Management Response

: Ethiopia
: 2017 - 2020 , Ethiopia (CO)
: Mid Term Evaluation African Girls Can Code Initiative
:
: Ethiopia
:

UN Women Ethiopia Country Office take note of the recommendations although most of the recommendations of this evaluation although are only partially accepted. The Mid Term Evaluations, after several rounds of comments seems to have a limited analysis of some project’s components. Due to logistical challenges from the evaluator side, the validation meeting could not be held, which could have been a good opportunity to deepen and share partners views on the report.

: Approved
Recommendation: To make the project more effective, there should be an increase on the number of countries piloting the mainstreaming of ICT, coding and gender from the current 9 countries to at least 25 countries evenly distributed within regional economic blocks on the African continent. This wide roll out of the piloting will ensure access to more coverage and therefore the need to mobilise more additional financial resources from UN Women, donors and the regional blocks and individual countries. The project needs to develop modalities of upscaling media campaigns in all AU member states where AGCCI plan to implement interventions for further scale –up to create awareness and readiness for the targeted countries and the beneficiaries therein.
Management Response: The period under review was only the Phase I of the project, hence the selection of specific countries to start the roll out of the programme. In regard to upscaling the media campaigns to all AU members, based on the implementation of the regional project media campaign, it could have a greater impact for countries willing to roll out the AGCCI if the campaigns are done nationally. Due to the limited funding the project, it would not be possible to upscale the media campaigns to all AU countries. However, the project continues to be implemented in Ethiopia.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: National ownership
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. UN Women Liaison Unit to provide technical assistance to countries in Africa that are willing to roll out the AGCCI UN Women 2020/12 Completed
2. Posters and brochures have been designed are in the process of being printed. The main objective is to create awareness among young girls on ICT and STEM careers between the age of 17-19 (High school students) using stories of role models/women with successful career in ICT as an inspiration or former AGCCI coding camp participant. At the same time, messages on prevention of COVID-19 in school settings will be included in the posters. Both posters and brochures will be distributed and disseminated in all public high schools in Addis Ababa, SNNPR and Oromia region in collaboration and support with Ministry of Education. UN Women 2021/01 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: There should be enhanced continuous learning, sharing and development of innovative programming applications, girls’ connectivity online needs to be maintained. The project needs to devise means of ensuring that girls stay connected given that they were provided with laptops and created personal accounts in their names.
Management Response: Although the Phase I of the project ended in December 2019, participants are still connected, and they are invited to participate in activities related to AGCCI being implemented in 2020.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Former AGCCI participants are encouraged and invited to participate in different webinars organized by UN Women via a WhatsApp and telegram group account created, this group accounts are also used to share various opportunities and fellowships related to girls in ICT UN Women 2020/12 Completed
2. Dongles and Airtime cards have been distributed to allow former AGCCI participants to attend different webinars organized by UN Women. UN Women 2020/12 Completed
Recommendation: There is need for a robust monitoring and evaluation framework specifically for assessing how developed action plans for mainstreaming ICT, coding and gender into national curricula could be monitored for the different countries.
Management Response: During the Training of Trainers (ToT) session on mainstreaming ICT, Coding and gender into the national curricula trainees were provided with skills that will allow them to be trainers and duplicate the same training to selected staff in their respective ministries. They were also guided to work on action plans activities they will need to undertake once back in their respective countries. Following the training the key proposed sections below are proposed to be implemented.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Draft a M&E questionnaire based on the action plans developed for mainstreaming ICT. Gender and Coding into the National curricula UN Women 2021/12 No Longer Applicable
2. Distribute the questionnaire via the different country offices of UN Women for follow up and analyse the questionnaire UN Women 2021/12 No Longer Applicable LO works closely with 11 UN Women offices to support data collection
3. Based on the analyses revise the mainstreaming ICT, Gender and coding action plan UN Women 2021/12 No Longer Applicable The guideline will be operationalized through an action plan to be developed based on the baseline study by the end 2022
Recommendation: For the next phase: • The design should be adjusted so that the four project components can be implemented holistically. This is to ensure that the design is more relevant to the beneficiaries’ needs and priorities and national and international development frameworks and policies. • UN Women, ITU, donors, national governments ministries in charge of education and the girls themselves as key stakeholders should have an input into the project planning and design to stimulate ownership and buy-in and for the sustainability of the project beyond its lifetime. • The project document should be revised based on the implementation, best practices and lessons learnt to include sustainability elements.
Management Response: Due to limited funding, the Phase II is facing challenges in be implemented. However, the project was embedded into the Ethiopia Country Programme under the Women’s Economic Empowerment portfolio.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. UN Women to approach potential donors that may be interested in funding the Phase II of the project UN Women 2021/12 No Longer Applicable Resources have been mobilized from private sector and more RM will follow
Recommendation: In area of management and coordination: a. There is need for more coordination meetings among UN Women, ITU and donor to enable a smooth and timely monitoring and reporting mechanism for better management of the programme. b. Interagency collaboration should be strengthened by allocating the specific budget to enable contribute effectively in terms of tasks they are assigned to execute.
Management Response: Throughout the monitoring of the implementation was done as per UN Women’s corporate systems. Although the meetings of the Steering Committee were not conducted with the planned frequency, bilateral meetings were held with the key stakeholders, like ITU, AUC and Embassy of Denmark. Regarding the current shape of the project, diverse meetings are being held with key stakeholders like Ministry of Higher Education in Ethiopia and GIZ, among others.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. AGCCI implementation in Ethiopia to be monitored on quarterly basis UN Women 2020/12 No Longer Applicable LO established TWG comprised of UN agencies,3 AU departments and coordinates regular planning and M&E meetings
Recommendation: All trainers need to attend gender sensitivity trainings which are key in the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women and young girls and closing the gender digital gap.
Management Response: This recommendation is well noted for future trainings. However, during the TOT of all the coding camps incorporated sessions in gender equality and women empowerment.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Ensure that all trainers have gender equality basic concepts by a screening interview before they are hired. UN Women 2021/12 Completed Gender equality basic, HRBA concepts is added in the TOR criteria
Recommendation: The project should ensure that senior and well-seasoned consultants are employed all the time to ensure efficiency in timely delivery of outputs. There is need to recruit human resources for mainstreaming ICT, coding and gender into the national frameworks in the AU member states. There should be deliberated plans to balance national with international trainers to synergise the critical skills brought on board by both local and international trainers. First of all, helping the international consultants understand and appreciate the local context while the local ones also acquire much needed confidence and additional skills to handle future national coding camps independently.
Management Response: This recommendation is already being considered for the recruitment of trainers in the coding camps. However, during the TOT of all the coding camps incorporated sessions in gender equality and women empowerment.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continue ensuring the balanced recruitment of trainers including national and international staff UN Women 2021/12 No Longer Applicable To be completed in Q3-Q4 2022. National consultants have been identified and trained by international consultants.
Recommendation: The nomination process of coding camp participants should allow the participation of deserving and qualified participants
Management Response: While the recommendation is well noted. The relevant ministries in the different Africa countries are responsible for nomination of the girls based on the agreed upon selection requirement among the AGCCI steering committee
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Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Revise the selection criteria to ensure accountability and transparency Implementing countries 2021/12 No Longer Applicable The initiative is ongoing and will be completed in close consultations with UN women COs and government's technical focal points by Q3 2022
Recommendation: The beneficiary girls from the coding camps who were not given laptops should be supported to access any affordable smartphones, tablets or office/school based desktops and connectivity for a period of at least one year to ensure they continue with what they have learnt; an approach likely to support scale up and sustainability.
Management Response: All AGCCI Coding camp participants up to the final phase one of the project have received laptops.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Based on the availability of funds provide airtime and dongles for beneficiary girls specifically for those that are in Ethiopia. UN Women 2020/12 No Longer Applicable Phase II has integrated the provision of laptops as a key approach to enable access of girls to technology. UN Women will strive to provide provisional support to the girls to access airtime and dongles