Findings - Africa Region

How to monitor an ambitious agenda: The Africa Results Monitoring System

The Africa Region rolls out a groundbreaking system that gathers and shares data on the Results Agenda — all in one place and accessible to all.

The Africa Results Monitoring System (AfricaRMS) is a new tool for dynamic learning that monitors and reports data and stories of African development. It is meant to bolster the Africa Region’s Results Agenda. AfricaRMS is a first-of-its kind system in the Bank, and the only website where anyone can see how we spend, what we get for it, and where results are achieved. It offers a clear window into Bank work and a comprehensive view of country growth in Africa.

Test, learn, improve and apply

The RMS tracks the progress of the Africa Action Plan and presents sector monitoring frameworks that contain country data and project and financing data for Bank operations. It also synthesizes data from the Region’s Africa Impact Evaluation (IE) Initiative — a program to mainstream impact evaluation into Bank operations; it even tells the stories behind the data. Africa RMS is already advancing the Results Agenda in the Bank’s operations and analytical work — for example, by encouraging harmonized indicators in projects and country strategies. Because Africa RMS has spotlighted the shortage of data needed for informed decision making, the Region has expanded initiatives to build country capacity for statistics, M&E, and impact evaluation.

A unique team effort

The development of AfricaRMS is a team collaboration made up of the core group in AFTRL, including the web team, the Development Data Group (DECDG), and nine sector teams — Governance, Private Sector Development, Energy, Roads, Water Supply and Sanitation, Agriculture, Education, HIV/AIDS.

Showing the real story

But it’s not just data; AfricaRMS is yielding the stories behind the numbers, showing how good results transform people’s lives. Onno Ruhl, AFTRL manager believes this has too often been overlooked:

"We have to change what we ask of TTLs. We focus on disbursements, but nobody asks what impact their work has had on people’s lives…Reporting on success stories makes them focus on results."

Groundbreaking — but not yet fully built

AfricaRMS is not a complete structure. There are data and capacity gaps that have to be filled as construction continues. And much of this will take place in partner countries as they implement their national development strategies, and strengthen the statistical systems needed to advance those strategies.

Part of the bigger agenda

The Africa Region is helping partner countries strengthen their results focus and, together with DECDG, to improve national M&E and statistical systems. So far the Region has…

worked with 15 countries to strengthen their national development strategies
assisted 9 countries to develop M&E plans linked to their PRSPs
helped 22 countries develop impact evaluation capacity
trained more than 600 staff and 800 government officials to improve operations quality,
strengthen results focus, and evaluate impact
supported DECDG work in 20 African countries through the Accelerated Data Program
(ADP) to catalogue and disseminate household survey data and rationalize data collection, and in 34 countries to develop and implement National Statistical Development Strategies. External launching of the AfricaRMS will take place during World Bank Annual Meetings in October.

For more information, please contact Arianna Legovini (alegovini@worldbank.org) or Christophe Rockmore (crockmore@worldbank.org)


	No. 140 September 2007
	How to monitor an ambitious agenda: The Africa Results Monitoring System The Africa Region rolls out a groundbreaking system that gathers and shares data on the Results Agenda — all in one place and accessible to all. The Africa Results Monitoring System (AfricaRMS) is a new tool for dynamic learning that monitors and reports data and stories of African development. It is meant to bolster the Africa Region’s Results Agenda. AfricaRMS is a first-of-its kind system in the Bank, and the only website where anyone can see how we spend, what we get for it, and where results are achieved. It offers a clear window into Bank work and a comprehensive view of country growth in Africa. Test, learn, improve and apply The RMS tracks the progress of the Africa Action Plan and presents sector monitoring frameworks that contain country data and project and financing data for Bank operations. It also synthesizes data from the Region’s Africa Impact Evaluation (IE) Initiative — a program to mainstream impact evaluation into Bank operations; it even tells the stories behind the data. Africa RMS is already advancing the Results Agenda in the Bank’s operations and analytical work — for example, by encouraging harmonized indicators in projects and country strategies. Because Africa RMS has spotlighted the shortage of data needed for informed decision making, the Region has expanded initiatives to build country capacity for statistics, M&E, and impact evaluation. A unique team effort The development of AfricaRMS is a team collaboration made up of the core group in AFTRL, including the web team, the Development Data Group (DECDG), and nine sector teams — Governance, Private Sector Development, Energy, Roads, Water Supply and Sanitation, Agriculture, Education, HIV/AIDS. Showing the real story But it’s not just data; AfricaRMS is yielding the stories behind the numbers, showing how good results transform people’s lives. Onno Ruhl, AFTRL manager believes this has too often been overlooked: "We have to change what we ask of TTLs. We focus on disbursements, but nobody asks what impact their work has had on people’s lives…Reporting on success stories makes them focus on results." Groundbreaking — but not yet fully built AfricaRMS is not a complete structure. There are data and capacity gaps that have to be filled as construction continues. And much of this will take place in partner countries as they implement their national development strategies, and strengthen the statistical systems needed to advance those strategies. Part of the bigger agenda The Africa Region is helping partner countries strengthen their results focus and, together with DECDG, to improve national M&E and statistical systems. So far the Region has… worked with 15 countries to strengthen their national development strategies assisted 9 countries to develop M&E plans linked to their PRSPs helped 22 countries develop impact evaluation capacity trained more than 600 staff and 800 government officials to improve operations quality, strengthen results focus, and evaluate impact supported DECDG work in 20 African countries through the Accelerated Data Program (ADP) to catalogue and disseminate household survey data and rationalize data collection, and in 34 countries to develop and implement National Statistical Development Strategies. External launching of the AfricaRMS will take place during World Bank Annual Meetings in October. For more information, please contact Arianna Legovini (alegovini@worldbank.org) or Christophe Rockmore (crockmore@worldbank.org)