APPSA M&E and Communications Working Groups to start documenting impact stories

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) facilitated technical Working Group meetings of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Communications under the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) from September 4-8, 2023, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The meetings brought together M&E and Communications experts from Angola, Lesotho and CCARDESA to review and update the results framework, assess the implementation of recommendations from the June 2023 World Bank Implementation Support Mission (ISM) and to plan for documentation of project impact.

APPSA is a regional World Bank funded initiative coordinated by CCARDESA and currently being implemented by Angola and Lesotho. APPSA seeks to improve technology generation and dissemination within and among participating countries in southern Africa by building capacity within national R&D systems and enhancing regional collaboration.

With the project remaining with less than two years on its implementation plan, it is important to start compiling and sharing key results and impact stories. The Working Group meetings were, therefore, convened in Johannesburg to strategise on how the M&E and ICKM experts will deliver on these expectations. In addition, the M&EWG updated the database for on-going sub-projects as well as the APPSA Results Framework. The group also assessed the development and operationalisation of the APPSA Management Information System (MIS) at country and regional levels and planned alongside the Communications team the documentation of technologies being generated and disseminated. The Communications Working Group (CWG) developed customized messages meant for specific project audiences, discussed and validated APPSA templates for brochures and posters and drafted and approved a joint visibility campaign for APPSA to be undertaken in the fourth quarter of 2023.

As a way-forward, both Working Groups agreed to conduct country missions to document impact stories that will then be compiled and shared as a booklet of “APPSA Impact Stories”. The missions are expected to start towards the end of September/early October 2023.

MIS and impact stories, thoroughly discussed during M&EWG and CWG meetings.