Evaluations

PDT external evaluation was commissioned in 2019 with the aim to: assess PDT’s contribution to the achievement of the organisation’s mission of enhancing research excellence in public policy since inception in 2011 up to 2018; its impact on the beneficiaries; identify gaps and lessons that can be used to inform its strategic direction in the next phase; and generate recommendations for continued programme interventions and scale up. It applied four main criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact, as well as coordination, sustainability and Value for Money (VfM). The evaluation covered broad categories of stakeholders that included PASGR staff and leadership, PASGR Board, funding agencies, training beneficiaries, instructors and course developers, and organizations offering similar training.

The evaluation established that the PDT program is aligned to global and regional development aspirations reflected in SDGs and AU’s Agenda 2063, and the organization’s vision and strategy towards enhancing the quality of policy research in Africa. The programme was also found to be relevant to current skills gaps of researchers, policy actors, market interests and demands for capacity development and training. The programme is gender integrated and responsive to unique characteristics and needs of target beneficiaries. It is of high quality and integrity standard and provides value for money.

Additionally, the evaluation found that the greatest challenge to the PDT programme is affordability of the training courses by participants as well as its low visibility. Weak regional infrastructure (i.e. disparities in internet connectivity and electricity infrastructure) as well as low regional representation (i.e. over 90% Anglophone participation) were also noted as limitations. The evaluation concluded that the training programme has created desired impact.