Back to Basics: Revisiting the Foundations of National Evaluation Systems in the Age of AI
Webinaire | En ligne
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Organisé par:
CLEAR Evaluation Anglophone Africa
À propos de l'événement
National Evaluation Systems (NES) are institutional architectures built on a set of core instruments: policies, strategies, plans, guidelines, and implementation frameworks. These tools are widely used across government, yet their design logic, sequencing, and interdependence are often insufficiently interrogated once adopted. As governments navigate digital transformation, AI-enabled administrative systems, fiscal pressures, and climate-related mandates, there is a need to revisit the foundational tools that anchor national M&E systems; not to redesign them entirely, but to strengthen their coherence, feasibility, and institutional fit.
This ‘refresher course’ session provides a focused, technical re-examination of the essential building blocks of National Evaluation Systems. The emphasis is practical: clarifying purpose, diagnosing common design flaws, and strengthening implementation logic.
Objectives:
- Clarify the foundational components of National Evaluation Systems, including policies, strategies, plans, guidelines, and implementation frameworks
- Examine the design logic, sequencing, and interdependencies among core NES instruments
- Identify common design and implementation weaknesses that affect system coherence and effectiveness
- Strengthen understanding of how NES instruments function in practice within government systems
- Provide practical insights for improving the feasibility, alignment, and usability of NES frameworks in evolving governance contexts
Expected Outcomes:
- Improved conceptual and practical understanding of the building blocks of National Evaluation Systems
- Enhanced ability to critically assess the coherence and implementation readiness of NES policies and frameworks
- Identification of common systemic gaps and practical strategies to address them
- Strengthened capacity of participants to support more coherent and fit-for-purpose evaluation systems in their contexts
- Shared learning on improving the design and implementation of NES instruments in response to emerging governance challenges (e.g., digital transformation, fiscal constraints, and climate priorities)
This ‘refresher course’ session provides a focused, technical re-examination of the essential building blocks of National Evaluation Systems. The emphasis is practical: clarifying purpose, diagnosing common design flaws, and strengthening implementation logic.
Objectives:
- Clarify the foundational components of National Evaluation Systems, including policies, strategies, plans, guidelines, and implementation frameworks
- Examine the design logic, sequencing, and interdependencies among core NES instruments
- Identify common design and implementation weaknesses that affect system coherence and effectiveness
- Strengthen understanding of how NES instruments function in practice within government systems
- Provide practical insights for improving the feasibility, alignment, and usability of NES frameworks in evolving governance contexts
Expected Outcomes:
- Improved conceptual and practical understanding of the building blocks of National Evaluation Systems
- Enhanced ability to critically assess the coherence and implementation readiness of NES policies and frameworks
- Identification of common systemic gaps and practical strategies to address them
- Strengthened capacity of participants to support more coherent and fit-for-purpose evaluation systems in their contexts
- Shared learning on improving the design and implementation of NES instruments in response to emerging governance challenges (e.g., digital transformation, fiscal constraints, and climate priorities)
Conférenciers
| Nom | Titre | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Thina Nzo | Head of Wits Twende Mbele | Dr Nzo is currently the Head of Wits Twende Mbele and previously held a position of Programme Manager for the Local Government Programme at the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI). Before joining Twende Mbele and PARI, she has acquired sixteen years of professional work experience working in the non-governmental sector as a researcher, consultant, policy and development practitioner specialising in policy monitoring and evaluation, programme/project manager, stakeholder coordinator and leading policy advocacy. She has gained international experience working as a policy development and research consultant at the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Benin. She also has done consultancy work for the National Treasury’s Municipal Finance Management Act (2003) Compliance Unit and the South African Local Government Association. |
| Seirah Ngcobo | Deputy Director, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) | Seirah is a seasoned evaluator with over a decade of experience in strengthening and managing the South African National Evaluation System. She has led the Capacity Development Component of the National Evaluation System in South Africa, driving initiatives aimed at enhancing evaluation capacity and institutional learning across the public sector. She currently serves as a Board Member of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA), where she contributes extensive expertise in monitoring and evaluation, research methodologies, systematic reviews, and evidence-informed policymaking. Seirah is passionate about advancing the use of evidence to support effective governance, learning, and development outcomes |
| Donatein Tameko | Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, UNICEF Nigeria | Donatien is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in providing strategic direction and coordination for UNICEF country programmes aimed at achieving improved outcomes for children and advancing organisational priorities within Upper Middle-Income Countries (UMICs). He has played a key role in facilitating high-level policy dialogue with government and development partners on strategic priorities related to social development and inclusion. His expertise includes advocating for adequate and effective social budgets that benefit children, as well as providing technical guidance in the formulation, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of national programmes. Donatien is recognised for his strong leadership in strengthening evidence-informed policy processes and fostering collaborative partnerships that advance sustainable and inclusive development outcomes for children and vulnerable communities. |
| Thokozile Molaiwa | Chief Director: Evaluation at Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DPME) | Thokozile Molaiwa is a specialist with a passion for excellence and a strong sense of initiative driven by the desire to deliver quality outcomes, and take pride in exceeding expectations. With over a decade in South Africa’s National Evaluation System (NES), she has led major evaluations under the first National Evaluation Plan (NEP) by leading two of the inaugural eight NEP evaluations and contributed to many more across government. She has served on the National Evaluation Technical Working Group, guiding the selection of evaluations for inclusion in the NEP. |