The lack of a national evaluation system hampers policymaking, leaving Ethiopia reliant on foreign consultants like the IMF and World Bank to assess GDP, says State Minister Tirumar Abate at the Ministry of Planning and Development (MoPD). Ahead of the 25th African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) annual conference in Addis Ababa, Tirumar noted the country’s limited capacity for conducting evaluations. “We still depend on external expertise,” she said. “But we have the potential, we must develop it.” To tackle the issue, a policy framework is being drafted to embed evaluation practices into the development agenda. Dereje Mamo, president of the Ethiopian Evaluation Association, noted that the absence of an evaluation system affects data quality for decision-making. The association has over 300 members, mostly based in Addis Abeba. AfrEA President Miche Ouedraogo (PhD) emphasised the need for methods rooted in African contexts. A manual titled *Made in Africa Evaluation* will be launched to support this initiative. Over 300 international participants, including policymakers, evaluators, researchers, and development partners, are expected to attend the AfrEA conference in Addis Abeba.
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