The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia and IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division, organized a national workshop for the Ethiopia Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), as a final step in the evaluation process.

The event took place on 6 June 2023 in Addis Ababa. It entailed the participation of representatives of the Government, development partners, national non-governmental implementing partners, civil society organizations, private sector partners, beneficiaries and IFAD senior management and staff.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

• discuss the main findings, recommendations and issues emerging from the CSPE; and

• reflect on opportunities and challenges in the IFAD-Government partnership and strategic priorities for IFAD’s next country strategic opportunities programme.

The workshop was chaired by Prof Eyasu Elias, State Minister, Ministry of Agriculture. The opening session began with an introduction by the Master of Ceremonies Dejene Abesha, Rural Economy Development & Food Security Secretariat (REDFS) Coordinator. An opening statement was delivered by Prof Elias, followed by an introductory statement delivered by Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director, IOE. A statement was given on behalf of Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President, Programme Management Department, IFAD, by Ms Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Regional Director, East and Southern Africa Division (ESA), IFAD; followed by her own statement.

A presentation was given on the main findings, conclusions and recommendations of the CSPE by Dr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo, Lead Evaluation Officer, IOE. This was followed by a Q&A session.

A panel discussion then took place, moderated by Dr Kodjo. The panel contributors were Teshome Kebede, Executive Director, Association of Ethiopian Microfinance Institution; Melakou Tegegn, General Assembly Chair, Pastoralist Forum Ethiopia; Farayi Zimudzi, FAO Representative in Ethiopia; Debesu Konso, Chairperson (IWUA), Lintela Irrigation Water Users Association; André F. Van Rooyen, Country Representative for Ethiopia and Deputy Regional Director, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics; Elliot W. Mghenyi, Lead Agriculture Economist, World Bank; Solomon Wakgari Kando, Advisor to State Minister of Lowland Research and Development Sector, Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands; and Kassaye Tekle, General manager of irrigation schemes in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region.

Next, Mr Mawira Chitima, Country Director for Ethiopia, ESA, IFAD, gave his reflections on future operational directions in the country.

Closing the workshop, Dr Naidoo and Prof Elias each gave closing remarks.

About 70 people attended the workshop.