Objective:
The Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) commissioned Khulisa to conduct a wide range of M&E technical support services over a period of five years. Established in 2011 at the 7th Meeting of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), PACA is an African Union (AU) initiative to protect crops, livestock, and people from the effects of aflatoxins – highly toxic substances associated with a wide range of severe health effects in both humans and animals. PACA is an innovative consortium that coordinates aflatoxin mitigation and management across the health, agriculture, and trade sectors in Africa.
To build government effectiveness and efficiency in tackling the aflatoxin challenge, PACA provides strategic leadership and catalyzes evidence-based, government-led actions at continental, regional, and country levels. PACA also fosters partnerships with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the private sector, NGOs, and other development partners.
The spread of aflatoxins is directly linked to the regulation of imports and exports in AU member states. Thus, a key component of monitoring PACA is building capacity within member states for refinement of trade regulation and import/export supervision. Khulisa worked with relevant government ministries to collect and analyze data on trade patterns and inspections and to build capacity for monitoring and evaluation of aflatoxin control.
Approach:
Over a five-year period, Khulisa provided PACA with a wide range of M&E technical support, specifically:
- Refining the PACA Phase I theory of change and logic model;
- Developing the Phase I M&E Framework, including recommending key indicators;
- Finalizing PACA Phase II indicators;
- Generating PACA Phase II baseline data for the six pilot countries and PACA Secretariat;
- Developing tools for future routine M&E of the aflatoxin control in PACA-supported countries (based on the tools developed for the baseline data collection); and
- Scoping an M&E data/information storage and retrieval system for Phase II.
Khulisa also made research-based recommendations for an electronic M&E system for PACA to use going forward.
Khulisa completed/conducted the following activities:
- Baseline data collection for core indicators;
- Developed/reviewed/strengthened results frameworks and monitoring plans;
- Produced/reviewed/updated M&E operational manuals, guidelines, and tools;
- Developed/delivered training on results measurement; and
- Created IT systems for M&E
Khulisa also submitted draft and final deliverables, including reports with detailed findings and recommendations.
Outcome:
In undertaking this assignment, PACA sought to determine baseline values for 25 key performance indicators against which the results of PACA Phase II could/would be measured. During the course of this assignment, the Khulisa team and PACA worked collaboratively to unpack, reword, and refine the list of 25 indicators. The baseline results for the 25 indicators PACA selected for inclusion in the baseline evaluation were presented to the PACA Team (Secretariat and pilot country staff) at a specially scheduled presentation at the African Union Commission in March 2018.