The Effective Development Group News 2010

October 2010

EDG has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the Participatory Planning, Research and Evaluation Panel by the Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCHSIA). The tender was submitted with two consortium partners: Building Indigenous Capacities (BIC) Pty Ltd and Cross Cultural Consultants International Pty Ltd. The consortium nominated 10 experts with Planning, Research and Evaluation experience in International Development and Indigenous Community Development. The panel will operate for three years with a possible extension of two years.

EDG has been successful in their application of three nominated personnel on the NZAID Approved Contractors Scheme. The scheme is a mechanism for retaining a pool of pre-selected specialist contractors to undertake short to medium term assignments. EDG candidates are all experts in strategic evaluation (thematic, sectoral, country and regional evaluations) and hope to establish a fruitful collaboration with NZAID as it develops its evaluation portfolios.

Solomon Islands, August 2010

EDG travelled to Honiara, Solomon Islands in August to re-design the M&E framework of the RAMSI Governance Support Facility (RGSF) and AusAID-funded Solomon Islands-Australia Development Support Facility (SIADSF). The goal of RGSF and SIADSF is to provide logistical and administrative support to RAMSI and AusAID bilateral programs in the Solomon Islands to ensure their efficient and effective implementation. While RGSF processes and achievements have been monitored on a quarterly basis since inception, the Facility management team wished to strengthen the exiting M&E process for the rest of the implementation phase. EDG suggested a consolidated M&E framework, developed in consultation with key stakeholders involved in the steering and/or implementation of the Facility. While the suggested MEF has kept the process-driven logic of the previous M&E arrangement, it clarified a way to improve the quality and quantity of information without increasing the complexity and resources needed to operate the M&E process.

Yemen, May 2010

The Effective Development Group (EDG) visited Sana'a, Yemen, to provide M&E support to the DFID funded and GRM International managed, Justice and Police Programme (YJPP). EDG assisted the programme team and counterparts to transform the existing logframe into a practical framework for management, monitoring and evaluation. The project aims to increase the effectiveness of local police and justice services in pilot sites, though training, improved use of management information, greater accountability and greater citizen access.

Southern Africa, May 2010

The Effective Development Group (EDG) has been tasked by DFID's Southern Africa office to provide the team leader for the design of their new regional food security programme. With a core budget of GBP 30m DFID will provide regional support to the implementation of the AU/NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) in East and Southern Africa.

 

Democratic Republic of Congo, April 2010

The Effective Development Group (EDG) continues to manage the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) component of the DFID funded Security Sector Accountability and Police Reform Programme (SSAPRP) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The program focuses on the reform of the Congolese national police. EDG’s technical director visited the programme in April to continue support to the in-country team in further establishing a coherent and fit-to-purpose M&E system for the programme and liaise with the programme stakeholders. The M&E system is based on a logframe and includes an extensive baseline data collection process in three pilot provinces, i.e. Bas-Congo, Kasai Occidental and Sud-Kivu. This process involves several institutional audits and capacity assessment surveys, including a community-based Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) survey on Security and Justice, across 9000 households in the three provinces.

 

East Timor, March 2010

The Effective Development Group (EDG) conducted a visit in Dili, East Timor, to continue to provide monitoring and evaluation support to the AusAID funded and GRM International managed, Public Sector Capacity Development Project (PSCDP). EDG consulted with a wide range of program stakeholders and assisted the program team to write its Annual Performance Management report. Major program achievements over the last year have included the establishment of the first Civil Service Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission in Timor Leste, both defined as priorities under the Prime Minister Administrative Reform Agenda. In addition, PSCDP has supported curriculum development for the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP), as well as corporate management functions of various other ministries (Infrastructure, Social Solidarity, Agriculture, etc.).

 

Papua New Guinea, March 2010

The Effective Development Group (EDG) continues to provide a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Adviser for the AusAID funded, GRM International managed, Papua New Guinea (PNG) Agricultural Research and Development Support Facility (ARDSF). The M&E Adviser was in PNG in March supporting the in-country M&E Officer and team to review the implementation of the M&E plan, modify M&E guidelines and reporting processes and develop approaches for evaluation of the Facility’s grants scheme.

 

Afghanistan, January 2010

The Effective Development Group (EDG) continues to provide an M&E Adviser for the AusAID funded, GRM International managed, Development Assistance Facility for Afghanistan Phase II. In January the M&E Adviser supported the team in-country with their Performance Assessment Framework and Annual Plan.