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Digital Earth Africa: independent evaluation
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 Digital Earth Africa
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1.31 MB |
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Digital Earth Africa (management response)
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213.42 KB |
This is the report of the independent evaluation of the Digital Earth Africa program phase II (March 2019–June 2023). The long-term goal of the program was to improve the lives of people in Africa through access to tailored information for decision making. The program hosted an open data cube providing insights into a range of issues, including flooding, droughts, soils, coastal erosion, agriculture, forests, land use, water availability and quality, and changes to human settlements. This analysis-ready data could be used by policy makers, scientists, the private sector, and civil society to address social, environmental, and economic changes on the African continent.
The main objectives of the evaluation were:
- To assess program performance against the outcomes in the theory of change (ToC) and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Framework.
- To support decision-making for the future and to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of program implementation.
- To provide accountability for results achieved by the program during phase II.
A mixed-methods approach was adopted, using key informant interviews, an electronic survey of key users of the program platform and a review of extensive project documentation.
The evaluation's conclusion was that the program had made excellent progress against the three expected end-of-program outcomes and had largely delivered against all its expected intermediate outcomes, exceeding delivery expectations in many areas. The program had laid a solid foundation to increase the likelihood of program benefits continuing through the establishment of a reliable and consistently high-quality platform, the strong partnerships created and the steps taken to ensure it was truly African owned. The use of a ‘distributed operational model’ ensured that ownership was spread across the continent, leverages the capability of partners working at both national and regional level, enhancing both the effectiveness and efficiency of delivery, and ensuring collaboration and synergy with related efforts to increase reach and impact. Several recommendations were made to strengthen the program's future work.
A management response to the evaluation from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is available.
