PIFED Alumni Showcase Expertise During 2023’s Summer Conference Season
People who understand that evaluation has the power to bring about positive change is a key component of strengthening national monitoring and evaluation systems. Consequently, training and professional development support for individuals is a key component of GEI’s mission. The International Training Program in Development Evaluation (PIFED), delivered by the L’École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), a GEI Implementing Partner, has trained more than 2000 individuals.
The summer of 2023 was filled with M&E conferences. ENAP staff had the opportunity to participate in a number of these conferences including gLOCAL Evaluation Week 2023, the 2023 Canadian Evaluation Society Conference (C2023), and Forum Francophone de l’évaluation (FIFE), where they encountered numerous PIFED alumni sharing their knowledge and continuing to enhance their skills.
M&E specialist and PIFED pedagogical advisor, Élodie C. Roy, shared: “It gave us such a buzz to see those conferences filled with people who are part of [the PIFED alumni] community. These gatherings truly felt like home.”
- At C2023, the ENAP team was pleased to see: Ali Diomande (PIFED cohort 2022), Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office (Primature) of Côte d’Ivoire and Bistra Petrova (PIFED cohort 2021), Evaluation Advisor at the Quebec Treasury Board.
- At FIFE, several alumni were among the panelists including Roger Moke (PIFED cohort 2021), Evaluation Advisor for the Ministry for State Reform, Congo; Tiéko Jean-Luc Bebei (PIFED cohort 2016), M&E Specialist for the World Bank-funded Côte d'Ivoire Infrastructure Renewal Project; and, Yolaine Glele Ahanhanzo (PIFED cohort 2023) from Benin. These PIFED alumni play an important role at the center of their respective governments to deepen the evaluation function.
- A number of alumni helped to organize sessions during C2023 and/or FIFE, as well as contributed their knowledge and ideas during the exchanges. They included Mamadou Coulibaly (PIFED cohort 2014), Permanent Secretary of Côte d’Ivoire Voluntary Organization for Professional Evaluation (VOPE) RISE (Réseau ivoirien de suivi et d’évaluation); Anis Ben Younes (PIFED cohort 2016), of the Tunisian Evaluation Network; Jamal Ramdane (PIFED cohort 2017), from Association Marocaine de l'Evaluation; Achille R Yameogo (PIFED cohort 2018), Deputy Secretary-General of the Burkina Faso Monitoring and Evaluation Network (RéBuSE); Violaine Alvès (PIFED cohort 2019), member of Société luxembourgeoise d'évaluation et de prospective (SOLEP); Hadja N’Sira Baldé and Ghizlane Khammal, both belonging to PIFED cohort of 2021 and now acting as VOPE board members – respectively at Société québécoise d'évaluation de programme (SQÉP) for the former, and Réseau Francophone de l'Evaluation (RFE) & Association Marocaine de l'Evaluation for the latter.
- Similarly, several young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) contributed to FIFE through panel and workshop sessions. They included: Yakiéma Kouyaté (PIFED cohort 2018), from the Côte d’Ivoire VOPE RISE; Sana Ben Salem (PIFED cohort 2016), focal point of the Tunisian Evaluation Network; Lydiane Josepha Jobin Mbia (PIFED cohort 2019), Board Francophone Secretary at the Africa Gender and Development Evaluators Network (AGDEN) and member of SénEval; and Ibrahima Diouf (PIFED cohort 2019).
- Professors and evaluation experts from the ENAP network like Lynda Rey, Richard Marceau, Jean Serge Quesnel and Benoit Gauthier, were also in attendance at FIFE to share their knowledge and experiences. Of note, the last two have been recognized by the RFE during FIFE 2023 for their contribution to the field of evaluation in the French speaking world.
- M&E experts who contributed their time and expertise to write chapters in ENAP’s recent publication L’évaluation en contexte de développement, which was featured during the poster exhibition at both C2023 and FIFE, also joined the related event. They included Ada Ocampo, Ahmed Bencheikh, Anna Gueye, Aref Ben Abdallah, Deo-Gracias Joundolo, Élodie C. Roy, Guy Cauquil, Ousséni Kinda, Tigawendé Prosper Kaboré (PIFED cohort 2017), Serge Éric Yakeu, Thaddé Yossa and Vénétia Sauvain.
These are only a few names of individuals who are part of the rich PIFED global network and that the ENAP team came across during these events. More than 2000 individuals have received training through PIFED and many preeminent evaluation specialists have been involved with its delivery in Quebec and in other francophone countries over the past decade.
Positioned at various points within the global M&E landscape, these individuals actively contribute to advancing the use of monitoring, evaluation, and evidence in their countries. They serve as valuable resources to help GEI realize its vision of strengthening M&E systems to improve the lives of people all over the world.