The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are currently undertaking a joint evaluation on agriculture and rural development (ARD) in Africa.

On 16 July 2007 in Tunis, the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the overall framework of cooperation within this evaluation, as well as governance and management arrangements, financial matters, procurement of services and disclosure of documents.

The main strategic goals of the joint evaluation are:

• contribute to enhancing the relevance of AfDB and IFAD policies and operations in ARD in Africa
• improve their operational performance

This forward-looking joint evaluation has accordingly adopted the following objectives:

• determine the relevance of IFAD and AfDB policies and operations in ARD in Africa, in the light of current and emerging ARD issues affecting the continent
• assess the performance and impact of AfDB and IFAD policies and operations in ARD in Africa
• evaluate the strategic partnerships between IFAD and AfDB and with other prominent ARD actors in the continent
• understand the proximate causes of AfDB and IFAD relevance and performance in ARD, and develop recommendations to enhance their effectiveness and partnerships network

The evaluation will benefit from the cooperation of three Senior Independent Advisers who will provide strategic and technical support to AfDB and IFAD and assess and confirm the independence and quality of the joint evaluation.

Furthermore, specific communication activities will provide information about key events and documents that will be produced and shared with different stakeholders. The evaluation is expected to be completed by the end of 2009 upon delivery of the final joint evaluation report.

Interviews and press releases Interview with IFAD President “First of its kind” agriculture and rural development evaluation approved by AfDB and IFAD Executive Boards Arabic | English | French | Spanish Tackling Rural Poverty – learning the lessons together African Development Bank starts joint review of agriculture and rural development with IFAD Hot links African Development Bank website