JIBS – JIBS’ Collaboration with Sida Partner Universities

JIBS - JIBS’ Collaboration with Sida Partner Universities

Sub-Saharan Africa

2019

Countries

Ethiopia | Rwanda | Mozambique

Lead M&E Consultant(s)

Michael Watts

Project Overview

JIBS had been contracted by Sida to support the development of Business Studies and Management doctoral programmes at the partner universities. However, Sida was concerned that the programmes were insufficiently collaborative and had limited potential for capacity development. It therefore contracted FCG Sweden to conduct an impact evaluation, with Michael Watts as the higher education expert, addressing the development of the collaborations, the ownership of the programmes and their inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact.

Approaches & Outputs

This was a highly sensitive evaluation that required a primarily qualitative approach to identify, examine, and explore key issues. Face-to-face KIIs were conducted with key stakeholders at the four universities – including senior university and faculty staff, supervisors, graduated and current students and other intended beneficiaries – and Sida representatives in the three Sub-Saharan African countries and in Sweden. A deep dive into the published outputs – including academic papers and conference presentations – was also conducted. The final output was a report based on case studies of the three collaborations and a series of partnership-specific and overall recommendations.

Impact On

The evaluation had a significant impact on the three collaborations as it found that, although much good work was being done, they were unrealistically over-ambitious and failed to capitalise on opportunities for meaningful capacity development. It allowed Sida to reassess the partnerships and reprioritise its considerable funding towards more sustainable collaborations.

Challenges

As noted above, this was a highly sensitive and complex evaluation. The partnerships had generated tensions between the central university authorities in the partner countries (who were aware of their shortcomings) and the benefitting faculties (that wanted to maintain the partnerships and the funding attached to them). JIBS vigorously contested the findings, but the weight, quality and authority of the evidence led to it accepting the conclusions.

JIBS – JIBS’ Collaboration with Sida Partner Universities