Jeddah, KSA, 3 June 2025 —The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) recently hosted an insightful webinar titled "Beyond Projects: Evaluating Sustainability, Efficiency, and Growth for a Lasting Development Impact" as part of the Glocal Evaluation Week.
IEvD’s Director, Br. Mohameden Mohamed Sidiya, opened the session by emphasizing the critical importance of long-term thinking in development work. "As development actors, we know that success cannot be measured by project completion alone. True impact lies in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the development results achieved by the interventions.", he stated, setting the tone for a thought-provoking discussion on project sustainability and adaptive learning through evaluation.
Dr. Ahmed Abdelgawad delivered a key presentation focused on lessons learned from IEvD project evaluations. His analysis highlighted critical challenges including poor sustainability planning, inadequate operation and maintenance frameworks, and over-reliance on donor financing while emphasizing that evaluation must be concerned with the sustainability of project outputs beyond immediate completion.
The subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Br. Javeed Ahsan, featured valuable contributions from three distinguished speakers who addressed critical aspects of development project sustainability. Dr. Mohamed Suhail from IsDB's Special & Trust Funds Division discussed scaling mobile healthcare initiatives in fragile settings and underserved populations, focusing on barriers to sustainability including limited government ownership and service continuity gaps, while also addressing strategies to strengthen countries' institutional capacities for ensuring sustainability and ownership. Br. Wadi Yousif from BADEA's Independent Evaluation Division analyzed the causes of cost overruns and delays in development projects, examining how evaluation processes can identify systemic planning gaps and support strategies to improve project efficiency.
Br. Mohammed Alsayed Ahmad from IsDB's IEvD introduced the significance of sustainability in development projects and conducted a comparative analysis of sustainability outcomes between public-financed versus private sector-financed projects, while exploring measures needed to ensure financial and technical viability of public-financed projects from design to closure.
Three fundamental principles for sustainability emerged from the discussions. First, sustainability cannot be an afterthought but must be embedded at the project design stage, including planning for local ownership, ongoing maintenance, and financial viability beyond donor funding. Second, successful projects require localizing both services and financing mechanisms, with capacity building tailored to specific local needs to reduce over-reliance on external donors. Third, development initiatives should be integrated into existing national programs and institutional frameworks rather than operating as standalone projects, to ensure continuity.
This webinar is part of IEvD's broader EvalTalks initiative, a series of learning events designed to enhance evaluation knowledge and practice. Staff can look forward to upcoming EvalTalks webinars which will explore other relevant topics related to evaluation and development impact.
Rome, Italy, 6 March 2025 - The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) of IsDB participated in the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) 2025 Annual Conference held in Rome, Italy, from March 4 to 6.
Mr. Bashirullah Najimi of IEvD participated in two panel discussions, including an IsDB panel on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), highlighting challenges in aligning M&E systems with local priorities, cultural contexts, and community needs. The session explored ways international organizations and local entities can collaborate to enhance M&E systems. He also took part in the AIIB panel on evaluating development projects in the Global South, where discussions centered on tailoring evaluation approaches to the specific challenges and opportunities in BRICS and other Emerging Markets and Developing Countries (EMDCs).
Key learnings from the conference included the importance of engaging parliamentarians in development evaluation, particularly in macro evaluations. The event also highlighted the need for a review of IsDB’s project rating criteria in comparison with other MDBs to ensure alignment with international best practices.
As part of IEvD’s outreach and capacity-building efforts, Mr. Najimi’s participation aimed to enhance IsDB’s visibility in global evaluation discussions, strengthen professional networks with other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and gather valuable insights to inform IEvD’s future evaluation practices.
IEvD’s active participation in IDEAS 2025 Annual Conference highlights the department’s commitment to strengthening its evaluation practices to enhance IsDB’s development effectiveness.
Paris, France, 27 February 2025 – The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) participated in the 32nd EvalNet Meeting held on February 26-27, 2025, in OECD Secretariat, Paris. The meeting organized by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), brought together evaluation experts from international institutions to discuss pressing issues, challenges, and advancements in development evaluation.
The two-day event featured discussions on pivotal topics, including partnerships for locally-led evaluation, the integration of artificial intelligence in evaluation processes, and strategies for assessing unintended consequences of development financing. Mr. Ehtisham Ul Hassan and Mr. Javeed Ahsan, representing IEvD at the event, contributed their insights during sessions focused on strengthening evaluation norms, fostering country-led evaluation mechanisms, and aligning evaluation strategies with climate transition efforts.
A key highlight of the meeting was the session on the use of AI in conducting evaluation, where participants not only benefitted from the learnings shared by the World Bank but also discussed the issues pertinent to practical applications of emerging technologies to enhance efficiency and accuracy in assessment methodologies. Discussions also revolved around strengthening the DAC Evaluation Resource Centre (DEReC), a critical knowledge bank repository of evaluation reports supporting evidence-based policy decisions.
The IsDB delegation highlighted the significance of strengthening collaboration among international development institutions to enhance evaluation capacity development for Member countries. The delegation reflected IsDB’s commitment to fostering high-quality evaluations that inform sustainable development policies across its member countries.
The EvalNet Meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing evaluation methodologies and reinforcing partnerships that support impactful and equitable development outcomes worldwide.
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 18 December 2024 – The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD), as per its Annual Work Plan for 2024, launched the thematic evaluation of IsDB Group’s Women’s Empowerment Policy and Youth Development Strategy. The launch meeting brought together over 50 participants, including from the Women Empowerment and Youth Development Division and the Group entities. The objective was to share the evaluation Approach Paper with key stakeholders to facilitate collective understanding and gather valuable feedback, with a view to enhancing the evaluation approach and process.
Approved and launched in 2019, the Women’s Empowerment Policy and the Youth Development Strategy aim to integrate women’s empowerment and youth development into the Bank’s operations and foster inclusive human capital development by harnessing the capabilities of women and youth. The portfolio review identified 93 active and completed projects across IsDB Group, with a total approved amount of USD 1.23 billion, which demonstrates the Group's significant commitment to women's empowerment and youth development.
The evaluation will assess the achievements of WEYD interventions, and the extent to which women's empowerment and youth development instruments have been mainstreamed in IsDB Group’s initiatives and operational procedures. The lessons and recommendations will inform future WEYD policies and strategies while also influencing the strategic direction of IsDB Group's initiatives in women's empowerment and youth development.
The evaluation team will conduct field visits from December 15 to January 10 in several countries hosting WEYD projects, including Bangladesh, Morocco, and Cameroon, as part of the data collection phase. The final evaluation report will be shared with all relevant stakeholders in a subsequent dissemination event and on IEvD’s platform LEARN.
IEVD.isdb.org
Abuja, Nigeria, 4 December 2024 - The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) visited the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 17 November to 4 December to conduct a Country Engagement Evaluation (CEE). The CEE covers IsDB Group’s programs, projects, and grants/technical assistance (TA) approved and completed during 2014–2023. The mission aimed to assess the outcomes and development impact of IsDB Group’s operations, evaluate their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, and provide actionable recommendations for improving future operations.
The scope of the evaluation includes 50 IsDB projects, eight ICD Line of Financing (LOF) operations, 11 ITFC trade finance operations, 31 ICIEC insurance policies for trade and inward investment, six IsDBI training programs, and two workshops.
During the mission, the evaluation team visited project sites across multiple states, including Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano, to gain first-hand insights into project implementation, performance, and development results. These visits provided valuable feedback on the impact of IsDB-funded initiatives on local communities and the broader economy.
In addition to field visits, the mission held consultations with key federal government ministries, including the Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Agriculture, key state ministries, as well as development partners in Nigeria. The team also engaged with the staff and management of IsDB’s Regional Hub in Nigeria, ensuring comprehensive stakeholder engagement to align the evaluation outcomes with national priorities.
The findings and insights from the CEE Nigeria will contribute to the IsDB Group’s planned Member Country Partnership Strategy for the country, ensuring that the Group's future development initiatives are impactful and aligned with the development needs of Nigeria.
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 20 November 2024 - The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) hosted a webinar on an innovative self-sustaining financial inclusion model, the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Model, and its impact on improving the livelihoods of people with low incomes.
The webinar presentation was delivered by Mr. Hugh Allen, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VSL Associates, the organization that developed the savings-driven model. Dr. Hylmun Izhar, a Senior Research Economist at IsDBI, moderated the session.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, noted that the basic principles of Islamic finance, such as helping poor people, avoiding usury, and enabling people to earn a living, are values shared by different cultures and religions.
Mr. Allen gave an overview of the savings groups' global presence and performance, spread across in 77 countries, with a focus on Africa where they are tracking 596,000 groups and 13 million members, 79 percent of whom are female. He highlighted the success of a Sharia-compliant model in Palestine, which formed 437 groups with 8,000 members and a 100 percent loan repayment rate.
Explaining the basic principles and structure of the savings groups, Mr. Allen emphasized that these groups are self-financing, self-managing, and independent, with members selecting each other. The groups are designed to be fully independent after one year to 18 months of training and supervision.
Mr. Allen also explained the savings group functioning and supervision, procedures and impact, digitization, and microfinance challenges. He elaborated on the functioning of a savings group, highlighting the importance of simplicity and visual record-keeping. Mr. Allen concluded his presentation by highlighting some challenges and potential risks associated with microfinance institutions and savings groups.
The two discussants, Mr. Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine, Acting Director of IsDB Independent Evaluation Department, and Dr. Abd Elrhman Saaid Elzahi, Senior Research Economist at IsDBI, spoke on the significance and potential benefits of innovative financial inclusion initiatives.
Mr. Aboubacrine emphasized the importance of financial inclusion initiatives for poverty alleviation and highlighted the role of federations in intermediating capital between surplus and deficit groups.
For his part, Dr. Elzahi stressed the importance of community-based financial inclusion, particularly for rural areas, and the role of NGOs in capacity building. He highlighted the limitations of savings groups, such as informal rules and regulations, limited capital, external shock, scalability, financial literacy, gender dynamics and roan repayment issues. He also suggested potential solutions like establishing a sustainable solidarity fund to address the problem of limited capital, foster scalability, and provide further impact on overall poverty alleviation and technical assistance for financial literacy capacity building.
The questions-and-answers session gave Mr. Allen an opportunity to provide further details on the applicability of the VSLA Model, followed by the closing remarks from Mr. Yahya Rehman, Associate Manager, Knowledge Leaders Section, IsDBI.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 11-13 November 2024– The Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG) Fall Meeting, hosted at the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) headquarters in Tegucigalpa, brought together top independent evaluation professionals from multilateral development banks (MDBs) to explore emerging trends and practices.
The discussions highlighted key methods and meta learning from evaluations of Private Sector, Green Financing, and Institutional Change. The ECG members also discussed their common institutional challenges and solutions, including the use of AI in evaluations and how independent evaluations can shape organizational strategies and advance MDBs' development frameworks.
Representing the Islamic Development Bank, Mr. Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine, Acting Director of the Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD), actively participated in key sessions, including the ECG Heads Breakfast, ECG Business Meeting, and panel discussions. Mr. Oguz Ceylan, Lead Evaluation Specialist at IEvD, contributed to the discussions by leading a session titled “Shaping IsDB's Transformational Agenda: The Role of Independent Evaluation.”
During the panel discussion on the role of evaluation in advancing MDBs’ transformational agendas, with a focus on institutional change, Br. Oguz emphasized the critical role of robust evaluation frameworks in fostering institutional innovation and enhancing the impact of development initiatives. He outlined key aspects of IsDB’s transformational agenda, highlighting the integration of advanced evaluation methodologies to improve efficiency and expand outreach.
IEvD’s active participation underscored its dedication to continuous improvement, innovation, and aligning its strategies with global best practices to address the evolving needs of our member countries. This engagement reflects IsDB’s commitment to leveraging evaluation as a strategic tool for driving meaningful change and delivering impactful development results.
Evaluation systems and capacity gaps at the national level, however, remain a major challenge in many countries. Since 2009, the Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP (UNDP IEO) has organized biennial National Evaluation Capacities (NEC) Conferences to tackle these issues in partnership with governments and national evaluation communities.
The 2024 NEC Conference is the eighth in the series of conferences and will be co-hosted by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) from 14 to 18 October 2024 in Yanqing District, Beijing, China.
The main theme of the 2024 NEC conference is “Responsive Evaluation: For Government, For Inclusion, For the Future.” This theme underscores the importance of sharing progress and lessons learned in strengthening national evaluation systems, their role in achieving the SDGs and other development goals, and how new technologies and approaches in evaluation can facilitate the achievement of these.
The 2024 NEC conference once again offers Government representatives at all levels, private sector, civil society, academia, United Nations agencies and other international organizations an opportunity to share progress, lessons, innovations, experiences, and perspectives in strengthening national monitoring and evaluation systems.
The conference will provide opportunities to enhance the skills of those commissioning, conducting, using and advocating for evaluation, while also nurturing new and existing parnerships to strengthen national evaluation systems, with an emphasis on South-South cooperation.
This year’s sessions will be organized around three intersecting strands:
National Evaluation Systems: Building strong evaluation systems ensuring use.
Inclusive Evaluation Systems: Including citizens’ voice, alternative knowledge, evaluating complexity.
Future-driven Systems and Approaches: Adapting technology, innovative approaches, synthesis and knowledge management.
Jeddah, KSA, October 8-9, 2024 – The Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) hosted the 6th IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium under the theme “Cherishing Learning and Charting out the Future: The Strategic Value of Evaluation in Decision-Making.” This two-day hybrid event brought together a diverse range of experts and stakeholders to explore how evaluation can enhance strategic programming and drive sustainable development. In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Zamir Iqbal, VP Finance and CFO, representing H.E. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of IsDB Group, reflected on the institution's 50-year journey, stating: " Let us honor the progress we have made and the lessons we have learned while looking ahead with a shared sense of purpose and a renewed commitment to deliver meaningful, sustainable development for generations to come.
" The symposium’s sessions covered key topics such as leveraging evaluation for strategic insights, responding to global shifts, and corporate evaluation learnings. A number of Panelists emphasized the importance of independence and rigor in evaluation. Dr. Sabine Bernabè from the World Bank Group said: “We must focus on harnessing new data, technology, and methods to improve the rigor, quality, and usefulness of evaluations, and most importantly, refocus on outcomes.” Discussions also centered on the role of evaluations in addressing major international issues, including climate change. Discussants highlighted the importance of aligning operational strategies with evaluation recommendations to strengthen IsDB’s effectiveness and stressed the need to consider both intended and unintended impacts of development efforts. Corporate evaluation was another focus area that enabled senior IsDB Group executives to shed light on how evaluations can influence organizational planning, improve risk management, and enhance development effectiveness.
The discussions showed a growing need for more precise evaluations, particularly in corporate functions and ongoing operations. On the second day dedicated to the private sector, insightful sessions explored adaptive evaluation strategies for the private sector to address global challenges and contribute to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. H.E. Eng. Hani Sonbol, CEO of ITFC and Acting CEO of ICD, emphasized the importance of using sound monitoring and evaluation data to guide decision-making and accurately measure the social and environmental impacts of the entities’ financing. He stated: "If we are serious about moving from strategic intention to effective impact, which I know we are, we need robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to guide our actions and measure their effectiveness. Reliable data and evidence are the lifeblood of impact management." The sixth edition of the Symposium was intended to foster innovative ideas and establish evaluation as a critical tool for shaping the strategic direction of the IsDB Group. As Mr. Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine, Acting Director of IEvD, noted in his closing remarks: “One of the key takeaways from this Symposium is that Learning is not an endpoint but a continuous process. Our ability to embrace learning at every opportunity ensures we stay agile, resilient, and forward-thinking in an ever-changing world.”
Jeddah, KSA, October 8-9, 2024 – The Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) hosted the 6th IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium under the theme “Cherishing Learning and Charting out the Future: The Strategic Value of Evaluation in Decision-Making.” This two-day hybrid event brought together a diverse range of experts and stakeholders to explore how evaluation can enhance strategic programming and drive sustainable development.
In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Zamir Iqbal, VP Finance and CFO, representing H.E. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of IsDB Group, reflected on the institution's 50-year journey, stating: " Let us honor the progress we have made and the lessons we have learned while looking ahead with a shared sense of purpose and a renewed commitment to deliver meaningful, sustainable development for generations to come."
The symposium’s sessions covered key topics such as leveraging evaluation for strategic insights, responding to global shifts, and corporate evaluation learnings. A number of Panelists emphasized the importance of independence and rigor in evaluation. Dr. Sabine Bernabè from the World Bank Group said: “We must focus on harnessing new data, technology, and methods to improve the rigor, quality, and usefulness of evaluations, and most importantly, refocus on outcomes.”
Discussions also centered on the role of evaluations in addressing major international issues, including climate change. Discussants highlighted the importance of aligning operational strategies with evaluation recommendations to strengthen IsDB’s effectiveness and stressed the need to consider both intended and unintended impacts of development efforts.
Corporate evaluation was another focus area that enabled senior IsDB Group executives to shed light on how evaluations can influence organizational planning, improve risk management, and enhance development effectiveness. The discussions showed a growing need for more precise evaluations, particularly in corporate functions and ongoing operations.
On the second day dedicated to the private sector, insightful sessions explored adaptive evaluation strategies for the private sector to address global challenges and contribute to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. H.E. Eng. Hani Sonbol, CEO of ITFC and Acting CEO of ICD, emphasized the importance of using sound monitoring and evaluation data to guide decision-making and accurately measure the social and environmental impacts of the entities’ financing. He stated: "If we are serious about moving from strategic intention to effective impact, which I know we are, we need robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to guide our actions and measure their effectiveness. Reliable data and evidence are the lifeblood of impact management."
The sixth edition of the Symposium was intended to foster innovative ideas and establish evaluation as a critical tool for shaping the strategic direction of the IsDB Group. As Mr. Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine, Acting Director of IEvD, noted in his closing remarks: “One of the key takeaways from this Symposium is that Learning is not an endpoint but a continuous process. Our ability to embrace learning at every opportunity ensures we stay agile, resilient, and forward-thinking in an ever-changing world.”
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