Addis Ababa, June 18, 2025 (FMC) — The Government of Ethiopia has reiterated its commitment to strengthening national evaluation systems, enhancing institutional capacity, and embedding evaluation frameworks into policy and development planning processes, according to the Ministry of Planning and Development.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the African Evaluation Association’s (AfrEA) 25th anniversary celebration in Addis Ababa, State Minister of Planning and Development Tirumar Abate emphasized Ethiopia’s dedication to fostering a culture of evidence-based policymaking.
“We believe that strong monitoring and evaluation systems are essential to ensuring transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in public service delivery,” she stated.
Tirumar underscored that evaluation is no longer a luxury but a necessity—especially in an era of limited resources, rising expectations, and high costs of policy failure.
She stressed that the government will continue to invest in evaluation infrastructure, strengthen institutional capacities, and integrate evidence-based approaches into development programming and policy cycles.
“We are working to institutionalize evaluation practices across government ministries and agencies, ensuring that lessons learned from implementation guide our national development trajectory,” she added.
The State Minister also reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noting that both frameworks represent shared aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous, and integrated Africa.
She praised AfrEA for aligning its mission with these continental and global agendas and affirmed Ethiopia’s readiness to support the association’s future endeavors, including through technical cooperation and institutional partnerships.
AfrEA President Miche Ouedraogo, for his part, noted that the three-day gathering not only marked a milestone for the organization but also reaffirmed the shared resolve to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and collaborative evaluation efforts across Africa.
Ethiopian Evaluation Association President Dereje Mamo echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of translating evidence into actionable policy that uplifts communities and calling for expanded collaboration across the continent.
AfrEA’s 25th anniversary, according to ENA, was commemorated in Addis Ababa under the theme: “Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence in Africa-Rooted Evaluation: Building a Stronger Future Together.”