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From 1st to 3rd August 2022, the African Parliamentarians' Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE) held its 7th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Rabat, Morocco, hosted by the House of Councilors of the Kingdom of Morocco. Themed ‘Effective Parliamentary Public Engagement for Inclusive Development’, the AGM attracted 80 delegates from fourteen (14) African Parliaments and Senates notably Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Kingdom of Eswatini, Egypt, The Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Morocco, São Tomé and Principe, South Sudan, Zambia & Zimbabwe. In addition, APNODE strategic partners also including CLEAR-AA, CLEAR-AF, Réseau Francophone d'Evaluation (RFE), UNICEF, and USAID-TSUE (Tools to Strengthen the Use of Evidence), were represented at the highest levels. The African Development Bank was represented by IDEV and the Country Office in Morocco.
Speakers call on all African parliaments to join APNODE and support its mandate and vision.
Unanimously, all Speakers of Parliaments at the 7th APNODE AGM, together with the various partner institutions, acknowledged the need for all African parliaments to join APNODE and support its mandate and vision. In line with this recognition, the House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Council of States of South Sudan, respectively became the second and third institutional members of APNODE, after the Parliament of Zimbabwe, which joined in 2016. Other parliaments in attendance, including the National Assemblies of The Gambia and the Central African Republic, similarly expressed their intention to follow suit.
Speakers / Presidents of Parliaments and Senates in attendance, notably His Excellency Enaam Mayara, President of the House of Councillors, Kingdom of Morocco; Sen. Lindiwe Dlamini, Parliament of the Kingdom of Eswatini; Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, National Assembly, The Gambia; Hon. Delfim Santiago Das Neves, National Assembly of São Tomé and Principe; Hon. Pr. Simplice M. Sarandji, National Assembly, Central African Republic; and Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis N. Mudenda, Parliament of Zimbabwe, used the opportunity to emphasize the importance of evaluation and evidence-use to the oversight and budgetary function of Parliaments, and APNODE as a networking body, via which to mainstream evidence use and promote a culture of learning from evaluation and results across Africa.
Highlights from the three-day 7th AGM
On Monday, 1st August 2022, a training session on the topic of 'Using Evidence in Policy & Practice: Lessons from Africa', was delivered Dr. Ian Goldman, Advisor in Evaluation & Evidence Systems at CLEAR-AA. The session was chaired by Dr. Candice Morkel, Director, CLEAR Anglophone Africa, who facilitated exchanges between participating delegations and the instructor. The session provided participants invaluable tools and techniques for evidence-use in the evaluation of public policies.
On Tuesday, 2nd August 2022, a High-Level Panel themed ‘8 Years to Realize the SDGS: Re-imaging African Parliaments' Strategic Imperatives', with all the attending Speakers of Parliaments and Presidents of Senate, and chaired Dr. Michele Tarsilla, Evaluation Advisor, UNICEF Regional Office for West & Central Africa, saw an in-depth interrogation of what steps African parliaments needed to take to meet their SDG targets. The session offered the Speakers a unique opportunity to share the experiences of their respective parliaments and countries on the challenges encountered and the possible contributions for the achievement of the SDGs.
On Wednesday, 3rd August 2022, two High Level Panels were held on ‘Institutionalizing Evaluation as a Governance Tool: What Role Must Parliaments Play to Realize this Goal?’ and 'Rethinking Parliamentary Engagement & Action in Response to Crises', respectively chaired by Dr. Candice Morkel, Director of the CLEAR Anglophone Africa, and Dr. Edoé Agbodjan, Director of the CLEAR Francophone Africa. The first, discussed the different mechanisms parliamentarians can apply to mainstream evaluation as a governance tool of choice and an integral part of parliamentary oversight for transformational development on the African continent. Panelists, Hon. Abdelilah Hifdi, Quaestor, House of Councillors, Morocco; Hon. Joseph S. Munsanje, Parliament of Zambia; Hon. Omega Sibanda, Parliament of Zimbabwe; and, Hon. Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, Parliament of Ghana shed light on the essence of evaluation for governance drawing on context specific and nuanced examples from their respective countries.
The second panel discussion focused on parliamentary action in times of crises. Here the panelists comprised of Hon. Noel Rossan Goakûn Toé, former Member, Parliament of Burkina Faso; Hon. Eléonore Johasy, President, Commission for the Evaluation of Public Policies, National Assembly of Madagascar; and Mr. Nginzo Murangi Bullen, Deputy Clerk, Council of States, South Sudan teased-out key issues and highlighted interventions that can help Africana parliaments negotiate crises appropriately.
Key take-aways of the 7th AGM
1. A call to all Parliaments across Africa to join APNODE – His Excellency Enaam Mayara, President of the House of Councillors, Kingdom of Morocco, and Hon. Adv. Jacob Francis Mudenda, Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe, call on all African countries to join APNODE.
2. APNODE partners reaffirm their commitment to the Network: Representatives of AfDB, CLEAR-AA, CLEAR-FA, RFE, UNICEF all stressed their continued support for APNODE.
3. Morocco pledges to support all serious and credible initiatives aimed at serving African causes such as APNODE – His Excellency Hon. Enaam Mayara, President of the House of Councilors of the Kingdom of Morocco, makes key pledge in his closing remarks.
4. 7th AGM Delegates agree to advocate for APNODE in their respective National Parliaments – participating delegates from across the continent reiterated their interest in, and support for, the Network., and pledged to advocate for their respective parliaments to join APNODE.