The African Development Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) 2024 Annual Report: Lessons for Adaptation
In 2024, as the Bank launched its Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033), IDEV provided actionable evaluative evidence to support its implementation and enhance development impact. The IDEV 2024 Annual Report presents findings and lessons from 13 evaluations spanning thematic, sectoral, and geographic areas.
These include four country strategy and program evaluations (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Namibia, and a mid-term evaluation of Botswana); two thematic evaluations (results-based financing and the Africa Investment Forum); two corporate evaluations (Counterpart Funding and the Nigeria Trust Fund); one sector evaluation (transport); one project cluster evaluation (rail and aviation); a comparative study of Multilateral Development Bank operating models; a synthesis of 2022–2023 Project Completion and Expanded Supervision Report validations; and the 2024 Management Action Record System (MARS) report.
These evaluations generated strategic lessons and recommendations that are informing decision-making across the Bank.
Transport Infrastructure
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has invested significantly in Africa’s transport infrastructure, with railways playing a central role in its regional integration and economic development agenda. Now, a detailed evaluation by the Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) function sheds new light on the effectiveness of these efforts, offering practical lessons for future railway development across the continent.
In its 2024 Annual Report, IDEV presents the findings of a cluster evaluation of 16 rail and aviation projects implemented between 2012 and 2023. The evaluation examines AfDB’s role in financing, supervising, and shaping large-scale railway projects across Regional Member Countries (RMCs), with a particular focus on long-term impact, sustainability, and value addition.
Findings at a Glance
While most railway infrastructure funded by the Bank was delivered to specification, several operational and institutional gaps emerged. These included:
- Delays in implementation, often linked to limited project management capacity in executing agencies.
- Partial delivery or cancellation of ancillary components, such as access roads, schools, or market facilities intended to complement the rail infrastructure.
- Insufficient planning for long-term maintenance and financial sustainability, putting asset longevity at risk.
- Weak demonstration of the Bank’s “additionality”—the unique contribution it makes in high-capital, low-private-participation sectors like rail.
Despite these challenges, IDEV found that railway projects significantly contributed to connectivity, trade facilitation, and regional integration. The Bank’s involvement often filled critical funding and technical support gaps, particularly in countries where private sector investment in rail is limited.
Why It Matters
As African countries continue to expand and modernise their rail networks, the lessons from this evaluation are timely. The findings stress the importance of aligning future projects with the AfDB’s 2024–2033 Ten-Year Strategy, which prioritises inclusive green growth and resilient infrastructure.
Strengthening institutional capacity, improving project design, and ensuring financial sustainability are key priorities for unlocking the full development potential of rail transport in Africa.
Download the Full Report
For those involved in railway planning, infrastructure development, financing, or policy, this evaluation offers evidence-based insights that can inform more effective project design and strategic investment.
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