Agriculture & Agro-industry

This report evaluates the Bank Group’s assistance to Mauritania by focusing on the 1994-2004 period. Its preparation was done in two stages: the sector evaluations provided the basis for the overall evaluation at country level, which completed and validated preliminary results of sector reviews. Two sector reviews were prepared on agriculture and rural development and on the social sectors as well as internal notes on the other sectors. The report was restructured following the preparation of new Guidelines for Country Assistance Evaluation at the end of 2004. The timetable for the finalisation of this report took into account its objective to draw lessons and make useful recommendations for the next Country Strategy Paper cycle (CSP).

The evaluation findings are based on assessment of four completed projects, two completed studies, and three recently approved projects which are at various stages of implementation. The evaluation notes that the Bank Group at some time in the past approved the financing of three projects in the sugar, livestock and environment sub-sectors which were subsequently not implemented and therefore aborted. These projects are not covered by this evaluation. Details of the Bank Group ARD sector portfolio are given in Annex 1, Table 1 and in Annexes 2 and 3.

This evaluation review covers developments in Ghana’s agriculture and rural development sector overtime. Although the approach of the Study covered the entire Bank Group’s agriculture and rural development sector portfolio, eleven completed projects were reviewed specifically in detail while the on-going eight (8) projects, which were approved between 1997 and 2001, were also reviewed, but in summary form, to reflect the most recent developments in the Bank Group assistance strategy to Ghana’s agricultural sector, and to assess the extent to which lessons and recommendations of past experience have been adapted in the recent Bank Group-funded projects and programmes. Since these projects are still on going and many of them are less than two years into implementation, it is too early to assess project outcome, and therefore, the conclusions on the overall performance assessment of the Bank Group are based on the eleven completed projects

The report evaluates the Bank Group assistance to the Republic of Ghana in line with recommendations of the ADF VII-IX and OPEV’s core mandate. The Ghana Country Assistance Evaluation (CAE) takes the country as a unit of analysis and attempts to evaluate the Bank Group's assistance to Ghana from 1996 to 2004, using the Bank's country strategy asa point of reference. The evaluation covers three Country Strategy Papers. These are: Country Strategy Paper 1 (1996 - 1998) (CSP1); Country Strategy Paper 2 (1999 - 2001) (CSP2); and Country Strategy Paper 3 (2002 - 2004) (CSP3). Collectively, in the 3 CSPs, the Bank approved loans and grants totalling UA376.5 million (net of cancellations) to Ghana.

The cooperation between the Bank and Morocco goes as far back as 1970 but this evaluation focuses on the assistance provided by the Bank during the 1996-2005 period.

The study mainly covers the whole ARD sector portfolio approved between 1996 and 2004. Operations initiated before 1996 were implemented and completed during the period under consideration. Their performance is also considered because of their relationship with the projects of the period.

The review covers the lending and non-lending interventions in the sector since 19931. The policy context within which these projects have operated is first described. The standard evaluation criteria of the Bank Group are then applied separately for lending and non-lending activities to assess the outcome (relevance, efficacy and efficiency), institutional development and sustainability (see annex A4). To the extent that the available evidence permits, the review attempts to show the contribution of the Bank Group and that of the GOE to the performance outcome. Finally, the review draws lessons learned and provides recommendations for enhancing the development effectiveness of the AfDB intervention in Ethiopian agriculture.

This report presents the results of a major evaluation of support to agriculture and rural development in Africa provided by two institutions: the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The evaluation set out to review the experience of the two institutions in a region where major changes are taking place. It carefully assessed their relevance to Africa’s needs in the area of agriculture and rural development, and also reviewed their performance, including the performance of their sector partnership. However, the overriding aim throughout was to draw useful lessons and develop sound recommendations to assist the two institutions to move forward, and in particular to consider how they might work more closely together to greater effect.

The assumptions and risks identified at appraisal showed that the adoption of IPM methods by farmers, lack of integration of initiatives at the regional level and frequency of rainfall deficits were limiting factors for the success of the project. However, the institutional mechanism put in place by the project, the management methodology based on the participatory and decentralized approach through the implementation units and village brigades, collaboration between research, extension and plant protection institutions in the four beneficiary countries as well as the distribution of villages across a wide range of rainfall isohyets were likely to mitigate this risk. The retrospective logical framework matrix in Annex 6 shows the specific risks concerning project implementation and sustainability

This independent evaluation was undertaken by the Operations Evaluation Department (OPEV) to examine the effectiveness of African Development Bank support for AWM sector in Ghana and Mali from 1990 to 2010.