African Centres of Excellence – Satisfaction Survey Results Second draft, results of both the 2017 wave as the 2016 wave, covering students from the enrolment years 2014, 2015 and 2016

VERIFICATION OF DISBURSEMENT LINKED RESULTS (DLR) AFRICA CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE –WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

KEY OBJECTIVES Methods of verification of DLRs Key Challenges Proposed Improvements Disbursement of achieved results

Methods of Verification DLR 2.1 – 2.4 (Enrolments & Internships) Submission of results framework Submission of results framework ACEs for the time-period being verified Reports reviewed by RFU Comments for fine-tuning-missing data etc Second data quality check by agency M&E reports verified by third party agency Quality review of the submitted reports Student survey and selected phone calls Open online for students for a period of 2-3 weeks Strong communication to centers including sharing of “non-responders lists” Sample calls to students after closure to reach who could or cannot be reached via the online

Methods of Verification DRL 2.6 (External Revenue) ACEs record details of the revenue generated externally in the data sheet for Indicator 4. These include the original amount received or generated Details of the bank account in which the specific amount is stored The origin of the funds; and the purpose for which the funds were generated Submitted as part of the M&E report Validated and signed by the institution’s external auditor

Methods of Verification DLR 2.5 (Accreditation) ACEs notify the RFU (AAU) when programme accreditation is acquired with documentation. Details of the accreditation Scanned copies of the accreditation certificate The contact details for the Accrediting Agency All others useful information regarding the accreditation The RFU verifies confirms the relevance of the accrediting agency

Methods of Verification DLR 2.7 (Research Publications) List of research publications produced by the centers and their partners over the period under review Submission of articles to AAU AAU submits to Elsevier Elsevier submits list to AAU AAU submits to experts for subject matter experts review

Methods of Verification DLR 2.8 (Teaching & Learning Environment) Milestones developed by the ACEs and approved by the World Bank Signing of contracts, initiation of procurement processes, actual procurement, refurbishment and actual construction Milestone achieved communicated to the RFU (AAU) indicating Which particular milestone(s) has been achieved Appending supporting documentation Milestones Verification Unit Procedure Signing of contracts RFU Cross-checking the documents submitted and posted online Procurement of equipment refurbishment and construction Technical expert and or architect On-site verification is done for groups of centres at a time

Methods of Verification DLR 3.1 – 3.4 (Financial Management) Verified by the World Bank Financial management and Project teams Verification here is based on documentation submitted and made available online The verified results are made available to the center for feedback before finalisation Timely withdrawal Functioning audit committee Functioning internal audit unit Financial online transparency

Methods of Verification DLR 4 (Procurement) Results are verified by the World Bank submission of post-procurement audit reports by the ACEs

Key challenges DLR 2.1-2.4-student enrollment Wrong contacts or missing information from reports Data compilation and treatment mistakes Inadequate verification period for the short-term courses Use of wrong excel sheet format for the reporting or changes in the standard format Internet connectivity

Key challenges DLR 2.5-accredidation and assessments Straightforward –no issues per say DLR 2.6-research publications Some issues around relevance of publication and center objective DLR 2.7-revenue generation Some delays in response from auditor to AAU on confirmation of audit reports DLR 2.8-infrastructure and equipment milestones Ensure that the milestones are indeed fully achieved with full documentation prior to costly verification exercise

Improvement of Verification Process DLR 2.6-research publications Population of publications based on article submitted by the center and not the researchers name DLR 2.4-Improved short term courses verification immediately after the course is delivered. Submission of detailed information sheet Delivery of short student survey by the center submission of this survey result and information sheet to the AAU within 2 weeks of short course delivery

Most recent verification in Cote d’Ivoire Center # Reported Students % Correctly Reported % Response rate CEA-MEM 120 98% 84% CEA_CCBAD 73 82% 92% ENSEA 374 79%

Improvements of Verification Process Continued better Communication Advance notification of launch of survey Sharing “non-reponse” list with centers Maintain strong and regular communication with ACE M&E officers Deepen the DLIs/DLRs definitions Undertake regular coordination with Technopolis on the student verification process Sharing results prior to workshop Discussion in operational M&E clinics Re-submission with clarifications

Disbursement Process The RFU prepares a verification letter incl EEPs for the ACE in question Submitted to the World Bank with copies to the centre in question World Bank authorizes disbursement based on these letters