
« People at the heart of projects »
Making a difference
For over a decade, ACTFOR Performance has been working with its partners to strengthen the effectiveness of public policies, development programs, humanitarian emergencies and citizen services.
Our team applies its expertise to a wide range of projects in key sectors such as education, health, governance, public finance and aid effectiveness.
This portfolio presents our main projects carried out around the world in recent years.

Evaluation of the Somalia United Nations Cooperation Framework (2021–2025)


October 2024 – May 2025
East and Southern Africa
Client: UNICEF
Partner: Somali Research Association (SRA)
Country: Somalia
ACTFOR Performance conducted an independent evaluation of the United Nations Cooperation Framework in Somalia, aligned with the country’s National Development Plan. Using mixed methods, the team assessed the contributions of 24 UN entities and issued strategic recommendations to improve collective impact and coordination.
ACTFOR Performance conducted an independent evaluation of the UN Cooperation Framework in Somalia, aligned with the priorities of the National Development Plan. The exercise used mixed methods to analyze the contributions of 24 UN agencies and propose strategic recommendations on coordination and collective impact.

Third-Party Monitoring of Child Protection Policy and Cash for Education in Lebanon


2024 – 2025
Middle East and North Africa
Client : UNICEF Lebanon
Partner : Bridge Outsource Transform (B.O.T)
Country : Lebanon
ACTFOR Performance monitored the implementation of the Child Protection Policy in schools and the education cash assistance programme. The review focused on logistics, school attendance impact, and payment security, resulting in actionable recommendations for programme enhancement.

Performance Evaluation System for the Millennium Challenge Account in Senegal


October 2023 – September 2026
West and Central Africa
Client: Millennium Challenge Account Senegal II
Partner: Core Advice
Country: Senegal
ACTFOR Performance designed a performance evaluation system to align human resources with the strategic objectives of the Compact. The approach relied on structured performance goals and a 360-degree feedback mechanism, meaning it gathers input from peers, supervisors, and team members.

Third-Party Monitoring of Community and Public School Education in Afghanistan


2022 – 2026
Asia
Client : UNICEF Afghanistan
Partner : Premium Performance Consulting
Country : Afghanistan
ACT for Performance monitors the implementation of community-based and public education in Afghanistan, focusing on girls’ access to schooling, the quality of teaching materials, and the effects of accelerated learning initiatives.

Provision of Teacher Registration and Post-Payment Verification in Afghanistan


2021 – 2023
Asia
Client: UNICEF Afghanistan
Partner: Premium Performance Consulting
Country: Afghanistan
ACTFOR Performance conducted in-person verification of over 23,000 teachers across 1,713 public schools in three provinces. A follow-up post-payment verification covered a sample of 194,000 salary disbursements nationwide, supporting UNICEF’s large-scale teacher payment initiative.

Field Monitoring and Impact Assessment of the ABADEI Humanitarian Response Project in Afghanistan


2022 – 2023
Asia
Client : United Nations Development Programme – Afghanistan
Partner : Premium Performance Consulting
Country : Afghanistan
ACTFOR Performance conducted field monitoring and a rapid impact assessment of a multisectoral humanitarian response across 9 provinces, including cash-based interventions to support vulnerable populations’ livelihoods.

Support to the Integrated Development Programme of the Sourou Region in Mali


2020
West and Central Africa
Client: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassy of the Netherlands in Mali
Partner: Forex
Country: Mali
ACTFOR Performance managed a €21 million investment fund supporting local projects in water, food security, and environmental protection across 26 communes in Mopti, in partnership with local authorities.

Sectoral Evaluations of Canada’s Development Program in Mali (2013–2018)


2020 – 2022
West and Central Africa
Client : Global Affairs Canada
Partner : Forex
Country : Mali
ACTFOR Performance evaluated Canada’s investments in health, governance, and rural development in Mali, with the aim of informing future planning amid ongoing national instability.

Evaluation of the UNICEF Country Programme in Mozambique (2017–2020)


2020
East and Southern Africa
Client : UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office
Partner : Universalia
Country : Mozambique
ACTFOR Performance contributed to the evaluation of UNICEF’s country programme in Mozambique by supplying nutrition specialists and coordinating field operations for data collection in the northern provinces of Zambezia and Nampula.

Organizational Review of the Ministry of Population in Madagascar


June 2021 – February 2022
East and Southern Africa
Client : Ministry of Population, Social Protection and Promotion of Women, supported by UNICEF
Partner : Core Advice
Country : Madagascar
ACTFOR Performance, in partnership with Core Advice, conducted an organizational review of the Ministry to identify systemic bottlenecks and propose practical measures to strengthen Madagascar’s social protection system.

Formative Evaluation of the French Muskoka Fund Governance and Programming Tools


June – November 2019
Global
Client: Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and UN Women
Partner: National Consultants
Countries: Benin, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Chad
ACTFOR Performance conducted a formative evaluation of the French Muskoka Fund, which aims to strengthen health systems to reduce maternal, neonatal, and child mortality across eight West and Central African countries. The initiative was launched following the G8 Summit held in Muskoka, Canada, in June 2010. The evaluation assessed the Fund’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, inter-agency coordination, and integration of gender, equity, and human rights dimensions.

Strategic Planning Support for Canada’s Development Cooperation in Côte d’Ivoire


2019
West and Central Africa
Client: Global Affairs Canada
Country: Ivory Coast
ACTFOR Performance advised the Canadian government on the development of a future bilateral programme in Côte d’Ivoire, through an exploratory mission and consultations with key stakeholders in Abidjan.

Evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals Acceleration Framework in DRC


April 2017 – December 2018
West and Central Africa
Client : UNICEF
Country : Democratic Republic of Congo
ACTFOR Performance conducted the evaluability study and full evaluation of the acceleration framework targeting child mortality reduction and maternal health improvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Evaluation of the results of a UNITAID Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) health project in malaria-affected countries


April – July 2018
West and Central Africa
Client: UNICEF
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
ACTFOR Performance evaluated the outcomes of a global initiative implemented by FIND with WHO support to improve quality control and best practices for malaria rapid diagnostic tests. The project established sustainable international and national standards to guide malaria diagnosis quality in endemic countries.

Evaluation of the Nutrition Component of the EU-SHARE Project in Ethiopia


March – September 2018
East and Southern Africa
Client: UNICEF
Donor: European Union (EU)
Country: Ethiopia
ACTFOR Performance assessed the results of the nutrition component of a European Union-funded resilience project. The initiative targeted adolescent girls, pregnant women, and children under five across 17 vulnerable districts to improve food and nutrition security.

Evaluation of UNICEF’s Partnership Strategies in Indonesia


February – August 2018
Asia
Client: UNICEF
Country: Indonesia
ACTFOR Performance conducted a formative evaluation of UNICEF’s partnership strategies in Indonesia. The study assessed their contribution to the 2016–2020 country programme goals in areas such as health, education, child protection, and disaster risk reduction. It included consultations with government actors, civil society, and private sector partners, and provided recommendations to enhance relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.

Mid-term Impact Assessment of the PDSS Health Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo


February 2018 – March 2019
West and Central Africa
Client: Health System Strengthening for Better Maternal and Child Health Project (PDSS)
Donor: World Bank
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
ACTFOR Performance, in partnership with KIT Royal Tropical Institute, conducted a mid-term impact assessment of performance-based financing across 42 health zones. The study relied on surveys with health centers and households to assess the impact on service use, quality, and health outcomes.

ACT for Performance evaluated the World Health Organisation’s Tobacco Control program (MPOWER) in South East Asia Regional Member States.


August 2017 - April 2018
Global
Client: WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia
Donor: WHO
Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste
The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) is actively assisting eleven (11) member states in the region to implement the provisions stated in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that was adopted in 2003 and came into force in 2005. Apart from Indonesia, ten out of eleven countries in the region have endorsed the convention i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. The MPOWER technical package was introduced in 2008 to achieve the objectives of the FCTC and comprises six implementing proven measures to reduce demand for tobacco products, such as protecting people from tobacco smoke; enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorships; and raise taxes on tobacco.
Implementation and compliance of MPOWER have been regularly evaluated in Global Tobacco Control Reports and official reports from the FCTC to the Conference of the Parties. The current evaluation goes beyond these evaluations and provides important feedback for assessing the impact of FCTC implementation in the SEAR Member States after more than a decade of implementation of the treaty and the role of support provided by WHO to assist the countries in their tobacco control efforts to achieve the global, regional and national targets.
ACT for Performance already worked with the WHO in another multi-country evaluation, in the field of nutrition (11 Sub-Saharan African countries).

Evaluation of Phase I of UNAIDS’ Faith-Based Initiative


May – October 2017
Global
Client: UNAIDS and PEPFAR
Donor: PEPFAR
Country: Africa (multiple countries)
UNAIDS mandated ACTFOR Performance to execute the evaluation of Phase I of the Faith-Based Initiative. This initiative was funded by PEPFAR who commissioned UNAIDS to implement it. Aligned with the objective to eradicate HIV-AIDS by 2030, this initiative is focused on the important role of faith-based organizations as both advocates to reduce stigma and discrimination and to provide care. The purpose of the project is to bridge important information gaps on the work of faith-based organizations in that field, to initiate global networking, and knowledge-sharing. The evaluation provided specific recommendations to inform the second phase to take place in 2017-18.

End-line evaluation of the project Improving Child Nutrition in Four Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa


March – September 2017
Global
Client: UNICEF
Donor: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Rwanda
UNICEF selected ACTFOR Performance to evaluate a $US 40 million Nutrition project, implemented in four African countries and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This end-of-project evaluation not only informed the stakeholders on the results of the project but also on the next phase, reason why the evaluation was done a few months before the closure of the project. In addition the evaluation also produced information for country nutrition policies, strategies, and programming. The findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation were presented, discussed and validated at a workshop in Addis Ababa in July 2017.

Evaluability study of the MDG 4 and 5 acceleration framework in the Provincial Health Divisions of Sud-Ubangi, Kwilu, Kwango and Congo Central in the DRC


April – September 2017
West and Central Africa
Client : UNICEF and Ministry of Public Health
Donor: UNICEF
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
UNICEF mandated ACTFOR Performance to execute an Evaluability study of the MDG 4 & 5 Acceleration Framework in the Provincial Health Divisions of Southern Ubangi, Kwilu, Kwango, and Congo central of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We proposed realistic and feasible options for conducting an evaluation of the MDG 4 & 5 Acceleration Framework, and suggested a methodology and key questions to which the evaluation should respond in order to understand the value of the MDG Acceleration Framework approach, and given the constraints observed in its implementation related to the complex field operations. We also identified the expertise, efforts and budget needed for carrying out an evaluation.

Development of National Capacity Strengthening Plan PRONAREC II (2017 – 2021)


May 2016 - January 2017
West and Central Africa
Client: National Secretariat for Capacity Building (SENAREC); Ministry of Planning
Donor: World Bank
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
The National Secretariat for Capacity strengthening (SENAREC) selected ACTFOR Performance to lead, support and facilitate the development of the second National Capacity Strengthening Plan (PRONAREC 2017 – 2021). The new plan prioritizes eight fields of action, based on an evaluation of the implementation of the first plan (2011 – 2016) and an assessment of the of the current capacity gaps, in the light of an on-going decentralization and a modernization of the State. The assignment comprised an extensive document review, three field missions, during which many stakeholders were interviewed and a sample of four provinces were visited, and two validation workshops.

Comparative analysis of aid architecture systems in Crisis Context – Financial flows in countries affected by the Syria Crisis


August - October 2015
Middle East and North Africa
Client: UNDP Sub-regional Response Facility, Amman
Donor: United Nations Development Program
Countries: Jordan, Lebanon
ACTFOR Performance was requested by the UNDP Sub-regional Response Facility in Amman, Jordan to do a study of the financial flows and the effectiveness of aid into Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt; five countries affected by the Syria refugee crisis. The study was based on a review of documents, visits to Jordan and Lebanon, where many stakeholders were interviewed, and a short survey. Our team gathered and analyzed financial data over the last five years, looked into aid modalities, evaluated the effectiveness of the humanitarian response, and the quality of coordination mechanism, and provided recommendations to harmonize short term humanitarian needs and long-term development needs (increasing the resilience of these countries). The study was updated in January and February 2017, on the basis of new datasets.

Analysis of the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of public policies in Senegal


March - June 2016
West and Central Africa
Clients: Project Support Unit of the Canadian Embassy in Dakar ; UNDP office in Dakar ; Working Group on Monitoring and Evaluation of Public policies (Presidency, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance)
Donor: Global Affairs Canada
Country: Senegal
ACTFOR Performance was mandated by the clients to assess the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of existing, and sometime overlapping mechanisms in Senegal to evaluate public policies, and, in particular, the Emerging Senegal Plan. The team examined the mechanisms in various sectors, including an assessment of the indicators, tools utilized, data collection methods, actors involved, and reports produced. The team also analyzed the level of coordination and harmonization between the various mechanisms, and assessed the strengths and weakness of the organizations involved, using the SWOT model. Recommendations were presented to improve systems alignment and harmonization

National Nutrition Strategy in the Democratic Republic of Congo


September 2015 - April 2016
West and Central Africa
Clients: National Nutrition Program, Ministry of Health (PRONANUT); UNICEF-Kinshasa
Donor: UNICEF
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
UNICEF mandated ACTFOR Performance to facilitate a participatory planning process to develop the national multisectoral nutrition strategy for the DRC, including an operational plan and detailed cost estimates. After a thorough document review and an international comparative study, our team held meetings with all stakeholders, organized strategic planning and operationalization workshops, and developed a financing model to estimate implementation costs in detail. Relevant stakeholders validated the proposed strategy at a national forum .

Evaluation of the project “Accelerating Nutrition Improvements in Sub-Saharan Africa”


June - December 2015
Global
Clients: Department of Health, Nutrition and Development, World Health Organization (WHO)
Donor: Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and International Development, Canada
Country: Sub-Saharan Africa
WHO mandated ACTFOR Performance to evaluate its Project “Accelerating Nutrition Improvements in Sub-Saharan Africa”, which was financed by Canada (18 million USD). Our team evaluated the relevance, results, effectiveness and efficiency of the project and formulated recommendations with regard to possible adjustments for the remainder of the project period and to improve overall project management.

Organizational Review of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Communication Support Centres in Buenos Aires, Cairo, Moscow


2014
Global
Clients: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Countries: Argentina, Egypt and Russia
Organizational Review of the Communication Support Centres (CSCs) in Buenos Aires, Cairo, Moscow commissioned by the Institutional Performance Management Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC operated with four communication centres around the world and wanted to review the CSCs management model, capacities and practices and roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders by examining their needs and expectations concerning the hub. The review focused on the capacity, performance and relevance of the CSCs and their mission with a focus on ownership, relationships with stakeholders, decision-making, accountability, budget management and efficiency-value added).

Evaluation of social programs in Paraguay


2017-2018
Latin America and the Caribbean
Clients: UNDP with the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Paraguay
Country: Paraguay
This study project concerns the evaluation of the management of essential public resources in Paraguay. It includes an analysis of the supply chain for medicines and medical equipment under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, an assessment of social spending between 2012 and 2016 to inform budget decisions, and an examination of the planning and management of food supplies in schools. The aim is to provide recommendations for improving efficiency, compliance and the strategic use of public resources.