2022 Management Action Record System (MARS) Report

Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) has published its 2022 report assessing the follow-up by the African Development Bank (AfDB or “the Bank”) of recommendations from its independent evaluations, which are tracked through the Management Action Record System (MARS). The assessment considered evaluation recommendations with all their actions due by 30th June 2022, which represents 147 recommendations from 47 evaluations with 383 actions.

This report examines the extent to which Bank Management has adopted the agreed recommendations of IDEV evaluations by assessing (i) the level of alignment of the action plans to the respective recommendations and (ii) the degree of implementation of the action plans, including the timeliness of implementation. The scores on alignment and implementation are then combined into an overall rating on adoption.
 
The report noted that the alignment of action plans significantly improved from 90% in 2020 to 95% in 2021 and 96% in 2022. The cumulative percentage of highly and substantially implemented action plans made an impressive jump from 43.5% in 2021 to 67% in 2022. This progress is attributed to improved timeliness and provision of sufficient evidence. However, 52% of action plans are still implemented with a delay, with the average delay being close to a year (253 days) after the target completion date. Although this represents a significant reduction since 2019 (624 days), delays in implementation remain a concern. In line with implementation, the level of adoption increased in 2022 to 67% from 43.5% in 2021, and 41% in 2020. This progress was mainly due to efforts by Bank Management to hold complexes and departments accountable through the MARS Flashlight Report, and by recording performance in the AfDB’s Corporate Key Performance Indicators. Corporate evaluations were rated the highest on level of adoption, followed by Country Strategy and Program Evaluations and sector evaluations, whereas thematic evaluations had the lowest adoption rate.

Following the assessment, as per the Bank’s MARS guidelines, IDEV proposed to retire 39 recommendations from 17 evaluations whose related action plans are fully implemented and whose target completion date is more than two years in the past. 

Task Manager: Eric KERE, Senior Evaluation Officer