Project evaluations in the Sahel region
Context
The French Development Agency regularly assesses the projects and programs that it finances. Within this framework, it conducts so-called "decentralized" evaluations, which are managed directly by its local agencies established in over 80 countries.
The Sahel region is an area with deep vulnerabilities and major security, political, and socioeconomic challenges. It therefore seems all the more important to assess the projects financed by AFD in this region, in order to improve its intervention modalities in this type of context, based on the key takeaways drawn from the evaluations.
Objective
The purpose of this framework agreement is to conduct decentralized mid-term or ex-post evaluations of projects or "project clusters" in six Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal). It aims at improving AFD's accountability and dialogue with its partners (MOAs, beneficiaries, partner governments) in the Sahel region, and contribute to the dissemination of an evaluation culture within AFD as well as in the targeted countries.
Conducting assessments in this so-called "at risk" area requires particularly innovative methodologies to overcome the difficulty of accessing certain areas, as well as the lack of available data. For this purpose, Espelia has joined forces with the NGO GRET, which has been active in the area for several years and has local offices in several of the countries concerned.
Our contribution
Several evaluations have already been carried out by the Espelia-GRET consortium under the framework agreement:
- Evaluation of the Common Health Fund in Niger;
- Evaluation of the Health Development Plan in Niger;
- Evaluation of the "Mopti electricity emergency" project in Mali;
- Evaluation of the support to several basic education programs in Burkina Faso;
- Evaluation of the Health and Population Policy Support Project in Burkina Faso;
- Retrospective evaluation of the Pastoral Hydraulics Project in Chad (ongoing).
The conduct of these evaluations has so far mobilized several survey methods:
- Semi-structured individual interviews;
- Collective interviews and focus groups;
- Participatory diagnosis and/or design workshops.
The Espelia-GRET consortium is particularly committed to including project stakeholders in the evaluation process. It therefore uses participatory facilitation methods in all its missions.
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