development
- Smallholder cooperative formation, irrigation and water infrastructure, climate-adapted seed distribution, post-harvest storage projects.
- Civil society & governance
- Electoral observation, anti-corruption initiatives, women-and-girls programs, legal aid networks, community organizing capacity-building.
- Infrastructure & sustainability
- Energy access, water and sanitation, transport corridors, telecommunications, environmental and ecological interventions.
Engagement Model
From inquiry to first quarterly report
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01
Scoping conversation
A 60-minute call with the donor or commissioning agency to understand the project, the questions to be answered, and the timelines required.
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02
Monitoring framework
IIAS drafts a written framework — indicators, sampling, data collection methods, reporting cadence, and budget. The framework is approved before fieldwork begins.
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03
Officer placement
A Project Monitoring Officer is placed in the host country — drawn from the institute's continental network, with prior experience in the relevant sector.
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04
Quarterly reporting
Reports are issued every 90 days, with a final summary at engagement end. All reports are accessible to the donor in plain language and to the host community in summarized form.
The work of project monitoring is not adversarial. It is the simple discipline of writing down what actually happened, against what was promised, and letting the documents speak.
Donor Organizations & Agencies
Independent monitoring, on request.
If your organization is funding development work on the African continent and seeking a continental partner for independent project monitoring, we welcome the conversation.