On behalf of USAID, Democracy International conducted an evaluation of the USAID-funded Advocacy, Awareness and Civic Empowerment (ADVANCE) civil society program in Nigeria. The ADVANCE program, implemented by Pact/Nigeria, was initiated on May 23, 2005 and is scheduled to conclude on May 22, 2010. This evaluation was intended to assess program performance by reviewing ADVANCE’s programming, management and implementation approaches, to present lessons learned, and to provide recommendations to improve program implementation. The evaluation was to specifically address the following queries, outlined in USAID’s Request for Task Order Proposals (RFTOP):

• Whether the program has achieved its specific program goals;
• The extent of the program’s contribution to the broader USAID/Nigeria Peace and Democratic Governance (P/DG) strategy, including synergies with other P/DG programs;
• Potential changes to the program for its remaining years to better meet its program goals, strengthen its contribution to a broader peace and democratic governance strategy, and to promote greater synergy with other mission programs; and
• How the program is contributing to broader civil society efforts to hold government accountable.