The INCE is introduced in Africa, launched at the AfrEA Head Office
The global evaluation community witnessed a pivotal moment in the journey towards fostering evidence-based governance and impactful policy-making in Africa, with the official launch of activities to undertake the National Evaluation Capacities Index (INCE) in the continent on Tuesday 25 March 2025. Hosted at the Headquarters of the African Evaluation Association in Accra, Ghana, the event brought together renowned evaluators, development practitioners, government representatives, and stakeholders committed to advancing national evaluation capacities across the continent.
Distinguished speakers delivered remarks and highlighted their respective organizations’ unwavering commitment to the vision of INCE.
The welcome address was delivered by Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, Director General of Ghana’s National Development and Planning Commission (NDPC) who noted that the INCE will enable Ghana to assess its national evaluation capacities, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to strengthen its evaluation system. This, she said, is critical for effective development, as it will enable the government to make informed decisions, track progress, and evaluate the impact of its policies and programs.
Dr. Sven Harten, Deputy Director of DEval, on the line from Germany, expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the event and called on participants to use the INCE to strengthen their national evaluation capacities.
A communication was delivered by Mr. Abdoulaye Gounou from Benin on his country’s experience in the evaluation domain. He outlined a timeline of Benin’s milestones to today’s robust evaluation system.
That communication was followed by the INCE facilitators Juan and Celeste from DEval and WFP respectively. They highlighted the origin of the INCE and how it has impacted national evaluation systems in Latin America, the only continent where the INCE has been implemented since its inception.
AfrEA’s President, Dr. Miché Ouédraogo launched the program in a speech where he urged all stakeholders within the African and global evaluation ecosystem to support AfrEA’s mission in promoting evaluations that contribute to real and sustainable development in Africa. He invited participants to AfrEA’s Silver Jubilee celebration from June 16-18, 2025 in Addis Ababa, an event he said will bring together Heads of State, Ambassadors, leading experts, policymakers, development partners, researchers from Africa and beyond to discuss expanding the reach of the “Made in Africa Evaluation” concept and the importance of the African Evaluation Principles (AEP) in guiding national evaluation processes.
INCE in Africa training
The launch of the INCE in Africa was followed by a 4-day training in Accra that brought together dedicated participants from 25 to 28 March 2025 to refine their knowledge on national evaluation systems and empower evidence-driven decision-making!
- Day 1 witnessed an insightful analysis of national evaluation systems, setting the stage for cross-country learning.
- Day 2 saw participants exploring the INCE tool and data collection essentials, sparking valuable insights! Key feedback highlighted the need for flexibility while maintaining global consistency.
- Day 3 took a deep dive into contextualization as participants brainstormed ways to tailor the tool to Africa’s diverse landscapes. A highlight? The engaging role play session where stakeholders tackled real-world evaluation challenges!
- Day 4 was marked by reflections, evaluation of the training, and charting the path forward as participants prepare to implement the INCE in their respective countries.
AfrEA is proud to collaborate with the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) and World Food Programme to champion this milestone in advancing impactful evaluation across the continent.
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