CLEAR-FA Supports Establishment of National Evaluation Fund in Côte d'Ivoire

Participatory workshop in Abidjan attended by representatives from various government bodies, voluntary organizations for professional evaluation (VOPEs), and civil society organizations in Côte d'Ivoire. The workshop was facilitated by the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Francophone Africa, an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative.
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19 February 2024

The Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Francophone Africa (CLEAR-FA) is providing technical support to the Government of Côte d'Ivoire on its journey towards creating a national evaluation fund. In December 2023, CLEAR-FA helped organize a participatory workshop, which resulted in the development of a draft decree for the establishment of a national evaluation fund in the country.

The draft decree represents an important step towards strengthening the national evaluation system in Côte d'Ivoire. In 2022, the West African nation adopted a law on the evaluation of public policies. But in order to support the implementation of the law, the Government of Côte d'Ivoire needed a mechanism for securing the financial resources necessary to fund evaluations. In many African countries, lack of funding is a key barrier to developing a sustainable and fully country-owned evaluation system. Ensuring the participation of key stakeholders in public policy evaluations is another challenge. The government also needed a mechanism for promoting stakeholder engagement.

To support the creation of these implementing mechanisms, CLEAR-FA has been working closely with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development in Côte d'Ivoire. CLEAR-FA, an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), has been providing technical support to the ministry since 2022, as part of GEI’s mission to support countries in strengthening their monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems.

The process to develop the mechanisms culminated in a participatory workshop that took place in Abidjan in December 2023. The workshop brought together representatives from the Inspectorate General of State, the National Assembly, the Senate, the Court of Auditors, the High Authority for Good Governance, technical departments of various ministries, voluntary organizations for professional evaluation (VOPEs), and civil society organizations.

In preparation for the workshop, CLEAR-FA undertook a review of existing evaluation funding mechanisms across Africa, America, and Europe. The center also conducted a diagnosis of financial needs and capacities for policy evaluations in Côte d'Ivoire. The results of the studies served as a guide for discussion during the workshop, which was led by CLEAR-FA experts.

The participatory workshop resulted in the creation of two implementing decrees. The first draft decree defined the structure and governance architecture of the national evaluation fund, while the second outlined the scope and modalities of stakeholder engagement.

“Côte d'Ivoire is paving the way in Africa by setting up a national evaluation fund and promoting the involvement of key stakeholders in the evaluation process,” said CLEAR-FA Director Edoé Djimitri Agbodjan. “The promulgation of the implementing decrees will no doubt strengthen the regulatory framework for evaluation in the country.”