IDEV, the Independent Development Evaluation of the African Development Bank, is an independent and autonomous unit tasked with enhancing the development effectiveness of the Bank's operations. By conducting independent evaluations and proactively sharing best practice, IDEV ensures that the Bank and its stakeholders learn from past experience and plan and deliver development activities to the highest possible standards. IDEV carries out independent evaluations of Bank operations, policies and strategies, working across projects, sectors, themes, regions, and countries. In addition, IDEV oversees the self-evaluation of projects conducted by operations departments. All of IDEV's activities are designed to meet the following three key objectives:
To key stakeholders including citizens, governments, funders and partners, by evaluating and documenting the impact of the Bank's activities.
Helping to improve current and future policies, strategies, projects, and processes.
Within the Bank and regional member countries to encourage a process of continuous learning and improvement. IDEV has a wealth of experience, expertise, and knowledge from evaluating the Bank's development projects across Africa.
The Independent Evaluation Policy of The African Development Bank Group was published in July 2016.
Updated November 2016
Yes, Operations Evaluation Department (OPEV)
Since 1995, OPEV Director reports directly to the Board and administratively to the President. OPEV Work Programme and reports are under the oversight of the Committee on Operations and Development Effectiveness of the Board. Since 2007, OPEV's budget is no longer subject to Management's arbitration but included in the Bank's overall budget for consideration by the Board, responsible for overall administrative and capital budget approval. OPEV Budget is ring fenced.
Head: Director, Executive Level 4 (one level before VP)
Director OPEV attends Senior Management coordination Committee (Ex Officio) and selectively the Operations Committee (Opscom)
OPEV's access to AfDB staff and records is unrestricted according to the Independent Evaluation Policy approved in 2007.
Director: 1
Division Managers: 2
Lead Evaluation Specialist (Division Manager rank): 1
Chief Evaluation Officers: 6
Principal Evaluation Officers: 8
Senior Evaluation Officer: 2
Evaluation Officer : 1
Program Coordinator : 1
Research Assistants: 7
Administrative Support Staff: 7
HR management of evaluation staff falls within the corporate HR policies and procedures.
In managing the financial and human resources of the Evaluation Department, the Director applies the Bank policies. The terms and conditions of services of OPEV staff are the same as for other AfDB staff, as provided by staff rules and regulations of the Bank including the staff recruitment, separation, performance review process, and disciplinary procedures. OPEV Evaluation staff may work in other departments of the Bank before and after working in OPEV. Formal guidelines on avoiding conflicts of interest in independent evaluations have been adopted by CODE in 2007. Lateral Transfer and promotion of OPEV staff is similarly governed by AfDB-staff and general administrative policies, rules, and regulations.
OPEV Director is selected from a list of candidates on the basis of the recommendation of a high-level recruitment panel composed of Vice Presidents . The CODE Chair and Vice Chair are included in the panel as observers. The President and the Board of Directors concur on the proposed appointment of the selected candidate to head the department. The President announces the outcome of the consultation during a formal meeting of the Board.
The Director is appointed for 5 years renewable only once. Any such renewal requires prior concurrence by the President with the Board of Directors. Any person who has served as Head of OPEV is not eligible to perform any remunerated services for the Bank (whether as staff, consultant or in any other remunerated capacity) unless the Board of Directors specifically decides otherwise.
Rotation of evaluation staff back to operations and other functions is allowed.
47-46% of OPEV Administrative Budget is for consultants (2012-)
One Young Professional joined in 2013
OPEV prepares its three-year rolling work programme on a basis of a large consultation with CODE, Management from operations/ policy departments. Priority areas sectors or themes as identified in the Long Term Strategy (LTS) and as well as decided by the Board of directors or required within the African Development Fund (ADF) replenishment exercise and mid-term reviews are also taken into consideration in drawing the three-year rolling work programme which is reviewed by CODE and approved by the Boards.
Actually 70-90% of completed projects are subject to self- evaluation (PCRs). The 2011 target is 90% with an ultimate objective of 100%. 92% of all PCRs in 2011 and 89% in 2012 were subject to independent desk review with preparation of PCR Evaluation Note (PCREN). Only 15% of completed projects are subject to independent performance evaluation (with field mission) report. Selection criteria are mainly: quality of PCR and lessons to be learned, importance for country or sector future reviews or crosscutting issues & bank corporate strategic priorities.
Policy Reviews are planned prior to a revision by Policy Dept. For Country Assistance Evaluation are planned to enable them to feed into new Country assistance strategies and are based on operational departments pipeline of new CSPs. Sectoral and Thematic Evaluations, Corporate Review, Process Reviews, Impact studies are selected based on Bank corporate and sectoral strategic priorities.
Depends on nature of the product, but the budget assumes that, normally, an individual project evaluation takes 4-5 staff months while country assistance evaluations and other higher level evaluations may take 9-12 staff months of work with 12-15 months of elapsed time).
IED internal administrative budget is about 1.8% of the equivalent AsDB-wide budget in 2012 (1.9% in 2010 and 1.7% in 2011).
4-point scale for public sector and 6 point scale for overall development outcome for private sector operations
Yes
Public Sector:
Relevance, Efficacy, Efficiency, Sustainability, Institutional development impact
Private sector:
Development Outcome (Business, economic sustainability, environmental and social assessment, private sector development)
Public Sector:
AfDB performance, Borrower performance
Private sector:
Investment Outcome (Profitability), Bank's Additionality, Bank's Work Quality (Operational Effectiveness)
OPEV has a dissemination policy aimed at enhancing the sharing of evaluation knowledge. Disclosure activities are guided by the department's mission to "ensure effective communication of evaluation results to the Bank's stakeholders” and by the Bank Group's policy on disclosure of information (2007 edition, currently under revision).
Reports available for wide distribution after circulation to the Board Committee.
Completed evaluations for discussion by CODE are disclosed immediately after discussion. Completed evaluations that are sent for information only (such as project level evaluations, synthesis reports) i.e. not for discussion are simultaneously disclosed.
US$100, 000 or approximately 3% of budget (direct costs)
Part time staff:
1 professional staff
2 Support staff
1. Project Level Evaluations
• Project/ programme performance evaluation Reports (PPERs)
• Cluster Evaluations
• Project Completion Evaluation Note
• Expanded Supervision Reports of Private Sector Operations Evaluation Note
2. Sector, Thematic, Country and Corporate level evaluations
• Country Strategy Evaluation (CSE)
• Process and Procedure Reviews
• Sector, Policy and Thematic Evaluations
• Impact Evaluations
• Corporate Evaluations
3. Other reports
• Annual Review of Evaluation Results (ARER)
• Review of Country Sectoral Bank assistance
• Synthesis Evaluations
• Systematic Reviews of Policy/Strategy
• OPEV rolling Work Program and Budget
- Internal Peer Review
- External Peer Review
- Reports sent for comments to Operat. Depts. + Borrowers + Co-financiers
- Formal Management Response expected from Results and Quality Assurance Department in charge of coordinating Management responses for high level evaluations.
Evaluation reports reviewed by the Boards Committee (CODE) are mainly: corporate, country assistance evaluations, sectoral or thematic evaluations and lending/non lending process reviews, synthesis reports.
-Informal Presentations to CODE and Mgt on evaluation results
Management Action Record Mechanism for follow-up and tracking of evaluation recommendations currently being developed and will be rolled out during 2013.
OPEV Reports are submitted by the Director to the Committee on Development Effectiveness through the Secretary General, and are disclosed to the public upon circulation to the Board in line with its disclosure policy. Reports are posted in OPEVs website.
No restriction on the identity of the promoters/projects
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