Short Abstract

This paper presents findings from AGDEN’s four-country Tracer Study assessing how its capacity-building and networking initiatives strengthen gender-responsive and humanrights evaluation practice across Africa. Using mixed methods, the study shows AGDEN’s strong influence on evaluators’ competencies

Description

Abstract:

African evaluation networks play a critical role in advancing gender-responsive and human-rights–based evaluation (GR&HRBE), yet limited empirical evidence exists on their long-term influence. The African Gender and Development Evaluators Network (AGDEN) is implementing a rigorous four-country Tracer Study (Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon) to assess how its capacity-building initiatives and the IS Positioning for Impact Project shape evaluators’ competencies, professional pathways, and collaborative practice.

The study addresses five questions: (1) the extent to which AGDEN enhances knowledge, understanding, and application of GR&HRBE concepts and theories; (2) how AGDEN builds individual and institutional evaluation capacity; (3) how its activities influence access to employment and consultancy opportunities; (4) the contribution of AGDEN-supported professional networks to resilience, knowledge sharing, and collaboration; and (5) mechanisms for strengthening partnerships and co-creation for greater collective impact.

A mixed-methods Research Method–by–Question Matrix guides methodological alignment. Data are collected through surveys, Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, case stories, and document analysis, ensuring triangulation and comparability across countries.

Preliminary findings show that AGDEN significantly improves evaluators’ conceptual grounding in gender and human rights frameworks, enhances practical application of GR&HRBE methods, and expands members’ access to work across government, VOPEs, NGOs, consulting firms, and development agencies. AGDEN’s communities of practice further strengthen professional resilience, collaboration, and regional knowledge exchange.

The study provides rare, multi-country, empirically grounded evidence of how African-led evaluation networks foster capacity, professional transformation, and collective impact. It positions AGDEN as a continental model for inclusive, context-driven, and partnership-led evaluation capacity development with relevance for global evaluation practice.