Automated M&E System of AfricaRice

A training program on ‘Automated Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) System of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)’  to help researchers monitor and report on R&D activities, outputs and outcomes was organized at AfricaRice, Cotonou Benin,11-13 March 2014.

The training program was conducted by Dr Aliou Diagne, Leader of the Policy, Innovation Systems and Impact Assessment Program and Dr Aminou Arouna, Agricultural Economist from AfricaRice.

“The M&E system is part of the ‘M&E and Impact Assessment (IA) framework’ of AfricaRice’s 2011–2020 Strategic Plan,” explained Dr Diagne. “This will be used to implement the new Results-based Management pilot project of the CGIAR Research Program on Rice – known as the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRISP).” The pilot project is funded by the CGIAR Consortium Office and will be implemented this year with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

The M&E system has been designed and built by AfricaRice using open-source components and has been tested on seven AfricaRice projects. An initial demonstration of the system was made to national partners during the 2014 AfricaRice Science Week and GRiSP Africa-Forum, Cotonou, Benin, 24-27 February 2014. Several adjustments and refinements have been made as a result of the feedback received.

“If we are able to fully operationalize the M&E and IA framework, then reporting on what we are doing and achieving will become a lot easier and more convincing,” stated AfricaRice Deputy Director General Dr Marco Wopereis. “In-country training for our national partners will be conducted throughout the year.”