Nairobi- November 14 -18, 2022 — African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Steering Committee, staff, and key stakeholders are convening at the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, for its annual review and planning workshop and Steering Committee meeting.

AWARD is conducting an external evaluation of the current Strategic Plan (2017-2022) and drawing lessons from the previous plans since its inception to identify focus areas as input into the new Strategic Plan (2023–2027). The evaluation will assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, visibility, and sustainability of the AWARD strategy.

The five-day meeting will provide an opportunity for the AWARD Steering Committee, staff, and stakeholders to contribute to the evaluation process and co-create the design of the strategy development process.

The convening brings together diverse participants from various countries, including Benin, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Additionally, the meeting draws representation from various sectors, including research and government institutions, non-profit organizations, donors and implementing partners, and private and public sectors. It is envisaged that the engagement of these key stakeholders at early stages will ensure that the two approaches focus on the most relevant content, what stakeholders perceive as AWARD’s achievements to date, and perspectives on the strategic direction based on lessons learned.

“Our current strategy is ending in December 2022. This week, we look forward to getting perspectives about lessons learned and AWARD’s mandate and niche moving forward. We also want to hear from our stakeholders and their views around our interventions, impact, and our next areas of focus,” Dr. Susan Kaaria, AWARD Director.

The convening includes presentations from preliminary findings by ALINE Impact Limited and SRI Executive, the external consultants conducting the external evaluation, and focus group meetings with the key stakeholders. The approach is designed to help build a shared understanding of outcomes and impacts of AWARD interventions to date, identify lessons that will inform AWARD’s work moving forward, and contribute to the design of the strategic planning process.

The focus groups will culminate in the annual Steering Committee meeting on Thursday and Friday for further in-depth discussions on the preliminary findings of the current Strategic Plan and annual review.