From November 19-21, 2025, Steve Ogutu, ICED’s Director of Communication and Partnerships, took part in the 10th Annual General Assembly of the African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE) in Layoune, Morocco. The conference, hosted by the House of Councilors of the Kingdom of Morocco, convened parliamentarians and development partners across Africa to discuss what is working and what is not in promoting evidence-informed development in the continent.
During the sessions, ICED shared its practical experiences drawn from working with 24 governments in Africa to advance research and evidence-based decision making. ICED showcased some of its innovative tools such as the ICED-Evidence Gap Maps, which is revolutionizing evaluation of policies and programs in Africa.
Parliamentary evaluation is key in designing effective public policies that strengthen democratic governance, transparency and accountability. During the conference, it was evident that the urge to use evidence by African governments is gaining momentum. However, technical capacity gaps in evaluation still exist in majority of countries. To bridge this gap, ICED will continue joining hands with APNODE and other partners to center evaluation as a critical tool to accelerate progress in the realization of development blueprints such the African Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The conference concluded with a 10-point agenda captured in a joint statement titled the “Laayoune Declaration: Parliamentary evaluation, a strategic lever of governance in the service of development in Africa”. The declaration recognized evaluation as a democratic right, an instrument of transparency, public accountability, and citizen participation. It also emphasized the need to establish evaluation as a permanent institutional practice integrated in public policy making processes.
APNODE is a network of African parliamentarians and development partners that strives to bridge the gap between evaluators and parliamentarians.
