Discussing Development Planning in Asia

The Malaysian Evaluation Society held its 4th Evaluation Conference during the period March 29- April 2 2010 in Kuala Lumpur. More than 150 delegates from 13 Asian countries, 2 African countries (Zimbabwe and Botswana) as well as several bilateral and multilateral organizations attended the conference. Its theme was “Evaluation and Managing for Development Results (MfDR): Approaches and Tools for Results Improvement”. I had the opportunity to represent the Modernization Department of Zimbabwe at this meeting.

My interest in this conference comes out of my quest for strategies for the economic development of Africa. This continent is well endowed with natural resources and human talent which give it the potential to provide good living standards for its people. Yet, it has remained underdeveloped and has grown increasingly dependent. MfDR points at some of the strategies Africa can use to move out of this quagmire.

The Conference was organized in a manner that allowed discussions and insights into the finer details of MfDR principles. It offered the participants an opportunity to learn about the Integrated Results Based Management (IRBM) and Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks, strategies and models that are being implemented in Malaysia and other countries. Representatives also experienced direct exposure to evaluation planning tools and techniques linked with Development Management and Results-Based Budgeting. Most importantly, it was a unique occasion to meet and discuss with officials from other countries their results management and evaluation strategies and challenges.

One area of focus that was of great interest to me is the Outcomes–Based Approach to Development Planning. It is a powerful tool to address issues of national and sector priorities in a country. MfDR focuses on demonstrating results achieved but our planning approaches have not caught up. Case studies from a country like Sri Lanka, which until recently has been in a prolonged civil war situation and emerged as a middle income country, were presented at this meeting. They are indeed of interest to African countries which have had similar conflicts but are regressing.

What I got out of attending this conference is the fact that trends in the area of MfDR are moving fast and AfCoP members need to continuously look for best practices to get Africa onto the path of development.

Solomon Mhlanga, AfCoP Core Management Team members, is the Principal Director of the Modernisation Department, Office of the President and Cabinet, in Zimbabwe.