Independent External Consultant

Project Context and Scope

• As a country of origin, transit and destination, Nigeria faces complex border-management challenges linked to high mobility and evolving migration dynamics, including risks related to irregular migration, trafficking in persons, smuggling and other forms of transnational organized crime. To address these challenges, the Federal Government of Nigeria, with technical support from the International Organization for Migration IOM, adopted the Migration Information and Data Analysis System MIDAS as the country’s Border Management Information System BMIS. Following disruption to synchronization between Points of Entry PoEs and the central server at Nigeria Immigration Service NIS Headquarters, the project was designed to restore and strengthen data integration, synchronization and management, while improving forensic document examination capacity.
• The project, “Strengthening the Capacity of Nigeria Immigration Service NIS in Border Security and Management,” runs from October 2024 to September 2026, with a total budget of USD 600,000, and is generously funded by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration SEM. The intervention is implemented by IOM Nigeria in partnership with NIS and other key national stakeholders. Direct beneficiaries include NIS and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, while indirect beneficiaries are migrants and travellers crossing Nigeria’s international borders. The project covers NIS Headquarters and three international airports: Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport NAIA, Abuja; Murtala Muhammed International Airport MMIA, Lagos; and Port Harcourt International Airport PHIA, Rivers State.

The Project Objective Is To Enhance NIS Institutional Capacity Through Support For Improved MIDAS Data Integration And Synchronisation As Well As Enhance Knowledge On Forensic Document Examinations For Border Officials At Three 3 Targeted PoEs To Facilitate Migration While Combating Transnational Organized Crimes. The Project Has Two Outcomes

• Outcome 1: Enhanced institutional capacity of NIS through improved MIDAS data management, equipment and border infrastructure support.
• Output 1.1: Improved MIDAS data integration and synchronization through strengthening border infrastructure at three selected air borders in Nigeria, namely Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Lagos international airports.
• Output 1.2: Enhanced knowledge and understanding of migration data by NIS officials at these three international airports to guide operational and policy decision-making processes.
• Outcome 2: Enhanced capacities of NIS officials in forensic document examination processes at targeted PoEs and NIS Headquarters.
• Output 2.1 NIS officials have the technical tools and operational capacity to conduct forensic document examination at 3 target Points of Entry PoE.

Key activities include needs assessments; procurement, deployment and installation of hardware, power, networking, software, firewalls and VPN-related infrastructure; MIDAS Performance Monitoring Assessments; migration data-management training; a study visit and training-of-trainers process; development of a forensic document examination curriculum; peer-to-peer step-down training; review of standard operating procedures; and provision of forensic document examination devices. Evaluation scope

3.1 Temporal scope

• The evaluation will cover the full 24-month implementation period and all project components from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2026.

3.2 Geographic scope

• NIS Headquarters, Abuja
• Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport NAIA, Abuja
• Murtala Muhammed International Airport MMIA, Lagos
• Port Harcourt International Airport PHIA, Rivers State.

3.3 Substantive scope
The evaluation will cover the project’s full results chain and all major intervention components, including MIDAS data integration and synchronization, migration data-management capacity-building, and forensic document examination support. It will also examine project design and implementation, partnership and coordination arrangements, monitoring and risk management, and prospects for institutional and operational sustainability.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

Immigration and Border Governance/ IBG

ADD DETAILS INCLUDING PROJECT NAME AND WBL

Strengthening the Capacity of Nigeria Immigration Service NIS in Border Security and Management/ WBL : IB0455-NG10-E141016

Responsibilities

Tasks to be performed under this contract

Evaluation deliverables

All deliverables will be prepared in English, follow applicable IOM templates, the IOM House Style Manual, and the IOM Brand Guidelines, and be submitted in editable electronic format. Acceptance is subject to IOM quality review.

• Conduct the evaluation independently and in accordance with this ToR, the approved inception report and ethical requirements.
• Design and implement the methodology, collect and analyse evidence, maintain secure records and disclose limitations.
• Submit complete, accurate and timely deliverables and respond systematically to consolidated comments.
• Immediately flag access, security, ethical, data-quality or conflict-of-interest concerns.
• Present findings clearly and protect confidential and sensitive information.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

• Inception Report
• Data collection tools
• Final report

Qualifications
Required Qualifications and Experience
Education

• Advanced university degree in monitoring and evaluation, information systems, computer science, migration studies, statistics, international relations, public administration or a related field. A first-level degree combined with substantial additional relevant experience may be

Experience

• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in project evaluation, institutional assessment, performance evaluation or monitoring and evaluation for government, international organizations or donor-funded programmes.
• Demonstrated experience using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, evaluation matrices, indicator verification, triangulation and evidence-based reporting.
• Knowledge of border management information systems, MIDAS, migration data management, border security operations, forensic document examination or related information systems is a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating the operational functionality, utilization, maintenance and sustainability of ICT-supported systems, infrastructure or equipment.
• Experience integrating gender equality, human rights, inclusion, ethics and data protection in evaluations.
• Ability to work independently with diverse stakeholders and willingness to travel within Nigeria.
• Absence of any actual or perceived conflict of interest in relation to project design or implementation;
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, presentation and English report-writing skills.
• Knowledge of Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or another relevant local language considered an asset.

Skills

• Demonstrated experience evaluating the operational functionality, utilization, maintenance and sustainability of ICT-supported systems, infrastructure or equipment.
• Experience integrating gender equality, human rights, inclusion, ethics and data protection in evaluations.
• Ability to work independently with diverse stakeholders and willingness to travel within Nigeria.
• Absence of any actual or perceived conflict of interest in relation to project design or implementation;
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, presentation and English report-writing skills.
• Knowledge of Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or another relevant local language considered an asset.