Independent Development Evaluation has conducted an evaluation of the African Development Bank’s Country Strategy and Program in Mali for the period 2005-2019. The evaluation covered 109 operations with a total value of nearly UA 1 billion, of which 64 operations approved between 2005 and 2019, and 45 operations approved before 2005 and completed or closed between 2005 and 2019.
In line with the African Development Bank’s (“AfDB” or “the Bank”) overarching objective of promoting inclusive growth, increasing access to finance is one of the three objectives of the Bank’s Financial Sector Development Policy and Strategy (FSDPS) for 2014 – 2019. As part of its 2018 - 2019 work program, Independent Development Evaluation undertook a thematic evaluation of the Bank’s role in increasing access to finance in Africa.
Promoting inclusive growth is one of the two overarching objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy (2013-2022) of the African Development Bank (“AfDB” or “the Bank”). While there has been substantial progress over the past decade, limited access to finance continues to be a key constraint for households and firms in Africa, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The environment in which African financial systems operate has also changed significantly in recent years, as recalled in the Bank’s 2014-2019 Financial Sector Development Policy and Strategy (FSDPS).
The private sector is considered a key contributor to growth and poverty reduction in Africa, as it creates nine-tenths of jobs, three-fourths of economic output and two-thirds of investments. The African Development Bank (AfDB) identified Private Sector Development (PSD) as one of the five operational priorities of its Ten-Year Strategy approved in 2013, which focuses on two overarching objectives: inclusive growth and the transition to green growth.
Tracking the implementation of recommendations from independent evaluations is a good practice recognized among development institutions. Like other multilateral development banks, the African Development Bank (AfDB or “the Bank”) has a Management Action Record System (MARS) to monitor and report on actions committed to by Bank Management in response to recommendations from the Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) department.
The Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) has conducted an evaluation of the African Development Bank (AfDB or "the Bank")’s Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa (“the Strategy”) for the period 2014 – 2019. The evaluation assessed the relevance of the Strategy and the Bank’s effectiveness in implementing it.