IMPROVING PARTNERSHIP IN
COUNTRIES IN PSIA
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE « L’OBSERVATOIRE DU
CHANGEMENT SOCIAL (OCS) »
www.ocs.bj
[email protected]
BENIN
Marie Madeleine AGBO de SOUZA, Coordinator, OCS
MARCH 13th, 2013
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OUTLINE
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Context
Capacity building activities
Description of process
Main PSIA that have been conducted
Support from Technical and Financial Partners
Success and lessons
Difficulties
Challenges
Perspectives
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1. CONTEXT
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 Mission of the OCS is to follow and evaluate the impact of Benin’s
national development policies, in particular those targeted at
growth, poverty reduction and MDGs. The OCS’s mandate is to:
• Measure the effects and impacts of policies, strategies, programs
and projects and to guarantee the quality of impact evaluations;
• Ensure that results of impact evaluations are used to improve
decision making;
• Create and lead the national network for PSIA;
• The OCS also coordinates the evaluation mechanism of the PRSP and
is specifically responsible for impact evaluation
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2. PSIA CAPACITY BUILDING
ACTIVITIES 1/2
• Since 2006, OCS is learning and taking ownership PSIA, starting
with the land reform PSIA with the support from UNDP, the
World Bank and the Belgian Development Cooperation
• OCS participated in the realization of the study on PSIA capacity
building of Benin, conducted by Marianne MENSAH and Nestor
AHOYO ADJOVI in April 2007, with the support of the French
Development Agency (AFD) and UNDP ;
• OCD participated in the development of the PSIA capacity
building program in Benin, with technical and financial support
of the German Development Cooperation via GIZ
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2. PSIA CAPACITY BUILDING
ACTIVITIES 2/2
• OCS conducted PSIAs thanks to invaluable technical and
financial contributions from the Danish and German
Cooperation (DANIDA and GIZ)
• Organization of a regional PSIA forum on 11th, 12th and 13th
of October 2010, with close technical support from GIZ and
financing from DANIDA and GIZ
• Creation and lead of a PSIA National Network including
training of the network members in 2012 (OCS as
« multiplier»);
• Ongoing PSIA Regional Network (regional = international);
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3. PSIA PROCESS IN BENIN 1/1
• Context situation, verifying the relevance of the study ;
• Obtaining authorization of the relevant authorities to conduct the
study;
• Setting up the steering committee ;
• Organization of initial workshop of stakeholders;
• Setting up the technical working groups;
• Organization of validation workshop getting together the
stakeholders;
• Conducting the study
• Presenting the findings to supervising authority and Council of
Ministers;
• Dissemination of study findings;
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4. Main PSIAs conducted 1/5
 Four PISAs were conducted between 2006 and 2012 :
• Study of the impact of land reforms on poverty and social
situation in Benin (2006, ex ante);
• Study of impact on poverty and social situation of the
introduction of the « Local Development Tax » in the
municipalities’ fiscal framework (2009, reform has already
been in progress);
• Impact of free health services on poverty and social situation
(2012, reform has already been in progress);
• Impact of free pre-school and primary education on poverty
and social situation and MDGs (2012, reform has already been
in progress).
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4. MAIN PSIAs CONDUCTED 2/5
Use of results
Land reform
Used results to implement the project « Access to Land » of the
Millenium Challenge Account Benin (MCA-Benin)
• Developed White Paper on land policies, adopted by the
government on 13th July 2010
• Developed a land statute bill (projet de code foncier et
domanial), adopted by the government on 13th July 2011.
• Extended the formal registry of land ownership in rural and
urban areas, through (i) selection of municipalities that
benefitted from the « Plans Fonciers Ruraux (PFR) » and
conversion of presumed ownership acts into formal land titles
(ii) certifications of PFR documents;
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4. MAIN PSIAs CONDUCTED 3/5
Use of results
Land reform
• Setting up the Land Information System in 39 PFR
municipalities. This Systen allows delivery of land certificates.
• Improving the cartography and topography through (i)
installation of 7 permanent stations in Cotonou, Abomey,
Savalou, Parakou, Kandi, Nikki and Natitingou (ii) purchasing
and installation of geodesy equipments in the National
Geographic Institute to faciliate the use of permanent stations
functioning based on GPS technology (iii) organization of
training for professional geometers as well as other potential
users from the public and private sectors.
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4. MAIN PSIAs CONDUCTED 4/5
Use of results
« Local Development Tax » (TDL)
• Reduction, at the local level, of the number of taxes and fees
• Creation of tax centers in every municipality;
• Adoption of the term « TDL » to refer to all indirect taxes
collected by the municipalities, specifying in each the specific
product, such as « TDL on cotton » or « TDL on cashews»,
• Revision of the TDL-related legislation, as included in «Régime
Financier des Communes» and in the appropriation bill 2008 ;
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4. MAIN PSIAs conducted 5/5
Use of results
Free health care
• Communication of the main components of free health care;
• Equipping health centers with the mission « 120 days to equip the
hospitals », strenghtening technical platforms through the national budget
Free primary education
• Council of Ministers ordered a study to understand the causes of nonenrolment and to improve the targeting of households whose children are
not enrolled or dropped out, and to design a package of measures,
complementary to free education;
• Research done by the Ministry of Pre-school and Primary Education to
understand the main aspects related to free provision
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5. Support from Technical and Financial
Partners (TFP) 1/2
Realization of PSIAs with the support of TFP such as German
Development Cooperation (GIZ), World Bank, UNDP, Belgian,
Danish and Suisse Cooperation
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5. SUPPORT FROM TECHNICAL AND
FINANCIAL PARTNERS 2/2
 Technical and Financial support through :
• Evaluation of PSIA capacity, (UNDP, AFD) development of
PISA capacity building plan 2008-2010;
• Setting up of a « common basket » (basket fund) by
German and Danish Cooperation (GIZ and DANIDA)
• Technical support from long-term experts
– Local Technical Assistance for OCS (« common basket »)
– Advisory support on processes and analyses (GIZ experts)
– Currently: putting into value and consolidate (GIZ)
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6. SUCCES AND ACHIEVEMENTS 1/1
• Integration of the concept in the set of evaluation
tools in Benin;
• Capacity building at the level of OCS and the National
PSIA Network;
• Establishment of OCS as the PSIA focal point and
competence « multiplier »;
• Realization of four studies and partial use of the
results by top-level decision makers
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7. DIFFICULTIES 1/1
• Weak culture of evaluation, in particular for ex ante
evaluations
• Weak synergies between the different parties involved, weak
dissemination of information;
• Lack of monitoring system to follow PSIA results ;
• Staff mobility in the institutions in charge of evaluation ;
• High costs of PSIA;
• Weak capacity (technical and financial) to conduct PSIA and
support the functioning of the National PSIA Network;
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8. CHALLENGES 1/1
• Understandning of the importance and usefulness of PSIA,
especially at the highest levels (ownership problem)
• Timely identification of upcoming reforms by the institutions
in charge of evaluation, so that decision-makers be informed
of the need to conduct an ex ante PSIA
• Relationship between supply and demand for PSIA
• Knowledge management with respect to PSIA results
• Dissemination and institutionalization of the PSIA approach,
backed by OCS’s experience;
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9. PERSPECTIVES 2/2
• Budgeting and financing of activities related to sectorial evaluations
• Documenting sufficiently the processes needed to conduct PSIAs
• Capacity building in PSIA in the line ministries;
• Focusing OCS on its advisory support and quality control role, whilst
leaving implementation to line ministries
• Planned execution of the project « Implementing PISA in the M&E
system in Benin: lessons, institutionalization and perspectives », in
cooperation with GIZ
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
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