"[...] Equitable evaluation contends that conducting evaluation practices with an equity approach is more powerful, as evaluation is used as a tool for advancing equity. It emphasises that context, culture, history and beliefs shape the nature of evaluations, specifically in the diverse and often complex African reality. Equitable evaluation can render power to the powerless, offer a voice to the silenced and give presence to those treated as invisible. Evidence from various sources shows that inequality is prevalent in the African continent, hence the need to focus on evaluative solutions that address the structural issues that contribute to the different forms of inequality, such as economic, political and social inequality. Despite a plethora of development interventions in the African continent, a large proportion of the population on the continent still lacks access to basic goods and services for survival. The effectiveness of developmental programmes in sub-Saharan Africa has been uncertain, to the extent that minimal inroads have been made in addressing key challenges such as poverty, inequality and, currently, the effects of climate change. The Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results, Anglophone Africa, supported by the Ford Foundation, commissioned two volumes on equitable evaluation in the Global South. The book chapters explore the following:
1. It takes stock of what we know about inequality: What is inequality in the African context, and how does it affect the lives of the citizens of African countries?
2. What is equitable evaluation? How can the concept of equitable evaluation be adopted in evaluation practice?
3. What lessons can be learnt from evaluations of interventions that address inequality at various levels (sectoral, programmatic, project)?
4. What epistemological transformation in evaluation practice is needed to achieve an equitable society?
5. How have issues of inequality manifested within evaluation practice through organisations, institutions and international development?
This book is the first of two volumes of voices from the Global South on equitable evaluation. The predominant methodology utilised is qualitative in nature. This scholarly book aims to invigorate academic discussions surrounding development programmes, with the goal of generating insights that can be utilised by evaluation commissioners and decision-makers in development programmes. These insights will help in addressing inequality and promoting a more equitable society in Africa through improved evaluation processes. The target audience for this book is primarily academics engaged in the field of developmental programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. No part of this work was plagiarised or published elsewhere." (Research justification, page v)