Exploring the Significance of Made in Africa Evaluation for Emerging Evaluators: From the perspective of an Emerging Evaluator

As emerging evaluators, we are constantly seeking avenues to apply ours skills and knowledge in meaningful ways. In pursuit of this, Made in Africa Evaluation provides a wonderful platform for fledgling evaluators to do just that. But before anything, we need to understand what Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) means and what it signifies to those of us who are just starting our journey in the field of evaluation.?

According to the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA), Made in Africa Evaluation, is a concept that seeks ‘to identify and develop a uniquely African approach to evaluation. It emphasises that context, culture, history, and beliefs shape the nature of evaluations, specifically in the diverse, and often complex African reality.’ Essentially, MAE seeks to promote and adopt an African evaluation framework that originates from within the continent, which entails, for example, evaluations to be commissioned to and led by African practitioners and research/ academic papers to be written by African scholars.

This framework also requires evaluation methodologies to be developed by African individuals or African organisations that are tailor-made to address unique African contexts and perspectives, offering a unique lens through which we can explore and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of our continent. This presents an opportunity for emerging evaluators to gain deeper contextual understanding by immersing themselves in diverse cultures to learn lessons from the communities in which evaluators are meant to serve.

Further, MAE compels evaluators to recognise and acknowledge cultural nuances, economic challenges, and social dynamics that influence communities where evaluations are conducted. Therefore, MAE offers evaluators an opportunity to make meaningful contributions to local empowerment, sustainability and economic development in Africa by embracing cultural contexts, expanding evaluation criteria and advocating for local empowerment. At its very core, MAE provides a roadmap on which to decolonialise evaluation.

Recent literature has emphasised the notion that MAE represents a paradigm shift in evaluation practice, it seeks to decolonialise evaluation in Africa by reclaiming agency, amplifying local voices and challenging dominant narratives. Here’s how:?

Reclaiming Agency:?

MAE shifts the locus of evaluation from external entities to local stakeholders. This empowers African communities to define their own standards of quality, sustainability, and success. Through highlighting African perspectives and experiences, MAE reclaims agency and challenges the legacy of colonialism that often marginalises indigenous knowledge, practices, and experiences.

Amplifying Local Voices in Programme Design:?

MAE amplifies voices in programme design by prioritising the inclusion of diverse voices, perspectives, engaging local stakeholders and by mainstreaming an ‘empowerment evaluation approach’ tailored to the unique contexts and needs of African communities. Cultural relevance and sensitivity is a prevalent factor attributed to MAE, therefore, MAE promotes the development of evaluation methodologies that are sensitive to cultural norms, practices and values, ensuring that programmes are designed in ways that resonate with and respect the cultural contexts in which they operate. MAE can also achieves its objective to amplify local voices by emphasising participatory approaches in programme design, which involves, again, engaging local stakeholders in decision-making process and fostering buy-in.

This could?include conducting community consultations, facilitating focus group discussions and hosting participatory workshops to gather input and feedback from different stakeholder who provide diverse perspectives. To achieve and advance the prospects of MAE, capacity building and knowledge sharing is imperative.? By building the capacity of local voices, MAE empowers communities to play an active role in programme design, implementation and evaluation. This is vital as it helps foster a sense of ownership and sustainability of programmes.

Challenging Legacies of Colonialism:

Made in Africa Evaluations pose a challenge against dominant narratives that have perpetuated stereotypes and misconceptions about African experiences. Through meticulously designed and deliberate evaluation methodologies, and transparent reporting, MAE debunks and exposes myths and misconceptions, while highlighting the quality, authenticity and cultural significance of Agri-centric evaluation. Moreover, by challenging dominant narratives and diverting Western views, MAE plays a pivotal role in the decolonisation of evaluation through the promotion of more accurate and nuanced representations of African industries, communities and economies.

One could accurately say that Made in Africa Evaluations (MAE) represent a transformative tool for decolonising evaluations in Africa. Therefore, MAE plays more than a crucial role in producing evaluation processes that really and truly reflect the diverse realities and aspirations of African people and community. According to (Chilisa:2015) in order to advance MAE practices and ensure a paradigm shift, African evaluators need to advocate for evaluations that are founded on African development values- for Chilisa, these values include: Ubuntu, self-determination, human welfare, cultural preservation, communal well-being and prosperity).?

Simply put, Made in Africa Evaluations are evaluations from Africa, for Africans, by Africans!

References:?

Chilisa, B., 2015, A synthesis paper on the Made in Africa evaluation concept, African Evaluation Association, Accra.

Dlakavu, A., Mathebula, J. & Mkhize, S., 2022, ‘Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach’, African Evaluation Journal 10(1), a620. https://doi.org/10.4102/aej.v10i1.620

'Made in Africa Evaluation' from the African Evaluation Association. https://afrea.org/made-in-africa-evaluation/.?