Short Abstract

This session explores Uganda's 20-year journey to build a government monitoring and evaluation system. We analyse the fragile interplay of politics, administration, and donor influence and share critical lessons and offer insights for any country navigating the "unsteady pulse" of evidence.

Description

Building a sustainable system is a complex, political endeavour, not merely a technical exercise. This session revisits and updates a seminal 2016 study (DOI:10.1057/9781137376374_10) on the supply and demand for evaluation in Uganda's public sector. We trace the two-decade arc of this effort, from the ambitious creation of both a cross-Government results system (GAPR) and Government Evaluation Facility (GEF), their challenges and sustainability, set against the backdrop of National Development Plans and shifting political and donor dynamics.

The session is structured to move from analysis to actionable insights. We begin by framing the issue using the supply-demand framework, explaining how the equilibrium between the production of evidence and the political will to use it has shifted over time. Co-presenters will then provide an updated analysis, detailing "what happened next" and describing the "new equilibrium" shaped by non-state actors and conditional political demand.

The core of the session lies in critical reflections and a facilitated discussion. We will distil hard-won lessons about the fragility of institutionalization and the double-edged sword of donor support. We then engage the audience with provocative questions on key dilemmas: supplying evidence in shrinking political spaces, achieving genuine government ownership, marketing evidence effectively, and re-imagining the future of government-led evaluation facilities. This session is essential for evaluators, policymakers, and M&E champions committed to making evidence matter in the real world.