The Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) function delivered a record 20 evaluation products in 2020, exceeding its targets and contributing to learning and accountability on achievement of the Bank's High-5 strategic priorities, according to its 2020 Annual Report released on 25 May 2021.
Over the last year, IDEV produced its first Management Action Record System report, tracking the implementation of evaluation recommendations. It also produced two impact evaluations, two country strategy and program evaluations, and 4 corporate evaluations, demonstrating resilience and responsiveness by delivering on its mission to the Bank and regional member countries, despite challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two impact evaluations were of Malawi irrigation projects and a Ghana road project. Egypt and Mali are the two countries for which IDEV undertook country strategy and program evaluations.
"Despite these challenging times, however, IDEV continued to deliver a stream of quality evaluative products during 2020. In the context of the crisis, robust, evidence-based evaluations were more appreciated than ever," said Chris Chalmers, Bank Executive Director and chairman of its Committee on Operations and Development Effectiveness, or CODE.
The 2020 report, A New Reality: Adapting Evaluation During Covid-19, notes that the department responded to the pandemic by producing two lesson notes to support the Bank's responses to the economic and health impacts of the crisis.
The Department also organized eight virtual knowledge events to capture and publicize the findings, lessons and recommendations from its evaluations. IDEV also continued to pursue partnerships and support evaluation capacity development in the Bank and on the continent.
In addition, 2020 was a milestone year for IDEV, marking 40 years of the evaluation function at the African Development Bank. In that time, evaluations have influenced several policies, strategies, programs and processes that have become an integral part of the Bank's operations.
Through its focus on the Bank's priority areas, IDEV's evaluations remain timely and influential, effectively identifying what works well as well as areas for improvement and providing clear guidance for new policies and strategies. The influence of IDEV evaluations went well beyond the Bank to reach national stakeholders in regional member countries.
"I look forward to the next chapter of this journey as we work to deliver on our core mandate, which is to contribute to a better Bank, achieving greater development results for Africa." Said Karen Rot-Münstermann, Acting Evaluator General.
The report is available here in French and English. Additional information can be found here
