Ecorys to conduct two major EU‑funded evaluations in Ethiopia
Ecorys has been selected to carry out two strategic evaluations in Ethiopia, commissioned by the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia. The assignments reflect Ecorys’ long‑standing expertise in evaluation, development cooperation, and complex operating environments, and further strengthen our engagement in the Horn of Africa.
The two evaluations will assess EU‑funded interventions addressing forced displacement and social resilience, and agricultural transformation and commercialisation, respectively—both critical policy areas for Ethiopia’s sustainable development.
Evaluating EU support to displaced populations and host communities
The first assignment is a mid‑term evaluation of an EU‑funded programme supporting people displaced by conflict and natural hazards, as well as host communities, across several regions of Ethiopia, including Afar, Amhara, Benishangul‑Gumuz and Tigray.
The evaluation will examine the performance and emerging results of five complementary interventions, implemented by international and national partners, with a strong focus on:
- livelihoods and employment opportunities,
- access to gender‑ and disability‑sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services,
- social cohesion, protection, and mental health and psychosocial support,
- coordination, data use and policy implementation in displacement‑affected settings.
Using the OECD DAC evaluation criteria and an EU added‑value perspective, the evaluation will assess relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and early perspectives of impact. Particular attention will be paid to synergies between interventions, the area‑based approach, and how results differ across gender, age and disability groups.
The findings will inform ongoing implementation, contribute to learning across partners, and support evidence‑based decision‑making for future EU programming in the forced displacement sector.
Assessing Ethiopia’s Agricultural Commercial Clusters Programme
The second assignment is a final evaluation of Ethiopia’s Agricultural Commercial Clusters (ACC) Programme, a flagship initiative supporting the transition from subsistence to market‑oriented and climate‑smart agriculture.
The evaluation will cover the full ACC programme period and geographic scope, focusing on the contribution of farmer clustering to:
- increased agricultural productivity and incomes,
- improved access to inputs, services and markets,
- adoption of climate‑smart and sustainable farming practices,
- strengthened participation of women and young people,
- enhanced integration of smallholder farmers into value chains and agro‑industrial markets.
The evaluation will use a mixed‑methods approach, combining quantitative analysis—including household survey data—with qualitative methods such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Where feasible, the analysis will explore causal effects on farmer livelihoods, nutrition and resilience.
The results will provide strategic lessons for future agricultural programming, support accountability to development partners, and inform discussions on sustainability and exit strategies.
Commitment to learning and evidence‑based policy
Together, these two evaluations underscore Ecorys’ commitment to independent, rigorous and context‑sensitive evaluation in fragile and complex environments. They also reflect the importance of learning, accountability and adaptive programming in addressing some of Ethiopia’s most pressing development challenges.
Ecorys looks forward to working closely with EU services, national counterparts, implementing partners and communities to deliver evaluations that are useful, credible and actionable.
