Quality Assurance & Results

The African Development Fund (ADF) introduced a results measurement framework in 2003 as part of a broader commitment to the Global Agenda on Managing for Development Results and at the Monterrey Conference on Development Financing in 2002. In recent years, the ADF results measurement framework has converged toward a common multilateral development bank approach that focuses on:

  • development effectiveness - in terms of country progress on key outcomes
  • institutional effectiveness - in terms of program outputs and outcomes and business processes

For ADF-10, this framework was tailored to ADF priorities, with increased emphasis on progress on governance and regional integration in Africa, as well as a significant focus on institutional reform.

Development Effectiveness

Outcomes at the country level during the ADF-10 period indicate that ADF countries made significant progress on growth, poverty reduction and human development in recent years.  Information technology also has begun to make sweeping changes to communications on the continent and with the rest of the world.  However, accelerated poverty reduction will require broader participation in the growth process, and this, in turn, will require a more conducive environment for investment and trade, greater access to markets and basic infrastructure to support economic activity.

These priorities will be reflected during ADF-11 through increased strategic focus on governance, private sector development, regional integration and infrastructure provision.   ADB efforts to strengthen statistical capacity at the country level will also reflect these priorities for improved data collection and reporting.

Institutional Effectiveness

ADF Contribution

A detailed assessment of outputs and outcomes of operations exiting the portfolio during ADF-10 confirms that the ADF made a significant contribution to country-level progress in recent years.  This report demonstrates that implementation led, inter alia, to construction of classrooms, training of teachers and health personnel, improved water supply and sanitation, expansion of irrigated production, provision of micro-finance, construction of roads and electrification of villages. 

These outputs contributed to measurable increases in school enrollments, safer births, higher vaccination coverage, reduced water-borne diseases, enhanced rural incomes, greater female empowerment and increased economic activity in various project zones.  Overall, the share of satisfactory project completion ratings rose in the past four years, although considerable improvement is still necessary moving forward.

Internal Reform

ADF results on the ground reflect steady progress by the Bank to enhance institutional effectiveness. Among the many measures included in the Action Plan to Improve Implementation of Operations During ADF-10, progress is notable in:

  • achieving operations staffing targets and enhancing staff diversity
  • establishing 23 fully functional field offices
  • introducing results-based Country Strategy Papers
  • strengthening use of logical frameworks in project design
  • speeding up procurement processes
  • increasing supervision ratios
  • reducing aging and non-performing projects
  • lowering the share of problem and at-risk projects
  • expanding preparation of project completion reports for enhanced learning. 

While progress is considerable, a great deal more remains to be done during ADF-11 and beyond to fully implement existing commitments and policies, accelerate reforms already underway and put in place business processes that make it easier to achieve, and report on, results.

Looking ahead

The results measurement framework for ADF-11 will be rooted in selected indicators of key country outcomes together with specific measures to directly strengthen the focus on results on the ground.  It will also focus on strengthening the incentives and systems that drive implementation of good policies.  Key reforms will aim at:

  • ensuring quality at entry for ADF strategies and operations
  • instilling a continuous supervision culture to support implementation
  • enhancing learning and accountability through evaluation
  • improving results through rigorous monitoring and reporting, systematic management-level engagement, and clear accountability across the organization.

Key Reforms under ADF-11

Key institutional commitments include:

  • integrating higher-quality results frameworks in strategies and projects
  • providing baseline data to ensure "evaluability"
  • creating budgetary and other incentives for results-oriented supervision;
  • strengthening portfolio management information systems and the incentives and capacity to use them
  • preparing timely, high-quality project completion reports
  • harmonizing internal ratings systems.

Three areas critical for a stronger results focus, and where more work is needed, are more effective and thorough decentralization, an increased capacity to harmonize in line with Paris Declaration goals, and more systematic managerial-level engagement.  A manageable set of institutional indicators are proposed to allow management and shareholders to monitor progress in these areas in order to strengthen delivery of results.

Quality Assurance and Results Department (ORQR)… Strengthening the Focus on Results

Established in July 2008, the Quality Assurance and Results Department (ORQR) of the African Development Bank Group assesses and monitors the impact of the Bank’s operations.  The Department leads the development of the corporate action plan to strengthen the focus on results. It develops advocacy tools, engages in the design of new business processes, and helps to strengthen countries’ capacity to manage for results.

The Department:

  • Manages the ADF results reporting exercises.
  • Leads cross-cutting efforts to improve quality at entry, including quality of logframes, results frameworks, output and outcome indicators, baseline data, standardization of sector indicators, and aggregated reporting on quality at entry.
  • Drives efforts to enhance the results focus of supervision including awareness-raising, especially in the field offices, roll-out of results-oriented supervision and mid-term review reports.
  • Provides just-in-time support for project restructuring.
  • Manages responses to, and tracking of actions on evaluation recommendations.
  • Produces the Annual Review of Portfolio Performance.
  • Coordinates the corporate response on harmonization and managing for results.
  • Promotes ‘quality at exit’, including results-focused Country Strategy and Project Completion Reports.
  • Monitors timely closure and cancellation of operations.
  • Ensures timely preparation of Project Completion Reports.

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