Final evaluation of IOM's MIRAA-3 project in Niger

Final evaluation of IOM's MIRAA-3 project in Niger

FINAL EVALUATION OF MIGRANTS RESCUE AND ASSISTANCE IN AGADEZ REGION - PHASE II

CLIENT: IOM NIGER
COUNTRY: NIGER
START - END DATE: February-April 2022
VALUE (EUR): 20,000.00 €
PARTNERS: N/A
PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Niger, main migratory hub in West and Central Africa, is a country of origin, transit and destination for migration. Poverty, coupled with instability in the region, periodic drought and flooding, as well as the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) push many Nigeriens, and more broadly West and Central Africans, to seek better living conditions and better job opportunities through migration. Nigerien migrants or migrants transiting through Niger mainly attempt to reach Algeria or Libya. 

One of main migratory routes originating from Niger goes to Algeria, a phenomenon that the Governments of Algeria and Niger tried to address by signing an agreement in December 2014 to repatriate Nigerien migrants from Algeria to Niger. This repatriation is organized by the Algerian authorities, with migrants being taken through Tamanrasset (Algeria) and into Niger through Assamaka, Arlit and finally Agadez. From Agadez, the Government of Niger repatriates these migrants to their areas of origin. As of September 2018, 35,598 Nigeriens have been repatriated to Niger under this framework. On a humanitarian basis, IOM assists these migrants upon arrival in Niger on humanitarian basis when they arrive in Niger. In parallel to this agreement, we can observe that non-Nigerien migrants are expelled from Algeria into Niger, phenomenon that has intensified since September 2017. Hence, from 2016 until September 2018, more than 10,400 non-Nigerien migrants have been expelled from Algeria into the Nigerien border. 

In addition to this recent trend, persisting needs have been observed in relation to the Libyan context as migrants still seek to travel to and from Libya and often find themselves in distress in Nigerien soil. While IOM data collected at its flow monitoring points show a decrease in the use of this route, tit is worth noting that flows and humanitarian needs have shown volatility over the past years, with the possibility of sudden massive influxes requiring for large assistance operations in the Kawar and other areas of Niger. 

Hence, the persistence of this migratory phenomenon and the increased returns of migrants pose the problem of the material, financial and human resources for the Nigerien institutions in charge of managing migration. Therefore, in order to alleviate the pressure on the Government of Niger and to improve migrants’ assistance, IOM has implemented MIRA III project, funded by the Dutch Government, aiming at  i) ensuring protection and direct assistance to migrants in need along the migratory road to/from Niger; ii) reinforcing sensitization and awareness raising activities on migration and monitoring the evolution of migratory trends in Niger iii) Ensuring sustainable return and reintegration of migrants to their community of origin.

SERVICES PROVIDED

MIRAA III project, funded by the Dutch Government and Implemented by IOM Niger since November 2018, is coming to its end in November 30th, 2021. This evaluation aims to assess the outcomes of the project activities that are carried out mainly in Agadez region, Niamey and South of Niger, as well as highlight best practices, lessons learned and recommendations to improve future migration programming.

The evaluation will measure the project’s level of achievement in relation to its overall objective: “Contribute to assist Nigerien and non-Nigerien migrants in need of protection and assistance.” 

On the one hand, the evaluation shall inform an internal audience, specially IOM country office teams, and specialized units of regional and global IOM offices - so that the lessons learned and recognized good practices are adopted to benefit implementation of future interventions. On the other hand, the evaluation will offer the donor an overall analysis of the outcomes of the project at the end of its implementation. Specifically, the evaluation shall: 

Review the project’s activities carried out mainly in IOM transit centers, the results obtained, and the progress made;

  • Analyse the progress of the project to achieve the objectives, results and outcomes, as indicated in the logical framework; 
  • Highlight the added value of the activities delivered during the project; 
  • Highlight lessons learned and recommendations for further activities; 
  • Identify gaps and related recommendations. 

Evaluation scope

The final evaluation will cover the following thematic areas: Protection and Return, Reintegration, Awareness Raising, and Search and Rescue. The evaluation will cover the period from the November 2018 to November 2021 in Niamey region and Agadez villages.

The following cross-cutting themes must be part of the evaluation on each thematic area:

  • Rights-based approach (RBA)
  • Disability inclusion 
  • Gender mainstreaming
  • Covid-19