Author: Dominique

UGANDA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS TO TWENDE MBELE AS AFRICAN PEER LEARNING IN MONITORING AND EVALUATION GROWS

Uganda warmly welcomes the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Malawi, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the United Republic of Tanzania to the Twende Mbele partnership. Their addition marks an important and timely expansion of an African-led platform that has become a reference for how governments can enhance evidence use and improve public service delivery through practical monitoring and evaluation.

Twende Mbele, which means “Let’s Go Forward,” emphasizes a simple but powerful principle: African governments learn directly from one another, not just through theory but through tested tools, effective systems, and honest reflection on what it takes to institutionalize monitoring and evaluation in the public sector. As the partnership grows, so does the diversity of experience and the potential for deeper learning across regions and administrative traditions.

Uganda’s commitment, anchored in the Office of the Prime Minister

Uganda’s commitment to monitoring and evaluation comes from the Office of the Prime Minister. The Monitoring and Evaluation Department has taken the lead in coordinating national monitoring and evaluation efforts. Uganda was one of the early members of Twende Mbele and has continually contributed to shaping the partnership’s peer-learning agenda through shared practices, joint efforts, and active participation in exchanges with other countries.

Over the years, Uganda’s experience has served as a model among Twende Mbele countries, especially in discussions about coordinating government performance, linking monitoring to planning and accountability, and strengthening the use of evidence in decision-making. This approach is not just theoretical; it addresses the everyday need to keep government programs responsive, results-focused, and connected to national priorities.

A stronger partnership, and a stronger African M&E voice

The decision to expand Twende Mbele’s membership reflects both the demand and readiness across the continent. Uganda agrees with the Chairperson of the Twende Mbele Management Committee, Mr. Stephen Ampem-Darko, that welcoming new members is not just about increasing numbers but about enhancing the quality, relevance, and impact of shared work. Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania bring valuable perspectives from varied governance contexts and monitoring and evaluation traditions. Their inclusion strengthens the partnership’s capacity to create practical solutions that can cross borders.

For Uganda, this growth is particularly significant for three reasons;

First, it enhances outcomes from peer learning. With more countries involved, Twende Mbele exchanges can better reflect the range of public sector realities across the continent, leading to approaches that are both credible and flexible.

Second, it speeds up capacity development. The partnership expands as a channel for sharing frameworks, tools, and lessons that help governments transition from having monitoring and evaluation policies to implementing effective monitoring and evaluation systems.

Third, it boosts Africa’s presence in the global evaluation space. As more African governments adopt good practices and speak together with a unified voice, international discussions about evaluation become more balanced and rooted in African public sector experiences.

Moving forward together

Looking ahead, Uganda is eager to collaborate with the new member countries through structured peer-to-peer learning, technical exchanges, and joint reflection on how to strengthen the foundations for monitoring and evaluation. As more governments commit to regularly using evidence in planning, budgeting, implementation, and performance management, citizens stand to benefit the most through improved services and greater accountability.

To our colleagues in Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania, Uganda extends a warm welcome to Twende Mbele. We look forward to learning with you and from you as we work together to create a continent where evidence drives action and results.

Together, we move forward.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

09/02/2026

TWENDE MBELE WELCOMES FOUR NEW MEMBER COUNTRIES, MARKING A MAJOR EXPANSION FOR AFRICAN PEER LEARNING IN MONITORING & EVALUATION

The Twende Mbele Management Committee, under the chairmanship of Mr. Stephen Ampem-Darko (Accra, Ghana) is pleased to announce the formal admission of four new member countries into the Twende Mbele partnership. Following extensive and positive scoping visits to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Malawi, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the United Republic of Tanzania have been welcomed into this pan-African initiative.

Twende Mbele, which translates to “Let’s Go Forward” in Kiswahili, is a pioneering African-led partnership that facilitates direct knowledge exchange among government officials. It focuses on institutionalising robust M&E systems to foster evidence-based policymaking, planning, budgeting, and service delivery management.

This expansion of country membership fulfils a key evaluation recommendation adopted and endorsed by Twende Mbele’s existing member countries—Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, South Africa, and Uganda—and its technical partners. It underscores a shared conviction that structured peer-to-peer learning on public sector monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a critical driver for improving governance, development management and service delivery across the continent.

The Chairperson, Mr Stephen Ampem-Darko articulated that, ‘the decision to grow our partnership is a direct response to the clear demand and demonstrated commitment we witnessed in Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.” He further stated that, ‘their inclusion is not merely about increasing our numbers. It is a strategic step towards deepening the quality and impact of our collective work. We are excited by the unique experiences, insights, and energy that these nations will bring to our shared learning community.’

The admission of these four nations significantly broadens the partnership’s geographic and experiential reach. It represents a major stride towards creating a stronger, more unified African voice and practice in M&E. This growth is expected to:

1. Deepen Outcomes: Enhance the quality and practical relevance of Twende Mbele’s work through more diverse intra-African exchange.

2. Strengthen Continental Capacity: Accelerate M&E capacity development by sharing proven frameworks, tools, and experiences across a wider network of African governments.

3. Forge Global Connections: Establish more effective and progressive linkages between African M&E practices and the global evaluation community, ensuring African perspectives shape international discourse.

The wider M&E network, including development partners, civil society, and academia, is invited to join Twende Mbele in celebrating this milestone. The expansion strengthens the foundation for a continent where evidence is routinely used to improve the lives of citizens.

We extend a warm and official welcome to our new partners from Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Together, we move forward.

About Twende Mbele:

Twende Mbele is a peer-to-peer learning partnership of African governments committed to advancing the institutionalisation of Monitoring and Evaluation systems to improve performance, governance, and service delivery. It is a model of south-south cooperation owned and driven by its member countries.

For further information, please contact:
Twende Mbele Secretariat
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.twendembele.org