Lessons learned from review of Africa Bureau evaluations, 1987-1989

The 65 evaluations (44 interim and 21 final) reviewed indicate that progress has been mixed. Projects in A.I.D.'s more traditional areas (i.e., agriculture, education, family planning, and transportation) as well as small enterprise development activities were showing good promise. Progress was less positive in the newer areas (e.g., combatting childhood communicable diseases and natural resource management). Several innovative approaches and successes in implementation are noted. Particularly worthy of attention are grassroots efforts in agriculture, job skills, natural resource, and small enterprise development projects, as well as a computerized tracking and monitoring system, developed in Kenya, for the Commodity Import Program. Although not enough time had passed to assess project impacts, several lessons were learned which could be useful in future planning. (1) Project complexity was a root cause of many implementation problems. (2) Faulty project design assumptions contributed to a number of breakdowns during implementation. (3) Institutional development should be given higher priority in project design, implementation, and management. (4) A stronger focus on sustainability is needed both at the outset of project planning and during implementation. (5) More systematic efforts to gather impact data are needed. (6) Gender role implications require more attention. (7) Mission management needs were frequently underestimated. (8) External evaluations should be continued, but more systematic in-house monitoring and evaluation efforts need to be made during earlier stages of implementation. A final section of the report summarizes progress by sector (agriculture; health, nutrition, and family planning; education; natural resources; transportation; private sector; and nonproject assistance).