The purpose of the present evaluation is to inform future PPP strategic framework and operational plans utilizing PPP mechanism as a Bank's strategic response the infrastructure gap and to increase the potential of scaling-up PPP interventions towards achieving the Bank corporate goals encapsulated in the "High Fives" as well as in the Ten Year Strategy (TYS) and the Private Sector Development Policy and Strategy.
The evaluation will cover the 32 project-lending operations and the twenty one (21) non-lending activities as well as the Bank's advisory services, economic and sector work (ESW), coordination and partnership as well as its institutional support to RMCs during the 2006-2016 period. These also include activities that promote good governance and capacity to improve the PPP business enabling environment and private sector development in RMCs, as well as Bank's direct budget support to enhance RMCs policy framework and institutional settings in support of PPP mechanism. However, due to their importance in the Bank's infrastructure lending portfolio (94% of the portfolio), the transport and energy sectors (power and renewable energy) will constitute the main sectors to be considered for this evaluation.
The evaluation will provide key stakeholders with (AfDB Board, senior management, RMCs, development partners and CSOs) an evidence-based assessment of the Bank's role in supporting PPPs, the potential for PPPs to promote sustainable social and economic development, and identify the extent to which this potential is currently being realized. The evaluation will also promote accountability and learning and will focus on two main (2) issues: i) the achievement of development results in the context of PPP operations; and ii) the management of Bank's PPP interventions. It will equally include a formative aspect (forward looking approach) with the objective of strengthening future Bank's engagement in closing the infrastructure gap on continent through increased utilization of PPP financing mechanisms.
The evaluation will be based on a "Theory of Change Approach" which considers the Bank's PPP operations in countries' development context in assessing the extent to which PPP expected outcomes achieved and contributed to sustainable development, the conditions and reasons for the achievement of, or failure to achieve the outcomes and goals (impacts). The theory of change presents the context of PPP evaluation, the inputs and outputs as well as the immediate, intermediate and final outcomes and impact.
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Principles for Evaluation of Development Assistance, the DAC Quality Standards for Development Evaluation and the Good Practice Standards of the Evaluation Cooperation Group in conducting the assessment at the various levels will be used as reference guides. Specific guiding principles to include gender equality and disadvantaged groups into this approach are inclusion, participation and fair power relations. Field Discussions with CSOs, community groups and beneficiaries will help assist in implementing these guiding principles.
The evaluation will rely on internal and external documentation, triangulated statistical data at project level, country or development agencies, and will comprise an in-depth literature review of various available sources particularly of the MDBs. Official country statistical and administrative data will be, to the extent possible, corroborated and/or triangulated with other available sources, particularly from the Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The World Bank (WB), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the United Nations (UN) agencies, with specific reference to the various study reports or data analyses. The Bank PPP hubs, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Country offices, clients, financiers or counterparts will also constitute an important source of information.
The chosen methodology is one of mixed methods with the utilization of participatory processes at project/intervention (lending or non-lending), country and sector levels. The combination of the application of quantitative and qualitative methodologies will allow the identification of good practices, lessons learned and recommendations on the way forward.
As the majority of MDBs and bilateral development agencies have full-fledged work programs on PPPs, an analysis of the strategic relevance of PPPs across these agencies, the nature of their support, their organizational and institutional arrangements and solutions to deliver on their respective PPPs will help draw useful lessons to the Bank. This analysis will benchmark their experience with implementing as well as identifying the emerging issues in managing PPPs. IDEV will develop and refine a multi-pronged communication strategy throughout the conduct of the evaluation in order to share, disseminate, and consult on interim and final evaluation findings.