Samuel Ikani Email and Phone Number

As the Chief Executive Officer of Insights & Strategy Consulting Limited, I bring visionary leadership to a dynamic organization dedicated to delivering excellence in Polling, Evaluation, Research, Business Intelligence, Training, and Strategic Consulting. With a relentless focus on innovation and value creation, I drive the firm's strategic direction, ensuring its position as a trusted partner for public and private sector clients in Nigeria and across Africa.Combining expertise in data-driven decision-making and a deep understanding of diverse market dynamics, I lead a team of professionals committed to delivering actionable insights and transformative strategies. My leadership ensures that Insights & Strategy Consulting Limited thrives as a premier firm that empowers organizations to make informed decisions, navigate complexities, and achieve sustainable growth.

I provided leadership in MERL at SFH and fostered a culture of innovation and learning through a routine reflection of project performances, identification of lessons learned, and use of evidence to inform programming decisions to maximize SFH activity results and impact.Managed and ensured technical rigor of activity-wide MERL approaches, including management and support to project MERL teams. Guides and collaborated with Project/Programme MERL leads to develop MERL strategies for programme activities based on result frameworks. Provides oversight for the collection of and reporting on impact, output, outcome and program management indicators by the programme teams.

I was a Senior Management Team (SMT) member, and I provided senior-level technical leadership to CCSI’s RMEL activities across various portfolios of programme intervention in Nigeria. In this capacity, I led an ambitious research agenda to answer key programmatic questions related to SBC interventions. My portfolio included over 8 research projects focusing on various topics, including family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition and water, sanitation, hygiene governance, elections, education, and agriculture. The research portfolio is valued at $1 million. It addresses various SBC approaches, including provider behaviour change, social accountability, youth-led social media campaigns, integrated SBC, and gender-sensitive SBC programming. I manage a large team of mid-level and senior staff members, consultants, and research partners. I ensure that RMEL strategies have a sound theoretical basis to support social behaviour change interventions, apply sound SBC theories and frameworks and support the development of business proposals.

I provided leadership at meeting the Accountability, Learning & Planning Systems at all levels of the organisation. I Led and Coordinated the IASL team to achieve the operationalisation of effective and appropriate systems & processes for planning, measuring progress and impact, learning and reporting across the organisation. I lead the process of development and review of strategic documents such as country and programme strategy papers and translate these into departmental/unit plans for operational delivery. I work collaboratively with heads of units to develop systems for monitoring progress against country strategy papers and other strategies. I lead in the development of standards and tools and provide technical advice – guidance, coaching, training - to local and national programme teams and implementing partners on M&E.

▪ Maintained and managed MIS systems and research/M&E documents, ensuring efficient data flow patterns for the USAID-funded SHIPS project. ▪ Supervised timely data collection, reporting, and entry into DHIS and USG-DATIM, contributing to accurate project reporting. Provided input for project reports, conducted data analysis for program review, and ensured proper management of project databases.▪ Led monitoring efforts, providing technical assistance to project interventions and ensuring compliance with M&E plans and protocols.▪ Prepared annual Data Quality Assessments (DQA) and facilitated capacity building in monitoring and data collection for staff. Regularly updated and submitted data to project management/donors, facilitating lesson documentation and best practice identification.▪ Contributed to planning and implementing formative research, evaluations, and special studies supporting SHIPS program objectives. Developed project research protocols by ethical standards, led research activities, and supported staff in abstract and journal submissions.▪ Stayed informed on relevant HIV/AIDS prevention and care program research, coordinating technical assistance plans and staff training.

▪ I ensured the effective implementation of the USAID/ESMPIN Project Performance Management Plan for the Kaduna territory and tracked all project activities to ensure they responded to indicators.▪ Collected and collated data from the states in the region and input it into the web-based DHIS, summarised all field activities, and reported results every quarter.▪ Coordinated/Participated in all project surveys and studies within the region, regularly disseminating data and findings from surveys and studies.▪ Ensured that data was appropriately utilised for programmatic decision-making, planned/conducted routine monitoring visits to all project sites and provided appropriate feedback. ▪ I provided training and guidance on using data collection tools at sites and ensured their use. I also participated in developing territorial Performance Monitoring Plans.

Conducted Qualitative Organisation Health Assessment for PHC Agencies in Kaduna, Nasarawa & Niger States with focus on achieving UHC & PHCUR, Complementing the Quantitative assessment led by Mckinsey.

Provides technical assistance to field officers on data collection, analysis, reporting and use of output data for programme improvement, Generates and Documents Monthly, Quarterly and Annual reports of all M&E activities, showcasing trend, intervention efforts of project, Documentation and maintaining a functional database. Responsible for Completion and presentation of Progress Update & Disbursement Requests (PUDR) and Dash boards for the Global Fund malaria project. Develops budgets and schedules for the quarterly data verification to intervention sites and participates to ensure compliance with monitoring and evaluation plans and procedures. Develops protocols and supports Monitoring and Evaluation operations research. Manages the Monitoring & Evaluation operational work plan for the organization.