End-of-Project Evaluation: Catalyzing Multilateral Development Banks Financing for Energy access in Africa

**Terms of Reference**

**End-of-Project Evaluation: Catalyzing Multilateral Development Banks Financing for Energy access in Africa**

**1.0 Background and Context**

For the past 3 years (2024-2026) Christian Aid with support from Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has been implementing a project whose goal is to inform transformative Africa Development Bank policies, practices and investments to support a rapid shift away from fossil fuel dependency towards low carbon alternatives while guaranteeing universal access to clean and affordable renewable energy.

The project focused on; (a)strengthening civil society engagement with AfDB and other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) for enhanced just and accountable financing of decentralized sustainable renewable energy in Africa, and (b) Increased di-investment of public finance away from fossil fuels and uptake of locally led sustainable renewable energy systems.

To achieve this, the project implemented strategic and interlined activities including Policy research, multi-stakeholder dialogues, capacity building, engagement in AfDB annual and CSOs forums, advocacy at country and regional levels especially on the Country Strategy Papers, Mission 300 Energy Compacts among others. The project has been implemented with support of two national civil society organizations namely the Kenya Climate Change Working Group (KCCWG) and the Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) and intended to deliver the following results:

1. The policies of the AfDB incorporate greater coordinated civil society actions and inputs to shift their programme and policy choices around investment in energy
2. Decision-makers consider shared positions of multiple stakeholders to promote increased investment in renewable energy rather than fossil fuels
3. Greater prioritization of energy needs of communities in the AfDB strategies
4. The policies of the AfDB are improved by the evidence from the research and use it to inform their programme and policy choices around investment in energy
5. Increased media coverage on DRE and demand for DRE by various actors.

**2.0 Purpose of the Evaluation**

The purpose of the end-term evaluation is to assess the extent to which the Energy Access Project has achieved its intended objectives, outcomes and results, and to generate evidence-based learning to inform future programming, advocacy, partnerships and engagement with the Africa Development Bank.

The evaluation will provide an independent and evidence-informed assessment of the project’s contribution to shifting policy, finance and public narratives away from fossil fuel dependency and towards decentralised renewable energy solutions in Africa. Specifically, the evaluation will examine the impact, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and emerging learnings of the project, with particular attention to how Christian Aid and its partners have strengthened civil society coordination, supported evidence-based advocacy, influenced engagement with the African Development Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks, and elevated community-centred energy access priorities within policy and financing spaces. It will also assess the extent to which the project helped build shared civil society positions, improve advocacy capacity, generate useful knowledge products, increase visibility of decentralised renewable energy, and contribute to stronger accountability for public finance decisions.

Findings and recommendations will be practical, forward-looking and useful for Christian Aid, implementing partners and wider civil society actors seeking to strengthen future advocacy on energy access, public finance, MDB reform, fossil fuel phase-out and locally led renewable energy solutions. The evaluation will therefore serve both an accountability function, by assessing what was achieved against planned results, and a learning function, by identifying what worked, what did not work, why, and how future interventions can be improved.

**3.0 Specific Objectives of the Evaluation**

The overall objective of the evaluation is to assess the extent to which the project achieved its intended outputs, outcomes and objectives. Specifically, the evaluation will:

1. Assess the project’s contribution to the development or review of AfDB-related policy frameworks, including Mission 300 Country Compacts and AfDB Country Strategy Papers.
2. Analyse the project’s contribution to strengthening civil society coordination, advocacy capacity, knowledge generation and policy influence.
3. Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of civil society and faith actors' engagement with AfDB, including value-for-money of engagement modalities
4. Assess how gender equality and social inclusion were considered in project design, stakeholder engagement and results.
5. Identify key lessons, enabling factors, challenges and risks affecting the sustainability of civil society and faith actor engagement beyond the project period.
6. Document key lessons, good practices, challenges and actionable recommendations for Christian Aid, partners and civil society coalitions on future programming and engagement with the AfDB and other multilateral development banks.

**4.0 Scope of the Evaluation**

The evaluation will cover the full project implementation period from January 2024 to December 2026. It will assess activities implemented under both project objectives, including civil society convenings, multi-stakeholder dialogues, policy analysis and research, engagement with AfDB annual meetings and Country Strategy Papers, side events, learning platforms, and efforts to identify and mobilise influential champions for decentralised renewable energy among others. The evaluation will cut across all the partners involved in implementing the project in Kenya and Malawi, the government departments as well as relevant institutions and stakeholders involved in the project.

**5.0 Key Evaluation questions**

The evaluation is structured around the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, a Theory of Change validation question, and a GESI cross-cutting lens, as set out below. The consultant should treat this as the core evaluation matrix, to be elaborated with sub-questions, indicators and methods in the inception report.

**Effectiveness:** To what extent were the project's results (per the Theory of Change) achieved against the indicators and targets set out in the logframe? Which interventions were most effective in influencing AfDB policy and advocacy processes, substantiated with evidence? Where did results exceed or fall short of targets, and why?

**Relevance:** How well did the project fit the priorities, capacity needs and advocacy opportunities of African CSOs, coalitions and faith actors on energy access, DRE and just transition and how well did it adapt as AfDB and MDB priorities shifted over the project period?

**Coherence and partnership:** Internally: How well did the project's workstreams such as convenings, dialogues, CSO positioning, AfDB engagement, learning platform, reinforce one another? Externally: How well did the project align and avoid duplication with other AfDB and MDB advocacy coalitions, national energy policy and NDC processes, and other donor-funded energy-access initiatives?

**Sustainability and learning:** What results, partnerships, advocacy outcomes, knowledge products or coordination mechanisms are likely to continue beyond the project period? What lessons should inform future work on energy access/decentralised renewable energy, public finance, AfDB engagement and just transition advocacy?

**Efficiency:** Were project resources (funding, staff time, KCCWG and CISONECC partner capacity) converted into outputs and outcomes in a timely, economical way? Were there more cost-efficient modalities for achieving the same advocacy reach (e.g., side events versus standalone missions)? Were there delays, and what caused them?

**Impact and contribution:** To wha