Addis Ababa: Ethiopia remains fully committed to deepening its evaluation ecosystem as robust monitoring and evaluation systems are indispensable for tracking progress and making necessary corrections, Minister of Planning and Development Fitsum Assefa noted.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in Addis Ababa, marking a significant milestone in its journey of capacity building, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based policymaking. The event was organized in collaboration with the Ethiopian Evaluation Association, the Ministry of Planning and Development, and other key stakeholders.
Opening the anniversary event today, Fitsum stated that her ministry has made tangible strides to institutionalize evaluation within Ethiopia’s national planning architecture. She noted that some of the key achievements include the development of a national evaluation framework aimed at guiding the conduct, use, and dissemination of evaluation. The mini
ster emphasized that AfrEA’s 25th anniversary should be a moment of reflection and renewal of commitment, affirming Ethiopia’s dedication to enhancing its evaluation ecosystem. She added, “We see evaluation not only as a technical function but also as a democratic imperative, one that gives voice to citizens, ensures inclusion and improves service delivery.”
Director of Strategic Planning and Delivery of the African Union Commission, Botho Kebabonye Bayendi, emphasized the essential role of evaluation in realizing Africa’s development agendas, including Agenda 2063. “The fundamentals of Africa-owned evaluation system.should be able to assist us diagnose bottlenecks in implementation, validate what works in our unique context as Africa, redirect resources to high impact interventions and show inclusivity; so no community is left behind,” she elaborated.
AfrEA President Miche Ouedraogo stressed that evaluation must serve Africa’s development agenda, emphasizing the need for Africa-led evaluation supported by
digitalization. It was indicated that AfrEA remains committed to promoting Africa-rooted evaluation, fostering knowledge exchange, and supporting evidence-based policymaking. Ethiopian Evaluation Association president Dereje Mamo echoed similar reflections, stressing the need to reaffirm commitment to advancing Africa’s evaluation endeavors.
The event brought together government officials, evaluators, policymakers, and development experts to reflect on AfrEA’s transformative impact on monitoring and evaluation in Africa. The AfrEA’s 25th anniversary is being observed under the theme: ‘Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence in Africa-Rooted Evaluation: Building a Stronger Future Together.’