Umar is a seasoned Monitoring and Evaluation expert with experience in public health interventions (HIV/AIDS/PMTCT/TB), Health System Strengthening (HSS), Basic Education Programming, and most recently, in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project. Umar obtained, a master’s degree in development studies, and a postgraduate diploma in health economics from Bayero University Kano, after having a Higher National Diploma (HND) in public administration and management. Over the last 13 years, Umar has worked closely with key stakeholders across North-western and North-eastern states of Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Taraba, Adamawa, and Gombe to established robust Monitoring and Evaluation systems for HIV/AIDS intervention, Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC), Home-based care (HBC), Prevention of Mother to child transmission (PMTCT) and basic education programs in Nigeria.

Umar was involved in USAID-funded President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs in early 2005 through 2016 to set-up a Monitoring and Evaluation system, built capacity of various cadre of health professionals on records keeping practices, quality data documentation, data quality assurance and data use for decision making aimed at improving quality of care and health outcomes. In addition, he has made significant contributions to the development of states’ Annual Operational Plans for the health and education sectors, as well as Medium-Term Sector Strategy (MTSS), State Education Strategic Operational Plan (SESOP), and State Education Account (SEA) expenditure analysis for planning and effective resource utilization in the education sector.

He has led and participated in several states-wide researches and assessments under USAID, UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and UNICEF education projects (EGRA, EGMA, TRI, OPI and ICAT) and engaged with relevant stakeholders to disseminate research findings resulting in making various informed decisions. He facilitated the development of strategic documents to aid project implementation (Activity MEL plan, M&E plan), data collection instruments, (quantitative and qualitative), and familiar with the various applications and donor reporting requirements on key performance indicators (USAID and DFID), and produce semi-annual and annual reports (SAPR and APR), as well as success stories using data. He is also familiar with the DFID’s concept of value for money and reporting (VfM).

Umar is also conversant with a variety of data reporting platforms and applications such as DHIS, NOMIS, UIS Stat_Educ, LAMIS, BPT, USGPRS/Monitor, GoogleDrive, Power-BI, ODK/Kobo Collect, CommCare, SPSS, Minitab, Epi-Info, EMR, and TMIS. Umar is an award-winning staff in his places of work and in 2011, 2014, and 2015, he received Special Recognition Awards for exceptional achievement by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) USAID Pro-ACT project.

His core values are problems solving, authenticity, integrity, adaptability, kindness, creativity and team-working skills.

Contact Abdullahi at: muhammad.umar@greenhabitat.ng