African Evaluation Journal Publishes “Made in Africa Evaluation” Special Edition Commissioned by CLEAR-AA

In August 2022, the African Evaluation Journal published 12 peer-reviewed articles as a “Made in Africa Evaluation” (MAE) Special Edition commissioned by GEI Implementing Partner, the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results in Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA). This Special Edition was in response to the growing need for literature and tools for MAE. It was a meaningful contribution to the scholarship on MAE, while supporting the mission given to African evaluators at the Bellagio Leaders’ Forum in 2012, which highlighted the need to decolonize evaluation practice in Africa and promote an indigenous evaluation approach that more accurately reflects the complex realities of the African continent.   

MAE is an effort at redefining evaluation to be contextually and culturally relevant to African countries, using localized methods and approaches aimed at aligning the evaluation process with the needs of African people while simultaneously promoting indigenous African knowledge systems and values. It is a response to evaluation’s deep roots in Western theory, models, and approaches, and its resulting lack of validity, ineffectiveness, and limited contribution to development goals. This Special Edition conceptualizes MAE, but more importantly provides guidance on ways to move the discourse and practice forward to ensure successful impact of evaluation in Africa. 

The MAE Special Edition was officially launched at the CLEAR-AA Bi-annual Africa Evaluation Indaba. This was a celebration of African evaluators’ contribution to transforming evaluation practice for the good of the citizens of the continent. The authors showcased their articles and encouraged continued thought on MAE. The launch served as a platform to promote the next phase of MAE, which is more oriented towards the implementation of this approach and scholarship on what works and does not work.