The Government of Guinea Bissau and the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) jointly organized a virtual national workshop on the Guinea Bissau Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), as a final step in the evaluation process.

The virtual event took place on 12 December 2022, from 10.00 to 12.00 GMT, and entailed the participation of representatives of the Government, development partners, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and IFAD senior management and staff.

The event began with an opening statement delivered by Dr Indran A Naidoo, Director, IOE, followed by an introductory statement by Mr Donal Brown, Associate Vice President, Programme Management Department, IFAD. Mr Kaoussou Diombéra, Advisor to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development for the Coordination of Projects and Cooperation, delivered the opening statement on behalf of the Minister.

Mr Kouessi Maximin Kodjo, Lead Evaluation Officer, IOE, presented the CSPE’s main findings, conclusions and recommendations. Following this, representatives of the country’s technical and financial partners – Mr João Manja, Country Director for Guinea Bissau, World Food Programme and Mr Ivo Sulé Baldé, of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau – each gave a contribution in terms of looking forward.

A lively discussion with the workshop participants then followed, exploring key topics emerging from the event.

Mr Sana Jatta, Director ad interim, and Mr Marcelin Norvilus, Country Director for Guinea Bissau, West and Central Africa Division, IFAD, reflected on the future directions of the country strategy and programme.

As part of the closing session, Mr Julio Injai, Government focal point for Agriculture and Director General, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, gave a declaration. Mr Diombéra delivered closing remarks on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, after Mr Naidoo delivered his wrap-up statement.

Dr Setondji Maurille Quenum, Strategic Communications and Innovation Management Specialist, moderated the event.

Over 90 participants attended the event, including approximately 50 participants gathered in designated locations in Guinea Bissau to follow the workshop online.