This article calls for enrichment of the Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) in setting the agenda and bring agency to evaluation practices in Africa against centuries of unsustainable developmental practices that continue to underdevelop the continent. In this article, the authors make a case for weaving indigenous knowledge systems with monitoring and evaluation of interventions targeted at communities on the African continent. Current efforts do not make explicit reference to indigenous knowledge in Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE). Indigenous knowledge systems are implied as the defining aspect of MAE, being called upon to be fused with existing evaluation systems and practices in order to enhance evaluation in African communities.
The following approaches are being put forward to embed indigenous knowledge systems in MAE:
- Emphasising cultural competencies, contextual relevance and cultural validity
- Contextualising evaluation theory
- Addressing power dynamics in the evaluation landscape
- Premising interventions on indigenous epistemologies
- Engaging indigenous people in formulating and evaluating interventions targeted towards them