Summary: GAO reviewed the African Development Bank's (AFDB) progress in establishing an independent program and project evaluation system as a means of informing member governments and management of its efficiency and effectiveness in meeting its objectives.
The United States has political, strategic, economic, and humanitarian interests in Africa which it pursues in part through participation in AFDB. U.S. objectives focus on improving AFDB operations with an effective evaluation system which would: (1) examine ongoing and completed projects and operations; (2) apprise management, governing bodies, and member governments of project results; and (3) apply experience gained to new projects and to AFDB policies and procedures revision. The Agency for International Development's 1982 study showed the need for a more comprehensive and independent evaluation system. GAO found that, since 1980, the AFDB evaluation division has: (1) better defined its role and operating procedures; (2) developed a more comprehensive system encompassing and completed activities; (3) improved its evaluation data collection; and (4) more widely disseminated the results of its work. GAO also found that, because the evaluation division is not an independent department, it: (1) does not have full control over the use of its staff, which has been used for nonevaluation purposes, resulting in delays in evaluation completion; (2) lacks a direct line of reporting to the Board of Executive Directors, causing delays and a lack of objectivity in the reports; and (3) has not exercised control over or developed an evaluation report recommendation follow-up system to keep the AFDB Board and management apprised of the effect of evaluation results on operations.
