On 6 April 2022, the Vice-Chairperson of the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE), Hon. Elise Pokossy Doumbé from Cameroon participated in a webinar organized by the Centre for Learning on Evaluations and Results – Francophone Africa (CLEAR-FA) on the theme: Decision-making based on evaluation results in the context of political competition and instability.
The event aimed to provide a framework for exchanging and sharing experiences and to keep the know-how and skills of evaluation professionals and practitioners on the link between evaluation results and electoral processes, particularly their impact on election outcomes current.
Professor Balibié Serge Auguste Bayala, Director General of Centre africain d’études supérieures en gestion (CESAG), moderated the event, which had five other distinguished panelists, in addition to Hon. Pokossy Doumbe notably: Dr. Issa Kobyagda, Director General of the Economy and Planning at the Ministry of Economy, Finance & Prospective of Burkina Faso; Victor Borges, Former Minister of Education, Foreign Affairs, and Cooperation and Communities, Cape Verde; Amadou Oumarou Saley, High Commissioner for Modernization of the State, Niger; Khady Fall Tall, Regional President of the Association of West African Women (AFAO-WAWA), Senegal; and, Alastair Alinsato, Chief of Staff to the Minister of State / Minister of Development and Coordination of Government Action, Benin.
Following a welcome speech by Dr. Edoé Agbodjan, Director of CLEAR-FA, Dr. Issa Kobyagda, Director General, Economy and Planning, Ministry of Economy, Finance and Prospective, Burkina Faso, shared his insights on an evaluation strategy being implemented in his country, and how evidence was being used to develop public policies. Dr. Kobyagda further detailed the institutional mechanisms in Burkina Faso to enhance the collection and efficient use of evidence in development planning. Despite some difficulties faced, Burkina Faso’s evaluation strategy is grounded on their achievements, critical examination of the challenges, the use of solid evidence, and sound reasoning. He also noted that the availability of evidence and its use for evaluation purposes is highly dependent on the political will of decision-makers. To this end, Burkina Faso is implementing an ‘Effective Communication Mechanism’ to ensure that evaluation results do not remain in the sole sphere of political decision-makers, but that they are disseminated and that even civil society appropriates them for action.
Thereafter, panelists from Cape Verde, Niger, Benin, and Senegal shared their insights on monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in their respective countries and highlighted the close link between evaluations, citizen voters, policymakers, and elections. They stressed on a holistic approach to evaluation, without which Africa will not be able to achieve its development objectives, and emphasized the need for long-term evaluations over one-off evaluations often required by donors. They further cited a lack of patriotism by political leaders and their weak technical skills as impediments to quality evaluations. Yet another issue noted was the political rivalries that cast doubt on the results of the evaluations of development programs presented to the populace. To avoid politicizing evaluation results, panelists emphasized the need for strengthened involvement from civil society, alongside parliamentarians and the executive.
Hon. Pokossy Doumbé, drawing on her vast experience as an MP and elected municipal official, discussed the close link between evaluation, the effectiveness of public policies, voter satisfaction, and elections. In response to a question on how Cameroonian MPs handle the challenge of evidence-based decision-making; and, what influence political competition has on evidence-based decision-making, she replied that evaluations contribute to the performance and effectiveness of development programs and policies, and that in Cameroon, evaluation is just beginning. She added that the institutionalization of evaluation is progressive and that within the National Assembly, parliamentary debates allow elected officials to present the concerns of the populace based on factual evidence. For instance, budgetary orientation debates in the National Assembly allow parliamentarians to explain to the executive the development concerns of citizens, which governmental institutions then consider in the design of public policies. She further emphasized that parliamentary debates are a significant step forward in using evidence because MPs influence decision-making and development policies. She further stressed the importance of institutionalizing evaluation in parliament, noting that until then, evaluation will not be used as a tool within the National Assembly, as is the case in ministries.
On the nature of the evaluation, Hon. Pokossy Doumbé underlined that evaluation is not about control, but a means of readjusting political choices. If the government and MPs are to work in synergy, it is crucial that trust is restored and that evidence is used in the development of public policies and their submission to the National Assembly for voting on. She also denounced political competition and political infighting, which have no value for the well-being of populations, and only serve to bias decision-making and compromise the entire process of public policy-making.
On APNODE, she stressed that the Network must take strong action to anchor the culture of evaluation in National Assemblies by mobilizing them and implementing an effective capacity building and knowledge sharing policies. APNODE must also advocate to governments so that evaluation is institutionalized and enshrined in constitutions as a governance tool.
The webinar, which attracted over 160 participants, ended following a question and answer session, during which Hon. Pokossy Doumbé and co-panelists clarified some points of earlier intervention, while sharing further knowledge and experiences. For more on the webinar, view the recording here.