Session 4: Integrating policy makers & data providers in Niger

Editor's Notes

• #4: Slide 3. Presentation outline Niger’s presentation is divided into 6 parts. In part one, we will review the conceptual objectives of Niger’s NIPN program (PNIN in French). Next, operational expectations linked to the ambition of setting up an National Information System on nutrition will be presented. In order to have a cross-sectoral national information system on nutrition, it is important to have a sustainable institutional framework. This aspect will be described in part two of the presentation. We will then present the NIPN Portal, which is designed to ultimately become the backbone of the Nutrition Information System in Niger. In the data value chain, the existence of an institutional framework on the one hand and an operational framework on the other hand is necessary, but not sufficient. It is also important to have reliable information. Accordingly, in part four, we will address the quality criteria of the indicators used by the NIPN and we will present our observations on the data in part five. Finally, we will close the presentation by highlighting the challenges facing NIPN in Niger, based on the lessons learned mid-way through the program. 1 minute and 10 seconds
• #5: Slide 4. Objectives The Government of Niger has made a significant commitment in the area of nutrition. This commitment on the part of Niger's decision-makers is reflected in development, strategic and policy documents at the highest level. 1. The primary document that takes account of nutrition is the Constitution of Niger itself. In Article 12, it states that “Everyone has the right to life, health, physical and moral well-being, healthy and sufficient food, drinking water, education and instruction under the conditions defined by law. The State shall ensure the satisfaction of essential needs and services and the full development of everyone. Everyone has the right to liberty and security under the conditions defined by law.” 2. The different strategic objectives of the SDDCI are consistent with the international commitments made by Niger in the framework of the post-2015 program undertaken by the United Nations (SDGs), the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the commitments of the Economic Orientation Document (EOD). The cross-sectoral dimension of the fight against malnutrition was also stated: “Through better education, adequate nutrition, access to water, sanitation and quality health services, Niger will finally achieve a continuous decline in rates of malnutrition and stunting in rural areas.” Nutrition is also included in the third strategic development focus of the SDDCI, which is development of human capital and the health sector. A clear ambition was also stated to address nutrition issues in order to benefit from their multiplier effects on human capital. 3. Nutrition is also mainstreamed in the 2017-2021 Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES) and the corresponding 2017-2021 Priority Action Plan (PAP). The PDES is the first five-year plan for the operationalization of Niger’s 2035 Strategy for Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth (SDDCI). Drafted by the Government in September 2017, it is organized around the core aims of the Renaissance Program Act II, for which it is the primary implementation vehicle. It also draws on the Prime Minister’s General Policy Statement (DPG), which provides its main orientations and strategic priorities. The 2017-2021 PDES identifies 8 major challenges, including 3 key challenges that are directly linked to improving nutrition: 1) upgrade human capital; 2) improve food and nutrition security; 3) adapt production systems to climate change. Nutrition is included in the PDES as a subprogram and its cross-sectoral aspects are clearly stated. The 2017-2021 PDES also includes five (5) strategic outcomes involving nutrition. 4. The 3N Initiative’s strategy aims to “protect the Nigerien people from hunger and malnutrition on a permanent basis and to guarantee that they will participate fully in national production and improvement of their income”. The strategy seeks to address the underlying causes of food and nutrition insecurity by implementing a consistent set of reforms and investments. The strategy is based on the outcomes of the Rural Development Strategy (SDR) and is in line with the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the common agricultural policy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the agricultural policy of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). It forms the principal frame of reference for current and future actions in the area of food and nutrition security by governments, territorial collectivities and non-governmental stakeholders up to 2035. The 3N Initiative includes: 1) A 2011-2012 Emergency Program; 2) a 2012-2015 Investment Plan; 3) a 2014-2015 Acceleration Plan; 4) a 2016-2020 Plan of Action; 5) A 2018-2020 Multi-Annual Expenditure Programming Document (DPPD). 5. The 2016-2025 National Nutrition Security Policy (PNSN) and its 2017-2019 plan of action The 2016-2025 National Nutrition Security Policy (PNSN) is the first cross-sectoral national policy on nutrition in Niger. The policy expresses the commitment made by the Government of the Republic of Niger and aims to eliminate all forms of malnutrition through wide-scale, cross-sectoral mobilization of institutional, human and financial resources. Niger's commitment to the fight against malnutrition is also consistent with international initiatives in each of the so-called "nutrition-sensitive" sectors, as seen in the National Health Policy (PNS) and the 2017- 2021 Health Development Plan (PDS) for the Health sector, the 2013–2035 Sustainable Livestock Development Strategy (SDDEL) and the 2019 annual performance project (PAP) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. In the water, hygiene and sanitation sector, we can notably cite the 2014-2018 Operational Strategy for the Promotion of Hygiene and Basic Sanitation (SOPHAB) in Niger and the 2016-2030 Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Sector Program (PROSEHA). In the Education sector, there is the 2014-2024 Education and Training Sector Program and a joint, comprehensive, community-based school feeding strategy. In the social security sector, nutrition is included in the National Social Protection Policy (PNPS) of 2011 and the 2018 Support Plan for Vulnerable People. Finally, in the Environment sector, there is the Strategic Framework for Sustainable Land Management (CS-GDT) in Niger and the 2015-2029 Investment Plan of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
• #6: Slide 5. Objectives The overall objective of the National Information Platform on Nutrition in Niger is to help reduce chronic undernourishment to meet the targets set for 2025 (by the Malabo Declaration in 2014). Its primary aim is therefore to strengthen data analysis capacities to assess progress, inform policy and improve programs in relation to nutrition. In particular, it aims to create links between nutrition indicators and all investments made in nutrition for the purposes of prevention or improving nutritional status in order to better understand and guide nutrition policy choices and priorities. More specifically, the NIPN aims to: Enhance analysis and interpretation of nutrition indicators, as well as trends in those indicators at national and infranational levels, according to data availability and other factors known to influence the indicators, i.e. investments, policies and/or programs, using a cross-sectoral approach; Build national capacities to monitor trends in nutrition indicators and generate evidence to understand the progress achieved towards nutrition goals and targets. Set up a cross-sectoral information system on nutrition in Niger. 1 minute and 10 seconds.
• #7: Slide 4. Objectives for the creation of a centralized database for NIPN/Niger    The NIPN Platform aims to position itself as a full-blown information system on nutrition. To achieve this, the NIPN Unit and its Web Portal must provide various items of information, ranging from nutrition news to detailed data (such as databases) in order to meet the varied information needs of national and international stakeholders. Like any information system, it must be centralized and become a reference for the Sectors involved in the area of nutrition. Thus, the information system must be located where the Sectors intersect, so that it can not only provide meaningful cross-sectoral information in the area of nutrition, but also simplify access to information. CLICK. The ultimate goal is to be able to quickly provide information on malnutrition trends and indicators, including nutrition indicators linked to specific aspects (e.g. indicators linked to health) and indicators linked to so-called sensitive activities (agriculture, livestock farming, environment, education, water and sanitation). Making trends in nutrition indicators easy to access and visible ensures that the principle of clarity is met in the Nutrition Information System.   CLICK. Among the expected objectives, it is important to enable in-depth analysis by making the database freely accessible so that nutrition stakeholders can conduct secondary or in-depth data analyses. Open access to databases from different sectors not only makes it possible to ensure the implementation of the NIPN Analyses Master Plan, but also facilitates research and analyses by other nutrition stakeholders in Niger. 1 minute and 40 seconds
• #8: Slide 5. Governing bodies and sustainability The NIPN Unit in Niger is based at the National Statistics Institute (INS) under the leadership of the High Commission of the 3N Initiative “Nigeriens Nourishing Nigeriens” (HC3N) reporting to the office of the President of the Republic. CLICK. A number of governing bodies have been set in place to organize and institutionalize the NIPN. The NIPN program National Steering Committee includes the Secretaries General of the INS, the Sector Ministries and the HC3N. Although it does not appear in this diagram, the National Steering Committee also includes a representative of the Early Warning System, the SUN focal point, and a representative of the National Statistics Council. The committee will be dismantled at the end of the program phase funded by the European Union Commission. CLICK. Following the adoption of the National Nutrition Security Policy, the Secretariat of the PNSN was institutionalized as the PNSN Technical Committee, which not only includes the Nutrition Unit of the HC3N coordinating national-level nutrition activities, the Nutrition Focal Points of the Sector Ministries, national and international nutrition partners, but also the NIPN and thus the National Statistics Institute. Thanks to this institutional anchoring, the NIPN can identify the information needs expressed by the members of the PNSN Technical Committee, who are also responsible for validating the NIPN Analysis Master Plans. CLICK. The HC3N sits on the Interministerial Steering Committee led by the President of the Republic, allowing key messages from the NIPN and the PNSN Technical Committee to be handed up. This organization also makes it possible to meet information needs at the highest level of Government and pass on useful information that can guide public policy in the area of nutrition. Thus, the necessary elements were brought together to ensure the operation of the NIPN Unit, its leadership and its inclusion among nutrition stakeholders. CLICK. In addition to this institutional anchoring, the NIPN rests on 3 pillars of sustainability. The first pillar is the “capacity-building” component of the INS in key program sectors (statistics directorates and directorates of studies and planning). The second pillar is the Analysis Master Plan, which plans studies depending on national issues in the area of nutrition and information needs expressed by national and international users. The Analysis Master Plan includes Sector information producers (Sector Statistics Directorate focal points). Finally, the third pillar is the NIPN Web Portal, which acts as the National Information System on Nutrition. Finally, political decision-makers are also included via the organization of parliamentary and government seminars. 2 minutes and 40 seconds
• #9: Slide 6. Niger’s NIPN Portal, an information system on nutrition To ensure the availability of an Information System on Nutrition, the NIPN developed a Web Portal accessible to users, decision-makers and partners. In order to meet information needs, several tools have been developed with different objectives. A Home page (Accueil, in French) provides current news on the NIPN and its partners through articles, references and reports. Nearly forty articles have been published on the home page since it creation, approximately two (2) articles per month. This is the first component of our Information System on Nutrition. CLICK. An “About us (A propos)” thumbnail presents the objectives of the NIPN, the Team members, its partners in Niger and the programs underway. This is the second component of our Information System on Nutrition.   CLICK. The “Nutrition Info” tool, currently under development, will be designed to allow the NIPN to centralize nutrition indicators. The indicators corresponding to the database will show make trends visible by creating tables, graphs or curves. This is the third component of our Information System on Nutrition.   CLICK. The “Documentary Resources” (Ressources Documentaires) space contains documentation on nutrition with a focus on publications and reports on Nutrition in Niger. Currently comprising 230 documents, it is a library for users interested in information on nutrition. This is the fourth component of our Information System on Nutrition. CLICK. The Database repository includes individual and other databases from various INS surveys. A formidable challenge for the NIPN team, online publication of the databases will enable researchers and nutrition stakeholders to download the databases and carry out more in-depth analyses. In Niger, this is the Anado tool, the fifth component of our Information System on Nutrition.  CLICK. The work space, which will be finalized in March 2019, can be used to create collaborative spaces between stakeholders and data producers in the field. They may include collaboration on data cleaning, anonymizing data and data analysis. This is the sixth component of our Nutrition Information System.  CLICK. Finally, the project monitoring and forum tool can be used to monitor NIPN activities and exchange data with Portal users with varying access rights. This is the final component of our Information System on Nutrition. Through these tools, the NIPN is fulfilling its role as a producer of information, a user of information, and a sharer of information with a view to raising awareness in all stakeholders in the field of nutrition. It is becoming a tool for public policy guidance. This is a very ambitious undertaking, since it is important, not only to provide information, but to obtain quality data, a task that is often underestimated but which is very important for good decision-making.    2 minutes and 30 seconds
• #10: Slide 7. What quality criteria for what uses The unique approach of Niger's NIPN consists of developing an innovative approach to verify the quality and selection of indicators for sectors that contribute to nutrition. In order to have reliable information on trends in nutrition indicators, a participatory process for quality verification and selection of indicators was implemented around different quality criteria. For each indicator, the NIPN has defined 23 fields to describe the indicators’ characteristics, including 5 on quality criteria. The NIPN defines indicator quality as “the set of functions and characteristics of a product or service that enable it to satisfy explicit or implicit needs”. For Niger’s NIPN, the quality criteria selected are: Relevancy and completeness: The indicator must be relevant to the objectives of the NIPN. It is important to determine whether all of the information required for the indicator is available and to what extent the concepts used (definitions, classifications, etc.), reflect the needs of the NIPN in terms of nutrition awareness. The dimension of relevancy refers to the indicators’ ability to respond to the needs of current and potential users, both nationally and internationally (analytical indicator or nutrition-sensitive indicator, indicator used for planning, programming, budgeting, program/project and nutrition sector policy monitoring and evaluation within the Sector). Accessibility and clarity: Accessibility refers to the physical conditions under which the information used to calculate the indicators is available (where can the information be found, how can the information be accessed, how much time does it take to gain access to the information, the nature of the available information (micro or macro data), formats (paper, files, digital database, etc.), inter alia). Clarity refers to the information environment of the indicators, i.e. whether the indicators are accompanied by the appropriate metadata to enable their apprehension and comprehension. Timeliness and punctuality: The timeliness of the indicators refers to the time between their availability and the period they refer to. The concept of punctuality refers to the availability of the indicator at its scheduled delivery time in relation to the statistics agenda of the producer of the indicator (this refers to the dates announced for the official release of the data and the compilation of the indicators, provided for in the regulations or agreed in advance). A delay of over 3 months = no punctuality International comparability Consistency: Consistency of indicators is their ability to meet reliability criteria when the data are combined in different ways for different uses. It is generally easier to demonstrate inconsistency than to prove consistency. When they come from the same source, indicators are usually consistent. On the other hand, when the same indicators come from different sources (DHS, SMART, administrative data collection), the indicators may not be entirely consistent since they may be based on different approaches (classifications, methodological norms). 3 minutes and 10 seconds
• #11: Slide 10. Observations on Niger’s data Through its collaboration with the different sectors, the work of the NIPN has made it possible to progressively consolidate the cross-sectoral indicator database and obtain a provisional list of 525 indicators that have been selected, consolidated and validated, which can be broken down as follows. Agriculture, the Environment and Health have a high number of indicators, since they have particularly close ties to nutrition. CLICK. The number of indicators is high. However, taking account of the minimum quality characteristics defined previously, the number of indicators is reduced to 119 indicators. The criteria of punctuality and especially timeliness are demanding criteria for certain sectors such as Agriculture, Livestock farming and the Environment, where information production is strongly dependent on the availability of funding. Since most of the indicators in these sectors fail to meet that quality criterion, the number of indicators falls to zero.   CLICK. Setting aside the criteria of timeliness and punctuality, as well as the international comparability criterion, the number of indicators totals 300, which is still quite high. The number of indicators is particularly high in the Health sector (91). These figures show that if all of the quality criteria are used, the number of indicators drops significantly. A decision must be made to determine the most appropriate criteria. The NIPN has come to the realization that certain indicators are not always available, due to scattered databases and a lack of centralization of the indicators. 1 minute and 30 seconds
• #12: Slide 12. Conclusions and lessons learned The involvement of political decision-makers does not appear to be the foremost constraint and challenge for Niger's NIPN. The existence of a cross-sectoral National Nutrition Security Policy (PNSN) implemented by the Office of the High Commissioner for I3N (HC3N), the body responsible for cross-sectoral coordination on nutrition in Niger, and the creation of a PNSN Technical Committee (in which the INS and the NIPN are stakeholders) serves to remind the Sectors of their role in the fight against malnutrition and, consequently, the need to improve data quality. The main challenge is the inclusion of Sector producers of statistical information in the Nutrition Information System. Their inclusion should enable the necessary analysis of the quality of the indicators as well as their dissemination. The NIPN also promotes the inclusion of the Sectors by including them in the Training Plan, the implementation of an Action Plan for the Sectors, and crosscutting projects for the reinforcement of the National Statistics System. CLICK. In terms of outlook, it is important to recall that particular attention should be focused on the reinforcement of National Statistics Systems, especially Sectoral Systems. The NIPN, through its anchoring in the INS, is part of the that system and its experience with reporting to a cross-sectoral coordinating body on nutrition (such as the HC3N) has enabled it to better raise awareness among nutrition stakeholders with regard to the importance of data and data quality. The Nutrition Information System is dependent on existing statistical systems. When faced with a weak system, the NIPN is weakened. Regarding outlook, the indicator quality analysis raises questions pertaining to gaps between the Sectors in terms of the number of indicators or their quality. Key Sectors such as Health and Education receive significant support since they are historically decisive Sectors for national development. Thus, the quality of the data in certain Sectors seems to be linked to their history and the attention they receive. Certain Sectors such as the Environment are sometimes neglected leading to data gaps or insufficient data quality. On the other hand, the Sectors that receive the most support are generally the most likely to have indicators that meet all of the quality criteria. This is a real paradox given that numerous Sectors are important in the framework of the Nutrition Security of the population and in light of the cross-sectoral nature of. CLICK. One of the challenges of setting up a cross-sectoral Nutrition Information System resides in the inclusion of all producers and the identification of responsibilities (who does what). CLICK. The start-up and implementation phase de makes it possible to set up a mechanism to identify and mitigate risks to the continuity of the platform. A continuity study will be conducted in. CLICK. Finally, the nutrition information system should impact decision-making. Initial analyses by the NIPN show significant gaps that need to be bridged in all PNSN Sectors to offset vulnerability to malnutrition, although the scope of the work to be done varies from one Sector to another. The organization of meetings of the PNSN Technical Committee (which is linked to the Interministerial Steering Committee), and parliamentary and government seminars, will allow key messages backed by quality data to be put forward. 3 minutes.