Evaluation of The Gambia WFP Country Strategic Plan 2019-2021

The evaluation was commissioned by the WFP independent Office of Evaluation to provide evaluative evidence for accountability and learning, to inform the preparation of the next country strategic plan (CSP) of WFP in The Gambia.

Conducted between May 2020 and April 2021, it assessed WFP’s strategic positioning and the role and extent to which WFP has made the strategic shift expected by the CSP; WFP’s contributions to strategic outcomes; efficiency; and the factors that explain WFP performance.

The evaluation concluded that:

• The highly relevant CSP managed to leverage diversified and strengthened partnerships and positioned WFP well, both for saving lives and changing lives. With a few exceptions it aligned to national needs and priorities.
• WFP was flexible and succeeded in scaling-up assistance and adapt its work modalities during the Covid-19 crisis. Implementation of activities was broadly successful, even if the CSP document had underestimated crisis response needs and despite delays for the implementation of some activities and approaches, including those related to gender.
• Further consolidation is needed in terms of the hand-over of the HGSF programme; and refined processes and procedures would facilitate increased smallholder farmer participation in this programme as well. Finally, there was good progress in terms of capacity strengthening, but there is room for enhanced strategic planning and monitoring in this area.