Description
- Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB or “the Bank”) seeks expressions of interest from consulting firms to support the Evaluation of the Bank’s Support to Urban Development in Africa during 2026-2026, henceforth “the Assignment”. The evaluation will examine the Bank’s financial and non-financial support that is explicitly urban-focused or makes a significant contribution to urban systems.
- Background Objectives: The evaluation serves both accountability and learning purposes. Its purpose is to inform the Bank’s future strategic and operational engagement in urban development under the 2024–2033 Ten-Year Strategy. It will assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact/contribution and sustainability of the Bank’s support to urban development and generate evidence and lessons to strengthen the Bank’s urban development approach, improve the integration of upstream and downstream support, enhance city-level results, and support more sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban transformation in Africa.
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
|
The Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) is undertaking an evaluation of the Bank’s support to urban development in Africa over the period 2016–2026. The evaluation covers financial and non-financial support that is explicitly urban-focused or makes a significant contribution to urban systems. It includes urban infrastructure and services; planning and governance; municipal capacity and finance; private-sector participation; climate resilience; and social inclusion.
The purpose is to inform the Bank’s future strategic and operational engagement under the Ten-Year Strategy 2024–2033. The evaluation will assess relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact/contribution and sustainability and will examine strategic positioning and institutional evolution; operational approaches, coherence, financing and delivery; and development results, broader contributions and sustainability.
The evaluation is guided by the overarching question: To what extent has the Bank’s support to urban development been relevant, coherent, effective, efficient and sustainable over 2016–2026, how has its approach evolved, and what has been its contribution to broader urban development outcomes in Africa?
The six evaluation questions concern: (i) strategic relevance and institutional evolution; (ii) coherence and integration, including place-based approaches and upstream–downstream linkages; (iii) financing and delivery efficiency; (iv) effectiveness and results; (v) impact and contribution to broader urban outcomes; and (vi) sustainability. |
|---|
|
|
The consulting firm’s assignment shall focus on data collection, evidence analysis, synthesis and reporting. IDEV will provide the draft approved Approach Paper, Theory of Change, Evaluation Design Matrix, sampling decisions, Data Collection Toolkit, Fieldwork and Evidence Workbook, PRA template and rating guidance, benchmarking protocol and other applicable instructions. The firm will review and provide inputs to the draft Approach paper before finalization.
The assignment shall include:
• Structured document and strategic review, including review and coding of relevant Bank strategies, institutional arrangements, CSPs, RISPs, operational documents, previous evaluations and relevant external studies, clear protocols.
• Analysis of portfolio and performance data supplied or facilitated by IDEV, including financing, implementation and documented results, and preparation of source-referenced analytical outputs.
• Implementation of country and city case studies in the sample selected by IDEV. The draft Approach Paper envisages approximately five country case studies and one to two desk-based studies; the final number and locations will be confirmed by IDEV at a later stage.
• Stakeholder interviews with Bank departments, national and municipal authorities, implementation entities, development partners and other stakeholders; and, where feasible and included in the approved fieldwork plan, focus groups and beneficiary consultations.
• Project Results Assessments using IDEV’s standardized template, judgement standards and rating guidance. The draft Approach Paper envisages 15–20 PRAs; the final sample will be confirmed by IDEV.
• Benchmarking of three peer development institutions using the protocol supplied in the Approach paper.
• Collection and analysis of relevant secondary, administrative and, where applicable, geospatial evidence for selected cases, subject to data quality and the requirements defined by IDEV.
• Within-case and cross-case analysis, triangulation, contribution analysis and assessment of alternative explanations; maintenance of an auditable evidence matrix; and presentation of emerging findings.
• Preparation and revision of the Technical Report in response to consolidated IDEV, peer-review, Evaluation Reference Group and management comments.
• Technical and factual review of the Summary Report drafted by the IDEV evaluation team. |
|---|
|
|
The selected firm is expected to deliver the following main outputs. Submission dates and payment milestones are TBD:
• Review and inputs to the Approach paper, including methodology, tools, etc.
• Data collection and implementation plan organizing execution of the approved Approach Paper, sample, tools and work plan.
• Completed document and strategy review evidence files, including CSP/RISP coding and analytical outputs.
• Portfolio and performance analysis note.
• Country and city case-study reports for the final sample, accompanying evidence files and an integrated cross-case synthesis.
• Desk-based case-study report(s), if included in the final sample.
• Project Results Assessment reports for the final project sample.
• Benchmarking report covering three selected peer institutions.
• Secondary, administrative and geospatial analysis outputs, where applicable.
• Emerging findings presentation and supporting evidence matrix.
• Draft and final Technical Report, explaining the implemented methods and limitations and presenting findings, conclusions, contribution narratives and applicable ratings.
• Comment-response matrices for formal review rounds.
• Technical and factual comments on IDEV’s draft Summary Report.
• Complete transfer to IDEV of data, interview records, coded files, evidence matrices, analytical files and editable source files in agreed formats.
All formal reports shall be written in English and submitted electronically in editable formats. Other language-output requirements: TBD. |
|---|
| D. Duration and Timetable for the Assignment | |
|
|
|---|
| E. Bank Contribution and Institutional Arrangement | |
|
The overall responsibility for the evaluation and ownership of all resulting products will remain with IDEV. The evaluation will be led by Joseph Mouanda, Chief Evaluation Officer, IDEV.1, and Latéfa Camara, Senior Evaluation Officer, IDEV.1. The core team includes Bilal Bagayoko, Evaluation Officer, IDEV.2,Yaya Koloma, Evaluation Officer, IDEV.1, and Stéphanie Yoboue, Evaluation Officer, IDEV.1 The consulting firm will report to and work under the direction of the IDEV Task Managers.
IDEV will provide the approved evaluation design and tools, available documentation and data, coordination with relevant Bank departments and the Evaluation Reference Group, and quality assurance through the evaluation team, peer reviewers and IDEV management. IDEV retains responsibility for final methodological decisions, portfolio classification, sample selection, evaluative conclusions and preparation of the Summary Report. |
|---|
|
|
Remote with visits and. field-mission to selected case study countries. |
|---|
| G. Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge/Competencies | |
|
The consulting firm shall propose a multidisciplinary team with the following profiles specified in the draft Approach Paper:
Team Leader and Evaluation Specialist: At least fifteen years of experience in development evaluation, including theory-based thematic evaluations for multilateral development banks and demonstrated experience in contribution analysis.
Urban Planning and Municipal Governance Specialist: Demonstrated expertise in urban planning and municipal governance and experience in Africa.
Municipal Finance Specialist: Demonstrated expertise in municipal and subnational finance relevant to urban development.
Urban Infrastructure and Services Specialist: Demonstrated expertise in urban infrastructure and services, including climate-resilience considerations.
Portfolio and Data Analyst: Experience with MDB operational data and qualitative analysis software.
National Consultants: Knowledge of the urban sector and relevant local languages in each field case country.
Fluency in English and French is required across the team; Portuguese and Arabic are advantages. All team members shall sign conflict-of-interest declarations and may not assess operations on which they have worked. |
|---|
|
|
Joseph Mouanda, Chief Evaluation Officer, IDEV.1
Latéfa Camara, Senior Evaluation Officer, IDEV.1 |
|---|
Consultancy Input Days
|
|
