EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL PROGRAMME FOR AFRICA (2008-2013) United Nations Development Programme EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL PROGRAMME FOR AFRICA (2008-2013) May 2013 United Nations Development Programme EVALUATION OF THE REGIONAL PROGRAMME FOR AFRICA (2008-2013) Copyright © UNDP 2013, all rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Printed on recycled paper. The analysis and recommendations of this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Development Programme, its Executive Board or the United Nations Member States. This is an independent publication by the UNDP Evaluation Office. Editor: Michelle Weston Design/Production: Green Communication Design inc Printing: Consolidated Graphics Inc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This evaluation was conducted by the Evaluation country office, especially Tegegnework Gettu, Office of the United Nations Development Babacar Cissé, Gita H. Welch, Gerd Trogemann, Programme (UNDP) with Masahiro Igarashi as Vinetta Robinson, Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan, the evaluation manager and Heather Bryant as Backson Sibanda, François-Corneille Kêdowidê, the task manager, built on the work done by a Leonor Valeiras-Taboada, and colleagues in team of evaluators led by Angela Bester and that UNDP country offices in Benin, Chad, Ghana, included Gaston Gohou and Oliver Chapeyama. Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Togo, where a Each team member took the lead in evaluating team member visited for in-depth research and an area of work of the regional programme. interviews. Finally, a large number of national and regional partners, as well as colleagues from The Evaluation Office could not have completed UNDP regional centres and country offices have this report without the full support from col- contributed by providing information and their leagues in the Regional Bureau for Africa, insights through interviews and surveys. its two regional centres and the Ethiopia ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii FOREWORD The United Nations Development Programme at the national level, were particularly effective. (UNDP), in addition to supporting the devel- The report recommends that, given its limited opment of 177 countries and territories through resources, the regional programme should con- its country and multi-country programmes, runs tinue to focus on interventions where a regional global and regional programmes to address issues approach brings significant value added, notably of global and regional nature, provide coherence strategic initiatives that strengthen the capacity to its technical support and facilitate exchange of of and support regional institutions to develop knowledge and experience across the countries and implement priority frameworks, policies and it serves. programmes, and high-level advocacy for issues pertinent to the region. During 2012, the Evaluation Office conducted a series of evaluations of these global and The late start-up of many initiatives limited the regional programmes. This evaluation covered overall progress towards results, but the regional the Regional Programme for Africa 2008-2013, programme nevertheless made some useful contri- implemented by the UNDP Regional Bureau butions towards intended programme outcomes. for Africa (RBA). It examined the contribu- The evaluation also found that the regional pro- tions made to development results through the gramme contributed in a significant manner to implementation of regional projects and various knowledge generation and sharing, including the aspects of work undertaken by the regional service production of high-quality knowledge products. centres in Dakar and Johannesburg, including the However, the potential of the regional programme provision of technical advisory services and sup- and the regional service centres to function as a port to knowledge management. regional knowledge hub was only partially real- ized, and the report recommends expanding their The evaluation found that the regional pro- learning and knowledge management role for gramme was relevant, responding to ongoing and greater development effectiveness. emerging development challenges in the vast and diverse region of sub-Saharan Africa. In light As UNDP prepares to develop a new Strategic of the increasing emphasis on African integra- Plan, I hope this series of evaluations will shed tion, regional programme engagement with the light on how UNDP can further enhance the African Union and regional economic com- value of its services by utilising these global and munities (RECs) was appropriate. The regional regional programme instruments more effectively programme was well-positioned within UNDP, and efficiently. and focused on issues with regional dimensions, collaborating with the global programme and country programmes to contribute to develop- ment results. Holistic approaches, drawing on the ability of the regional programme to work with regional Indran A. Naidoo institutions and the country programme presence Director, UNDP Evaluation Office iv FOREWORD CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations vii Executive Summary ix Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose of the Evaluation 1 1.2 Scope of the Evaluation 1 1.3 Approach and Methodology 2 1.4 Structure of the Report 6 Chapter 2. The Regional Context and UNDP Response 7 2.1 The Regional Context and Development Challenges 7 2.2 UNDP in the Region 12 2.3 The UNDP Regional Programme 14 Chapter 3. Contribution of the UNDP Regional Programme to Development Results 23 3.1 Poverty Reduction and Achievement of the MDGs 23 3.2 Consolidating Democratic and Participatory Governance 44 3.3 Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Recovery 58 3.4 Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development 63 3.5 Overall Programme Efficiency 69 Chapter 4. Strategic Positioning of UNDP in the Region 75 4.1 Strategic Role of the Regional Programme 75 4.2 Responsiveness to Emerging Issues 89 4.3 Engagement with the African Union and RECs 90 4.4 Use of UNDP’s Comparative Advantages and Partnerships 91 4.5 Cross-Cutting Issues and Strategies 93 Chapter 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 97 5.1 Conclusions 97 5.2 Recommendations 101 Annexes Annex 1: Terms of Reference 105 Annex 2: People Consulted 117 Annex 3: Documents Consulted 123 Annex 4: Programmes and Projects Reviewed 129 Annex 5: Management Response 133 CONTENTS v Tables Table 1: Johannesburg Regional Service Centre Staffing 14 Table 2: Dakar Regional Service Centre Staffing 14 Table 3: Original Planned Resource Framework (US$ Millions) 2008-2011 15 Table 4: Number of Regional Programme Publications by Practice Area and Type 20 Table 5: Estimated Number of Links, Websites and Reposting of Publications 81 Figures Figure 1: Programme Expenditure by Focus Area (US$ Millions) 16 Figure 2: Budget versus Expenditure 2008-2011 (US$ Millions) 70 Figure 3: Types of Organizations Referencing the ‘Africa Human Development Report’ 78 Figure 4: Types of Organizations Referencing Regional Knowledge Products 79 Figure 5: References to Regional Knowledge Products by UNDP, United Nations agencies, and External Sources 79 Figure 6: Country Office Views on UNDP’s Knowledge Products 82 Figure 7: Country Office Views on Regional Products and Services 82 Figure 8: Country Office Views on Quality of Technical Support Services by Practice Area 84 Figure 9: Country Office Views on Technical Support Services Provided by Regional Service Centres 84 Figure 10: Extent to which Regional Programme Activities are Coordinated with Country Programme Activities 88 vi CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AfDB African Development Bank AFIM African Facility for Inclusive Markets AGF African Governance Forum AGI African Governance Institute AMSHER African Men for Sexual Health and Rights APDev Africa Development Effectiveness Platform APRM African Peer Review Mechanism BCPR Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (UNDP) BDP Bureau for Development Policy (UNDP) CAMPS Conference of African Ministers of the Public Service CD-PGA Capacity Development for Pro-poor Growth and Accountability CDM Clean Development Mechanisms CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa CEN-SAD Community of Sahel-Saharan States COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa COP Conferences of the Parties CSO Civil Society Organizations EAC East African Community EANNASO East African Network of National AIDS Service Organizations ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States ECREEE ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency EIA Environmental Impact Assessment FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GEF Global Environment Facility GEMPI Gender Economic Management and Planning Initiative GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for International Cooperation) HDI Human Development Index HRBA Human Rights-Based Approach IANSA International Action Network on Small Arms ICT Information and Communications Technology IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development ILO International Labour Organization IMF International Monetary Fund IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS vii JPO Junior Professional Officer MAF MDG Acceleration Framework MDGs Millennium Development Goals MFP Multifunctional Platform MIP Minimum Integration Programme MOU Memorandum of Understanding NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NPCA NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PES Payment for Ecosystems Services PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy