West Africa Capacity-building and Impact Evaluation
The West Africa Capacity-building and Impact Evaluation (WACIE) program is a multi-year regional initiative that aims to promote the institutionalization of evaluation in government systems across eight countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
To access the WACIE Rapid Response Helpdesk, please click the red button below.
In this guide, we provide decision makers in the food security and nutrition sectors some tips and good practices illustrated by real examples. This guide will be useful for both evidence producers and users, in their journey to evidence-informed decision making.
Launching the WACIE Helpdesk
Demand for high-quality development evidence in West Africa far outstrips supply. The WACIE Helpdesk aims to help fill this gap. In this blogpost, we discuss what the Helpdesk offers, what we've learned through the process of launching it, and our hopes for the future of the initiative.
What affects uptake of agricultural technologies?
Improving agricultural productivity is seen as key to development in West Africa. However, adoption of new agricultural technologies is rare in many African countries, and the challenges relating to agricultural development are numerous. This brief presents evidence on the determinants of adoption of improved agricultural technologies by smallholder farmers.
About the program
WACIE aims to promote evidence-informed decision-making among high-level policymakers in West Africa, especially those within the finance, economy and planning ministries. We envision a West African policy environment where leaders draw upon evidence and inform their decisions with rigorous research, complemented by a robust regional evaluation community which contributes to that evidence base. The program's current efforts are focused on three work streams: 1) providing actionable and timely information for decision-making through the WACIE Helpdesk; 2) generating capacity and adding depth and visibility to local researchers and policymakers; and 3) supporting the generation of rigorous, demand-driven evidence in the region by implementing evaluations with local teams and supporting those conducting evaluations. The program is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the West African Economic and Monetary Union, and the West African Development Bank, among others.
WAEMU national evaluation systems
Each country differs in how it structures its institutions charged with producing evaluations and incorporating their findings into policy decisions. WACIE has mapped out the evaluation systems of each WAEMU country, drawing from the expertise of our on-the-ground focal points in each WAEMU country and a scoping study conducted by a Johns Hopkins University team. Visit our page on WAEMU national evaluation systems to learn more about the institutional arrangements in each country, their strengths, and the challenges they face.
