Impact Evaluation of UN-Habitat’s Housing Approach to Adequate and Affordable Housing and Poverty Reduction 2008-2019: Africa Region Report (4/2020)

The report evaluates the relevance of UN-Habitat's regional and country programs in Africa to national and local priorities and the impact of the Housing Approach. It highlights positive impact ratings for knowledge management, advocacy, policy advice, technical assistance, and capacity building in case study countries like Zambia, Mozambique, and Somalia. The report identifies UN-Habitat's comparative advantages in knowledge management, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and housing analysis.

Sustainability is considered important, and donor-funded projects demonstrate confidence in replicability and scalability. However, sustainability is not systematically monitored in the evaluation process. Lessons learned include the need for a clear definition of the Housing Approach, strengthening COs' capacity, utilizing global events for advocacy, and addressing cross-cutting issues effectively.

Recommendations cover policy and strategic levels, planning and management, regional and country programs, and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems. The report suggests leveraging UN-Habitat's status and reputation, aligning country housing programs with the regional strategic plan, and identifying and strengthening areas of comparative advantage. It proposes reviewing thematic classifications, promoting cooperation, and enhancing poverty reduction impact monitoring. Improving knowledge management, advocacy, and policy advice is recommended, along with developing sustainability strategies and ensuring relevance to local priorities.

At the country level, the report advises the preparation and application of Habitat country programme documents, addressing cross-cutting issues in line with national priorities, and adopting a cascade capacity-building approach. Strengthening operational implementation support at the local level and supporting the capacity of the Zambia country office are also emphasized.