African Union Reaffirms Commitment to Africa-Rooted Evaluation at AfrEA’s 25th Anniversary

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June 19, 2025

The African Union joined over 300 evaluation experts, policymakers, development practitioners, and government officials in Addis Ababa to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA). Held from 16–18 June under the theme “Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence in Africa-Rooted Evaluation: Building a Stronger Future Together,” the event marked a significant milestone in Africa’s journey toward homegrown, context-driven evaluation systems.

At this Milestone, the AU strongly reaffirmed its commitment to advancing an Africa-led evaluation agenda, stressing its important role in shaping, implementing, and assessing development policies and strategies across the continent. This call comes as Africa accelerates its efforts to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

During the opening session, Botho Kebabonye Bayendi, Director of Strategic Planning and Delivery at the African Union Commission, underscored the strategic role of evaluation in achieving the goals of Agenda 2063, “Evaluation is not merely a technical tool—it is a strategic imperative for Africa’s progress. By advancing an Africa-driven evaluation approach, we empower our nations to critically reflect on their development journeys, understand what works, respond to challenges, and ensure that policies lead to real, measurable impact for our citizens. A homegrown approach fosters the accountability and ownership needed to achieve sustainable development across all sectors.”

The conference spotlighted the relevance of evaluation in informing the implementation of the Agenda 2063 Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan. AfrEA’s contributions—particularly its role in evaluating the First Ten-Year Plan were recognized as a benchmark for evidence-based accountability and progress across the continent. This sentiment was strongly echoed by key speakers, including Mrs. Karen Rot-Münstermann, Evaluator General, Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV), African Development Bank (AfDB); Mr. Stephen Aloo, Senior Director for Impact Strategy, Analytics and Evaluation, Mastercard Foundation; Mr. Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director General, Independent Evaluation Office (IEO), New Development Bank (NDB); Dr. Jörg Faust, Director, German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) and Chair of the Development Assistance Committee Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Mr. Abdrahamane Dicko, Director of Programs and Impact, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF); Mr. Dugan Ian Fraser, Program Manager, Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), World Bank; and His Excellency Mr. Luc Joseph Okio, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, Responsible for State Reform, Republic of Congo. Together, these leaders also reinforced the key role of data and evidence in shaping Africa’s development strategies, supporting reform, and ensuring that progress is both measurable and meaningful.

Delivering the closing remarks on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mohamed El-Amine Souef, Chief of Staff to the AUC Chairperson, stated,“Over the past three days, we have witnessed evaluation’s power as a catalyst for Africa’s development. From reflections on 25 years of excellence to robust dialogue on the next decade of Agenda 2063, one message is clear evidence must drive Africa’s future. Evaluators are the guardians of our development narrativetransforming data into insight, holding leaders accountable, and ensuring every intervention delivers real benefits for our people. As we move forward, we must elevate evaluation as a cornerstone of governance, champion youth inclusion to keep Agenda 2063 vibrant, and build partnerships that democratise evaluation across the continent.”

On behalf of the Chairperson, H.E. Souef also signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the African Union and the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA). The MoU marks a significant step in strengthening institutional collaboration and reinforces the AU’s commitment to embedding Africa-rooted evaluation into the continent’s development architecture. It also aims to build the capacity of national evaluation, promote peer learning, and ensure that evaluation is central to delivering the aspirations of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

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