The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched the Remote Appraisal, Supervision, Monitoring and Evaluation (RASME) project in Angola.

The bank launched the project following a three-day training in the capital, Luanda.

According to a statement by the bank, RASME is a set of real-time digital data-gathering tools and processes that enable the AfDB, its clients and development partners to better prepare projects, report on progress and evaluate impact openly and transparently.

The initiative was launched by the head of the International Economic Cooperation Department at Angola’s Ministry of Finance, Dra Rossana Silva, and AfDB’s Country Manager for Angola, Pietro Toigo.

Silva said, ‘Ensuring open and transparent reporting of our development initiatives is central to our mission. RASME is an important enhancement of our capacity to do this’.

Toigo, in his opening remarks, said, ‘I believe this project can significantly enhance the data collection which we use to assess the effectiveness of our development work here in Angola.

‘It is significant that we are launching RASME in partnership with the government of the Republic of Angola’.

The bank explained that the digital data gathering suite of tools used for the RASME project is based on the KoBoToolbox platform, an open-source ICT solution developed by researchers affiliated with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

It is understood that RASME is operational in 14 countries across Africa, and it is especially relevant in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, and in zones with instability, insecurity, and logistical concerns.

Photo source: AfDB