Experts have been holding preparatory meetings ahead of the March 3 – 7, 2014 event.

Cameroon, through the Cameroon Development Evaluation Association (CaDEA), will host the 7^th biennial African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) conference from March 3 – 7, 2014, Yakeu Djiam Serge Eric, Interim President, Central African Department of AfrEA, has said.

Placed on the theme, “Evaluation for Development: From Analysis to Impact,” the Yaounde rendezvous will group over 600 – 700 evaluation experts from over 50 countries in the world who will be diagnosing technical issues on how evaluation can trigger sustainable socio-economic growth.

Speaking to the press last Friday December 20 in Yaounde after a weeklong preparatory meeting with other experts from over 15 African countries, Yakeu Djiam Serge Eric disclosed that the conference will seek relevant answers on how to place evaluative evidence at the heart of development policymaking and format it in a manner that will make sense to policymakers. “In this way the evaluation discipline will serve a purpose at all levels of development: Ensuring effectiveness and sustainability of development spending,” he said.

Like other speakers, Debazou Yamtio Yamtio, CaDEA Chairman said given Africa’s performances towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the time has come for evaluators working in Africa or for Africa to reflect on the best ways to locate evaluative evidence at the heart of development policymaking and at all layers of government as well as in civil society organisations.

“It is only through valid evaluation of development moves that decision-makers can reorientate their actions to conveniently meet the needs of the population,” he said. The 7^th AfrEA conference will also coincide with the annual conference of the Network of Networks on Impact Evaluation (NONIE).