In the spirit of learning from peers and sharing knowledge on the first experience of using geospatial impact evaluations (GIEs) by the Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) of the African Development Bank, Andrew Anguko, IDEV’s Chief Quality and Methods Advisor, participated in the GeoField Convening, held in Rome, and online, from September 12-14, 2023. The event was organized in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). It brought together impact evaluators, remote sensing scientists, agricultural development experts, and other stakeholders for discussions on how GIEs can improve the efficiency and efficacy of evaluations.
Anguko was one of five panelists in the discussion entitled “Presentations of Completed or Near Completed GIEs,” moderated by Jessica Wells, AidData. The panel discussion was centered on how geospatial impact evaluation methods help overcome the challenges of conducting agricultural research and collecting data in Africa with traditional impact evaluation methods. Anguko presented the rationale for using geo-spatial technology in IDEV’s impact evaluation of the AfDB-supported Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP) phase 1 in Kenya, with examples of how the experience had assisted an evaluation of development project results over a large land area in Kenya.
The LMCP Phase I supported universal access to electricity, by targeting low-income groups in peri-urban and rural areas in 6 counties of Kenya, between 2015 and 2022. The project targeted 284,200 households and 30,000 businesses. The IDEV evaluation set out to estimate the causal impact of the intervention by comparing households within the 600 meters eligibility border with households outside the border. However, after satellite imagery data revealed that around 30% of recipient households were located beyond the transformer protection distance of 600m, evaluators adaptedtheir spatial eligibility criteria to incorporate the reality of the situation.
In his presentation, Anguko highlighted that the combination of satellite imagery, GIS data, and adaptability in evaluation design based on field data was key to evaluating this infrastructure project spread over a wide land area. The shared knowledge would certainly stimulate the uptake of geospatial impact evaluations to meet specific needs encountered by IDEV evaluators for their data collection missions.
See the presentation here