EFFECTS OF MOBILE- BASED APPLICATION TOOLS FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATIONOF COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Data collection, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) are means of improving the quality and effectiveness of development policies and actions as the results determine where public services are most needed, and what approaches prove effective. A good M&E system needs to draw on quality and timely data from a variety of different sources and of different types to provide dependable, regular and timely feedback among stakeholders and the tracking of administrative actions, processes and implementation of new policy. This study was conducted to establish the effects of Mobile-based application toolsfor monitoring and evaluation of community and social development project (CSDP) in South-West, Nigeria from 2009 – 2014 using innovation in information technology to help bring monitoring and evaluation up to speed with the changing external environment and help to address operational and methodological challenges. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the sample for this study. CSDP projects cut across four states (4) in South-West namely: Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo. A sample size of two hundred and ninety (290) respondents was purposively selected across the participating states. Pearson correlation and data analytical tools were used in the presentation of the findings. The results of the finding showed that more than ninety percent (90%) of the respondents were directly involved in M&E of community development, they equally have favourably perceptions and strongly agreed that Mobile-based application tools for Project Monitoring and Evaluation is an innovative tool which they are ready to embrace because of it positive effects on M&E in helping to address operational and methodological challenges.Test of relationship also indicated that there is a strong positive relationship (r = 0.661 ) between the use of Mobile-Based application tools and monitoring and evaluation of community and social development projects. In addition, the researcher found the relationship to be statistically significant at 1% level (p = 0.000 < 0.01). Relying on the findings from this study, it is recommended that Government at all levels; international donors and stakeholders in developmental project should embrace the innovative tool of mobile-based application as cost effective, sustainable, timely, participatory, convenient and efficient means to monitor and evaluate community and social development projects in Nigeria.