Reflections on building an Afrocentric monitoring and evaluation system

Abstract

Background: While Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plays a vital role in improving performance, many systems rely heavily on donor-centric and Western-oriented models that do not reflect Africa’s ecosystem dynamics.
Objectives: To critically examine the experiences of African thought leaders involved in the Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) initiative and integrate these reflections with conceptual insights to guide the ongoing refinement of MAE.
Method: The study employed a scoping literature review and qualitative interviews with five purposively selected evaluation experts. This approach enabled a comprehensive analysis of the MAE initiative and the real-world experiences of M&E practitioners.
Results: Major challenges include limited professional training, a weak evaluation culture and perceptions of M&E as donor-driven, which are compounded by political interference, inadequate funding and corruption. Four strategic pathways were identified: fostering an evaluation culture, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, embedding governance principles and ensuring flexibility to reflect Africa’s diverse contexts and development realities.
Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of developing Afrocentric M&E systems that are technically robust, contextually grounded, independent and resistant to political interference. However, its findings may be constrained by sampling bias due to the small participant pool. Future research should expand on this initiative using the Delphi technique and creating a checklist of key issues for broader quantitative or regional qualitative testing.
Contribution: The study contributes to the growing body of work advocating for an Afrocentric M&E system by capturing the lived experiences of African thought leaders behind the MAE initiative.