Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach

Background: Decolonisation is a concept that has taken on multiple layers since the end of colonisation and the onset of independence in the Global South. More than ever before, decolonialism, decoloniality and indigenisation have moved to the centre of intellectual inquiry across the broad spectrum...

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Main Authors: Ayabulela Dlakavu, Jabulani Mathebula, Samukelisiwe Mkhize
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2022-08-01
Series:African Evaluation Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/620
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author Ayabulela Dlakavu
Jabulani Mathebula
Samukelisiwe Mkhize
author_facet Ayabulela Dlakavu
Jabulani Mathebula
Samukelisiwe Mkhize
author_sort Ayabulela Dlakavu
collection DOAJ
description Background: Decolonisation is a concept that has taken on multiple layers since the end of colonisation and the onset of independence in the Global South. More than ever before, decolonialism, decoloniality and indigenisation have moved to the centre of intellectual inquiry across the broad spectrum of human activity: knowledge production, education, academic disciplines, professions, political life and economic organisation. The evaluation profession and fraternity has also been grappling with the idea of decolonising and indigenising its ontological, epistemological and methodological foundations, which are essentially rooted in the Global North development theory, practice and knowledge systems. Objectives: This article endeavours to provide recommendations on how to make the Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) paradigm practical (applicable) for evaluators in Africa, based on decolonisation and indigenisation methodological prescriptions. Method: The study is qualitative by design, employing document analysis and the authors’ observation on development and evaluation practice in Africa and globally. Results: The emergent practice of evaluation is only experiencing decolonial scrutiny in the 21st century. In the African context, the MAE paradigm appears to be the continent’s decolonisation and indigenisation project for the evaluation fraternity. Conclusion: Building an Afrocentric, decolonised and indigenous MAE paradigm and approach requires a coordinated effort on building scholarship on the topic of MAE approaches and methodologies. Once there is sufficient documentation of the MAE approach, it should become easier to advance Afrocentric evaluation as mainstream discourse alongside the more established and neoliberal development and evaluation discourse.
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spelling doaj.art-eba38a94e0844bf8bd78d2550d0a4c972022-12-22T03:20:42ZengAOSISAfrican Evaluation Journal2310-49882306-51332022-08-01101e1e1010.4102/aej.v10i1.620171Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approachAyabulela Dlakavu0Jabulani Mathebula1Samukelisiwe Mkhize2Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results – Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA), Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Department of Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, JohannesburgCentre for Learning on Evaluation and Results – Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA), Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa, PretoriaCentre for Learning on Evaluation and Results – Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA), Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, World Food Programme, JohannesburgBackground: Decolonisation is a concept that has taken on multiple layers since the end of colonisation and the onset of independence in the Global South. More than ever before, decolonialism, decoloniality and indigenisation have moved to the centre of intellectual inquiry across the broad spectrum of human activity: knowledge production, education, academic disciplines, professions, political life and economic organisation. The evaluation profession and fraternity has also been grappling with the idea of decolonising and indigenising its ontological, epistemological and methodological foundations, which are essentially rooted in the Global North development theory, practice and knowledge systems. Objectives: This article endeavours to provide recommendations on how to make the Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) paradigm practical (applicable) for evaluators in Africa, based on decolonisation and indigenisation methodological prescriptions. Method: The study is qualitative by design, employing document analysis and the authors’ observation on development and evaluation practice in Africa and globally. Results: The emergent practice of evaluation is only experiencing decolonial scrutiny in the 21st century. In the African context, the MAE paradigm appears to be the continent’s decolonisation and indigenisation project for the evaluation fraternity. Conclusion: Building an Afrocentric, decolonised and indigenous MAE paradigm and approach requires a coordinated effort on building scholarship on the topic of MAE approaches and methodologies. Once there is sufficient documentation of the MAE approach, it should become easier to advance Afrocentric evaluation as mainstream discourse alongside the more established and neoliberal development and evaluation discourse.https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/620decolonisationdecolonialitydevelopmentevaluationmade in africa evaluation (mae)philosophyontologyepistemologymethodology
spellingShingle Ayabulela Dlakavu
Jabulani Mathebula
Samukelisiwe Mkhize
Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach
African Evaluation Journal
decolonisation
decoloniality
development
evaluation
made in africa evaluation (mae)
philosophy
ontology
epistemology
methodology
title Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach
title_full Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach
title_fullStr Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach
title_full_unstemmed Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach
title_short Decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in Africa: Roadmap for mainstreaming the Made in Africa Evaluation approach
title_sort decolonising and indigenising evaluation practice in africa roadmap for mainstreaming the made in africa evaluation approach
topic decolonisation
decoloniality
development
evaluation
made in africa evaluation (mae)
philosophy
ontology
epistemology
methodology
url https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/620
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