Evaluation Summary
Canada’s International Assistance in Ethiopia, 2013-14 to 2019-20
About the evaluation
Global Affairs Canada’s International Assistance Evaluation Division conducted an evaluation of Canadian development programming in Ethiopia for the period 2013-14 to 2019-20. The evaluation aimed to inform decision-making, promote learning and improve Canadian programming. Evaluation questions covered: adaptability, resilience, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Key findings
- A clear strategic direction contributed to the development of a coherent program approach, a strong alignment and responsiveness to needs and priorities of Ethiopia.
- Canada was largely responsive to evolving needs and priorities, but the evaluation identified a gap in the programming’s alignment with Ethiopia’s strong focus on climate change.
- Innovative approaches linked to smallholder farming and entrepreneurship remained small-scale due to weak private sector and poor investment climate.
- Promising early results linked to gender equality require additional focus on addressing social norms and underlying barriers through multi-faceted and multi-sectoral approaches.
- Programming has contributed to building resilience in Ethiopia, but complementarity and coordination between international assistance streams remain limited in the absence of a nexus approach.
Recommendations
- Develop a multi-year strategic plan in line with departmental guidance.
- Accompany Ethiopian efforts to build a green economy by replicating successful small-scale innovations and good practices.
- Explore how to strengthen programming linked to the environment and climate action to better reflect Ethiopia’s vulnerability to climate change.
- Explore how to better integrate a humanitarian, development and peace nexus perspective into programming, and contribute to on-going departmental efforts to apply a triple nexus approach.
- Document best practices and lessons on the use of mechanisms for project-level adaptability (pseudo crisis modifiers) and develop guidance on how to apply in new or existing projects, when relevant and feasible.
