São Tomé and Príncipe: Evaluation of the AfDB Country Strategy and Program (2012-2022)

Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB or "the Bank") conducted an evaluation of the Bank’s country strategy and program in São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) over the period, 2012–2022. The evaluation covered the Bank’s lending and non-lending operations in STP as guided by the two country strategy papers (CSPs): CSP (2012–2016) and CSP (2018–2022), which consisted of 17 public sector operations valued at UA 67.66 million (US$ 89.98 million) under the two CSPs. The evaluation aims to inform the development of a new country strategy paper (CSP) for STP, due in 2023, and to draw lessons for STP and the Bank.

The evaluation found that the relevance of Bank’s financed projects was considered satisfactory since they addressed what stakeholder interviews and the National Development Plan 2017-2021 identified as priorities of STP’s economic policy. The evaluation noted the overall coherence of Bank-funded interventions in STP as satisfactory for the interlinkages within the Bank’s investment operations and between investment operations and non-lending activities, and for the harmonized AfDB’s interventions with those of other development partners. Despite the Bank’s inability to implement certain activities as to the business environment and private sector development, its effectiveness was rated satisfactory. Evaluation interviews suggested that the Bank’s funding frameworks are not agile enough for island countries. The efficiency of the Bank’s interventions was rated partly unsatisfactory, notably in terms of quality at entry (project start-up), implementation progress and disbursements, return on investment in agricultural operations, and monitoring and supervision. Finally, the sustainability of interventions was rated as partly unsatisfactory, for weaknesses found in three of the five dimensions assessed. The evaluation also assessed the Bank’s overall performance as satisfactory, with mixed outcomes across the five criteria.

The evaluation recommended that: (i) focus on developing infrastructure should be enhanced; (ii) measures to nurture and develop the business environment and lay the foundation for investing in STP’s private sector need to be enhanced; and (iii) challenges in the program implementation should be addressed.

Task Manager:  Ms. Akua Arthur-Kissi, Principal Evaluation Officer