CLEAR-FA Advances Evaluation in Francophone Africa during Glocal Evaluation Week 2025

As part of the Glocal Evaluation Week 2025, the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Francophone Africa (CLEAR-FA), an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI),  played a central role in regional activities, leading two key initiatives to advance evaluation practice on the continent. 

In partnership with its counterpart, CLEAR Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA), CLEAR-FA co-organized the official African regional launch of Global Evaluation Week. This high-level event was followed by a series of four thematic webinars, held from June 2 to 6, aimed at engaging the Francophone evaluation community and deepening discourse on critical evaluation issues. 

The continental launch, held on May 29, 2025, brought together experts and decision-makers from across Africa in a panel discussion focused on the role of evaluation in governance, development planning, and public policy reform. National experiences, including those of Benin and South Africa, illustrated both the progress made and the challenges of institutionalizing evaluation systems, as well as methodological innovations adapted to African contexts. The session reaffirmed the need to strengthen capacity, integrate gender and equity considerations, and promote the strategic use of evaluation results to inform decision-making. 

A key contribution came from Antonin Dossou, former Minister responsible for the evaluation of public policies in Benin, who shared insights on Benin’s recent adoption of the Law No. 2024-09 on Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies. The law mandates a midterm evaluation of all implemented public policies and includes a dedicated budget line, signaling strong political commitment to embedding evaluation in policy cycles. 

“In Benin, since 2024, Law 2024-09 on the planning and evaluation of public policies requires that all implemented policies undergo a mid-term evaluation and include an evaluation component with dedicated funding. This framework law reflects a strong political will to systematize evaluation and make it more effective”, he stated. 

Building on this momentum, CLEAR-FA organized four high-level webinars from June 2 and 6, 2025. These sessions attracted wide participation from professionals, researchers, civil society representatives, public institutions, and emerging evaluators across Francophone Africa. These events brought together a total of 198 participants, including 56 women and 142 men, primarily from Senegal, France, Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Cameroon, Madagascar, Togo, Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. 

The first webinar explored how communities of practice can serve as mechanisms for capacity strengthening, with a focus on collaborative, African-driven learning models. The second examined the evolving role of women in evaluation, with lessons drawn from complex decision-making contexts influenced by female leadership. 

The third session addressed public policy evaluation in relation to climate change and urbanization, proposing an approach centered on building resilient African cities. The final webinar provided a critical perspective on integrating gender into national evaluation systems, identifying opportunities to move toward more equitable and transformative practices. 

Through these efforts, CLEAR-FA strengthened the regional dialogue on evidence-based public policy. By combining continent-wide engagement, thematic depth, and strategic partnerships, the center reaffirmed its role as a key driver of evaluation culture across Francophone Africa. Glocal Evaluation Week 2025 thus served as an important milestone for knowledge exchange, peer learning, and advancing more structured, inclusive, and context-responsive evaluation systems throughout the region.