Shanghai, China, 3 September 2024 – The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) organized a panel at the Asian Evaluation Week (AWE) 2024, in collaboration with the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The session titled "Utilizing Evaluation for Impactful Change in Institutional Delivery" brought together a distinguished panel of experts to discuss how institutional mandates can evolve to drive meaningful and impactful outcomes. Moderated by Br. Nur Abdi, Associate Manager of the IEvD’s Evaluation Learning and Outreach section, the panel featured insightful contributions from Br. Golam Mortaza, Senior Evaluation Specialist at IEvD, along with evaluation leaders from NDB and AIIB.
The session began with opening remarks by Mr. Emmanuel Y. Jimenez, Director General of the Independent Evaluation Department at the Asian Development Bank, setting the stage for a deep dive into the power of evaluation. Panelists shared experiences and best practices, emphasizing the importance of strategic alignment, systematic performance monitoring, and data-driven decision-making to foster institutional accountability and continuous improvement.
The panelists emphasized the importance of ensuring evaluations are relevant and timely, aligning with the evolving needs of institutions, while the evaluation departments should remain agile to provide insights that drive decision-making and organizational transformation. Rigorous analysis is essential to ensure the reliability of evidence and the credibility of recommendations, which enhances their impact on institutional change. Early engagement of stakeholders is crucial to developing a clear theory of change and successful outcomes. Additionally, evaluation recommendations should be practical, clearly communicated, and closely monitored for accountability and continuous learning, with tools like IsDB's STEER and ADB's MARS serving as effective models for tracking implementation.
The session was an excellent opportunity for professionals across the development sector to explore how evaluation can be leveraged for lasting organizational change. The valuable insights gained will help shape future strategies for promoting impactful institutional delivery. For more information on the Asian Evaluation Week 2024, please refer to the event’s website.
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1 September 2024 – The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) convened the launch meeting of the Cluster Evaluation of the Special Assistance Operations in Ethiopia. The evaluation team, composed of Mr. Bashirullah Najimi and Dr. Reem Ahmed, presented key elements of the evaluation approach paper to gather feedback from stakeholders.
This evaluation will cover fifteen projects, primarily within the education sector. For most projects, field missions will be undertaken to conduct stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. Data for the remaining projects will be collected through secondary data sources, project-specific questionnaires, virtual interviews, and focus group discussions.
IEvD Director, Mr. Ahmed Ag. Aboubacrine emphasized the benefit of this participatory approach, urging participants to actively engage in discussions and provide technical inputs to enhance the evaluation process and outcomes. "This evaluation is not merely about assessing the effectiveness of our projects; it represents a crucial opportunity for us to learn and enhance our future initiatives," stated Mr. Aboubacrine.
The meeting participants recognized the importance of this evaluation, particularly due to Ethiopia's status as a non-IsDB member country with the second highest Muslim population, its historic role in Islam, and the value of consolidating insights across various projects under the Special Assistance Program. A potential expansion of the evaluation to include the Ethiopia Scholarship Program was also discussed and will require further engagement with the relevant team.
The Evaluation team reiterated its commitment to closely collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including the Ethiopian Muslim Affairs Supreme Council, to ensure the evaluation’s success. Mr. Abdirashid Warsame, Country Manager (Non-Member Country) from Special Assistance Division, noted that "the IEvD should also enlighten us about the context of our operation and help us understand any existing potentials to collaborate with other like-minded organizations and donors to amplify our impact and further contribute to inclusive development." Colleagues from the Cooperation & Capacity Development Department assured their utmost cooperation during the evaluation exercise to ensure a successful evaluation of the Special Assistance Operations in Ethiopia.
This evaluation is part of a broader effort to assess the effectiveness of the Islamic Development Bank’s (IsDB) Special Assistance Operations in Ethiopia. The IsDB has been working for many years to improve the lives of the communities it serves in Ethiopia, particularly through its Special Assistance Operations.
Jeddah, KSA, 19 August — Dr. Hilal Houssain, Associate Manager of Knowledge Solutions and Br. Mohamad Naamani, Senior Knowledge for Development Specialist at the IsDB Institute (IsDBI), conducted an insightful Brown Bag Knowledge Session on the Islamic Finance Artificial Intelligence Assistant (IFAA). The session, organized by the Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD), brought together 18 participants from various departments, eager to learn about this cutting-edge project. Dr. Houssain and Br. Naamani provided an overview of IFAA, an AI-powered chatbot trained on peer-reviewed publications related to Islamic finance. They highlighted the benefits of the platform in generating tailored content for knowledge seekers, as well as the challenges faced during the development phase, particularly the need to fine-tune the bot's answers. This was addressed by involving subject matter experts in Islamic finance to review and refine the bot's responses to ensure accuracy and reliability. The session provided an opportunity to gain insight into the various types of Large Language Models (LLMs) and explore their potential applications across the Islamic Development Bank. Participants engaged actively, asking pertinent questions about the future opportunities IFAA and similar chatbots present. They also considered how such innovative tools could be used to streamline their own work, enhance efficiency, and foster learning.
Rabat, Morocco, 19 July 2024 – The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) organized a capacity-building training for executives of the Court of Accounts from 15 to 19 July 2024, in collaboration with the Cooperation and Capacity Development Department and the Rabat Regional Hub. Twenty staff members of the Court of Accounts participated in the training, which focused on the evaluation of public programs and projects.
The training was delivered by Dr. Abdourahamane Dit Baffa Keita, who designed the program to enhance participants' abilities to evaluate public programs, ensuring they can effectively assess and improve the impact of these initiatives. Participants praised the training for its valuable insights and practical knowledge. Brothers Said Mourabit and Adamou Mayaki contributed to the delivery and design of the workshop.
Mr. Loumissi Abdeslam, one of the participants, shared his thoughts: "We have participated in many evaluation trainings, but we have never experienced such comprehensive learning. The training began with an in-depth exploration of the Theory of Change. It seamlessly integrated it with evaluation design and implementation, all framed within results-based management principles." This training is part of IEvD's ongoing capacity-building outreach to support member countries' institutions in promoting accountability and learning. It is the second such activity organized by the department this year, following a session for the Malaysian EXIMP Bank in March 2024.