Safeguarding development results – the role of independent evaluation Colin Kirk Director, Operations Evaluation For seminar on Safeguarding development results through independent oversight: the role of independent audit, evaluation and compliance review Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group 2009 Abidjan, Monday 24 May 2010

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. Winston Churchill

Our task is not to fix the blame for the past – but to help fix the course for the future John F Kennedy

Introduction What is independent evaluation? What is OPEV’s role and contribution? How does OPEV ‘safeguard results’? Independence, integrity and transparency Accountability Learning and improvement Safeguarding development results

For successful results… Do the right thing, the right way, at the right time… Results = sustained improvements in development outcomes Better results through systematic attention throughout the development cycle i.e. manage, monitor and evaluate

What is evaluation? “ An assessment, as systematic and objective as possible, of a planned, on-going or completed development intervention. ” project, programme, portfolio, process or policy design, implementation and results

What does evaluation assess? Relevance Effectiveness Efficiency Impact Sustainability (DAC evaluation criteria) www.oecd.org http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/31/12/2755284.pdf

Evaluation and explanation – why are the results as they are? Characteristics Context Causes Consequences i.e. more than simply tracking physical and financial progress

Who evaluates? Short feedback loop Complementarity of self-evaluation and independent evaluation: Self-evaluation - by operations units Short feedback loop Optimal ‘on the job’ lesson learning by staff and management (e.g. PCRs) Independent evaluation - by OPEV Validation of results of self-evaluation Quality assurance of wider evaluation system Focus on public accountability Corporate lesson learning

OPEV’s mission Helping the African Development Bank to foster sustainable growth and poverty reduction in Africa through independent and influential evaluations. Such evaluations assess the Bank Group’s policies, procedures and operations, review performance and report on results in order to draw useful lessons and promote accountability. OPEV will ensure effective communication of evaluation results to the Bank’s stakeholders.

OPEV role and position “The primary role of OPEV shall be to provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of the development effectiveness of the Bank Group assistance strategies, policies, operations, processes and procedures …” Presidential Directive No 10/2002 concerning Operations Evaluation Independence is important in ensuring impartiality, transparency and credibility

Who uses evaluation results? The Board For oversight and accountability Management To strengthen policies and operations Operations To strengthen implementation RMCs To inform policies and operations Donors Accountability and justification of spending Citizens To hold the Bank publicly accountable

Independence, integrity and transparency OPEV reports directly to the Bank’s Board through the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) CODE approves OPEV’s workplan OPEV contributes to the Bank’s corporate governance Independence helps to avoid possible conflicts of interest Maintain corporate credibility and integrity OPEV’s reports are published on the Bank’s website, ensuring transparency

Accountability, lessons learning and improvement Accountability and quality assurance Did we do what we said we would do? lesson learning and quality improvement Did we learn from experience of what works? – and what does not work?

Safeguarding development results Independent evaluation contributes to Corporate governance and accountability: holding the Bank true to its mission Upholding the Bank’s integrity and credibility: safeguarding its reputation Learning and improvement: ensuring that policies and operations are relevant to Africa’s needs delivered efficiently and effectively have sustainable impact Making a difference in the real world…

…Making a difference…

…Making a difference…

…Making a difference

Further information and contacts OPEV’s evaluation reports are available on the Bank’s website: see Quick Link on Operations Evaluation: http://www.afdb.org/opev or http://www.afdb.org/en/knowledge/operations-evaluation OPEV has produced a CD-Rom with over 165 evaluation reports (available on request). For more information, please contact Mr Joseph Mouanda Evaluation Officer, Knowledge Management Tel.: + 216 7110 3679 e-mail: j.mouanda@afdb.org

Thank you!

Thank you!