OFFICE OF EVALUATION

Project evaluation series

September 2018

Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund

MANAGEMENT RESPONSE

PROJECT EVALUATION SERIES

Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund

MANAGEMENT RESPONSE

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

OFFICE OF EVALUATION

September 2018

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Office of Evaluation (OED)

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Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund – Management Response

1

Management response to the Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund

1. The Steering Committee of the Africa Solidarity Trust Funds (ASTF) and the Regional Office for

Africa (RAF), serving as Programme Management Unit for the ASTF have very much welcomed the

Evaluation of the funds by the Office of Evaluation (OED) of the Food and Agriculture Organization

of the United Nations (FAO). The Africa Solidarity Trust Fund for Food Security is an innovative

Africa-led fund to support Africa-for-Africa development initiatives. It is a unique financing

mechanism pooling resources from Africa’s strongest economies to support national and regional

initiatives. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct an evaluation aiming at building on the lessons learned

from this important initiative.

2. ASTF Management welcomes the work and the findings of the Evaluation report. The lessons

learned provide an in-depth analysis of enabling factors as well as limiting factors.

3. Management of the Funds appreciates the efforts of the Office of Evaluation (OED) to conduct a

comprehensive evaluation of the ASTF portfolio instead of fragmented evaluations of ASTF-funded

projects and programmes.

4. Management generally agrees on the recommendations presented in the Report. In terms of

lessons learned, ASTF funds were used to fill important gaps on emerging issues such as the Fall

Army Worm in Africa. The Ownership of projects by Counterparts has been key for improved

partnership with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and donors, and knowledge sharing

among and within countries. There is a need to continue improving communication on Results.

Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund – Management Response

2

Management response matrix1

Management response to the (Evaluation Title) Date

Evaluation Recommendation (a) Management

response (b)

Accepted,

Partially

Accepted or

Rejected

Management plan

Actions to be taken, and/or

comments about partial acceptance

or rejection (c)

Responsible

unit (d)

Time

frame (e)

Further

funding

required

(Y or N) (f)

Insert title of section, if any

Recommendation 1

The ASTF Steering Committee should strengthen

efforts to communicate the relevance of the ASTF and

its contribution to Africa strategic documents (Malabo

Declaration and Comprehensive Africa Agriculture

Development Programme (CAADP) results framework)

via the preparation of an exhaustive background

document on the Fund, its objectives and funding

strategy. This reference document should be widely

distributed to increase FAO staff awareness about the

Fund, and disclosed to resource partners during a side

event on any relevant conference, including the

Regional Conference for Africa (RAF) and African Union

summit.

Accepted

Great efforts were made by all actors

including ASTF Steering Committee

and FAO at all levels (from top

management to country level

management) to communicate on the

ASTF. The efforts should be sustained

in communicating on the Africa

Solidarity Trust Funds, its success and

its specificities as an innovative

Funding Mechanism for eradicating

Hunger particularly in Africa. In fact,

the Fund supports activities aligned to

FAO’s renewed Strategic Framework

and priority programmes as well as

development priorities determined by

the Africa Regional Conference (ARC)

and needs to communicate more on its

achievements.

Steering

Committee

and

Programme

Management

Unit (PMU)

December

2019

Y

Recommendation 2

Accepted

The Resource Mobilization Division

(TCR) of FAO has recently designated

FAO

Resource

December

2019

Y

1 Each column is cross-referenced to the bullet letters above.

Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund – Management Response

3

The ASTF Steering Committee should earmark ASTF

funds to develop and implement a communication and

resource mobilization strategy aimed at the

replenishment of the Fund. Given the urgency to

mobilize additional resources, a Finance Committee

under the Steering Committee could be created to

ensure clear guidance and leadership for the resource

mobilization efforts, as well as hiring a dedicated

fundraising expert to support the process.

senior level focal point at headquarters

to coordinate resource mobilization

efforts, with a view to reinforce efforts

to recapitalize the ASTF. This model

seems to be more adapted to the ASTF

as the Steering Committee, from its

composition and role cannot be

working permanently on the Resource

mobilization.

However, it is not feasible to assign a

fully dedicated staff exclusively for

ASTF or hire a fundraising expert at

this time. This might be possible when

the Fund has grown enough to cover

the costs.

The 30th Africa Regional Conference

held in Khartoum, 19-23 February

called on African countries to step-up

their support and contribution to the

capitalization and scaling up of the

ASTF, and encouraged a wide

participation in upcoming ASTF’s

resource mobilization Forum in 2018. A

concept note for the forum is being

finalized with the aim of highlighting

the critical importance of ASTF as a

successful un-earmarked pooled

funding mechanism and the imperative

of its recapitalization and expansion.

This could increase effectiveness and

more systematic alignment to country

and regional priorities.

Management

team

Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund – Management Response

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Recommendation 3

The ASTF Steering Committee should establish a cross-

learning component within the ASTF to ensure cross-

fertilization among the different interventions, and also

for replication of successful experiences in other

countries pursuing similar themes, particularly in gender

and youth employment.

Accepted

The Fund has been used to covering

critical gaps in the Development

Agenda of African countries. Examples

include providing first hand

intervention projects during the

outbreak of Ebola or developing and

implementing projects to roll out

effective prevention and control

mechanisms to improve monitoring

and response to pests and diseases (Fall

Army Worm, Fruit Flies, etc.). This needs

to be capitalized for knowledge sharing.

PMU and the

Policy

Support and

Governance

Continuous

Y

Recommendation 4

The ASTF Steering Committee should ensure all ASTF

interventions give adequate consideration to gender-

related issues, including women economic

empowerment.

Partially

Accepted The Funds has always given adequate

consideration to gender-related issues,

including women economic

empowerment.

For instance, all ASTF projects provided

Gender-desegregated information and

a specific Regional ASTF project was

developed on Gender-related issues in

the Food and Agriculture sector in

Africa.

Y

Recommendation 5

FAO should continue to invest in strengthening the

partnerships with the African Union and NEPAD in

particular in the context of the ongoing NEPAD project.

FAO should also leverage on the regional presence of

Accepted

FAO in general and the Regional Office

for Africa (RAF) in particular is

committed to strengthening its

partnership with the African Union and

NEPAD in particular in the context of

the ongoing NEPAD project. For

instance, NEPAD benefitted from FAO’s

PMU Y

Evaluation of the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund – Management Response

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NEPAD and explore their involvement in resource

mobilization.

new modality for projects

implementation (OPIM).

Recommendation 6

FAO should consider assigning dedicated staff to the

management of the ASTF, ideally based in the Regional

Office for Africa (RAF), especially in the context of

increased funding. In addition to the administrative

responsibilities, this staff will be responsible for

transversal functions of the management of the Fund,

including liaison with government donors and regional

partners, communication, cross-learning and resource

management.

Accepted

Assigned staff to the management of

the ASTF could be an effective way to

ensure systematic alignment to country

and regional priorities. This

Recommendation has been partly

addressed in the response to

Recommendation 2 above.

PMU December

2019

Y

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