Purpose
TradeMark Africa (TMA) is dedicated to fostering economic growth in East and Southern Africa by enhancing trade opportunities. One of the main intervention areas for TMA is in ICT for trade. This initiative focuses on leveraging technological solutions to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Kenya and East Africa. The overarching goal of the intervention is to drive business and economic growth by reducing barriers to trade and improving the overall trade ecosystem.
To ensure the effectiveness of its ICT4T portfolio, TMA engaged EDI Global to conduct an independent evaluation across four countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. The evaluation sought to measure the impact of the ICT4T initiatives on reducing trade barriers for MSMEs and enhancing the overall efficiency and governance of the East African trade system. The evaluation assessed the performance of the portfolio through the six lenses of the OECD-DAC criteria, namely: relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability.
Action
EDI Global’s evaluation of TMA’s ICT4T portfolio involved a mixed-methods approach combining both primary and secondary, quantitative and qualitative data. This included the analysis of project-level and portfolio-level indicators derived from ICT systems, as well as extensive fieldwork, which included the implementation of:
phone surveys with MSMEs
in-depth interviews with MSMEs
focus group discussions with national and regional partner and government agencies
In addition to the portfolio evaluation, TMA also contracted EDI Global to lead a baseline monitoring assessment of TMA’s Customs Valuation Enhancement Programme which included a phone-survey with 156 importers, exporters and clearing agents in Kenya to gather evidence on their perceptions of the existing customs valuation process. The goal of this additional study was to establish baseline figures to programme results framework ahead of the intervention roll-out.
Impact
The findings of this evaluation provided TMA with credible evidence on their contribution towards trade actors’ efficiency and effectiveness in the region. EDI Global produced a comprehensive final evaluation report, which highlighted key findings across the six OECD-DAC criteria and offered practical, evidence-based recommendations to guide TMA’s future programming. Notably, the recommendations included:
- Improving portfolio monitoring and the utilization of monitoring data.
- Establishing data-sharing agreements with all host agencies receiving financial and technical assistance.
- Collaborating with host agencies to capture and report gender-disaggregated data.
- Incorporating gender and social inclusion analysis into project design and formulation.
The practical recommendations presented are poised to enhance TMA’s future programming, particularly by addressing gaps in portfolio monitoring, data sharing, and gender inclusion.
