1. 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

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. What does evaluation assess?
Relevance
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Impact
Sustainability
(DAC evaluation criteria)

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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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?

15. 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…

16. …Making a difference…

17. …Making a difference…

18. …Making a difference

19. Further information and contacts
OPEV’s evaluation reports are available on the Bank’s website: see Quick Link on Operations Evaluation: or
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.:

20. Thank you!

21. Thank you!