THE AEN IS A SOURCE FOR WHAT IS NEW

by Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam

Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam is a leader in the field of evaluations and evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). This was acknowledged when he became one of the runners up in the 2020 Africa Evidence Leadership Award (AELA). A former president of the African Evaluation Society (AfrEA), he currently chairs the EvalIndigenous Network, a global network for indigenous evaluations.

There are many things about the AEN that he values, such as the resources on the website that he uses when teaching in Africa and worldwide. He also sees the value of the AEN as providing something to connect around, as he explains "The AEN advocates for change by supporting inclusiveness in Africa. It has a Pan-African vision. We can’t ask people to connect if there is no reason to be connected. It is important to find something to connect around, and that is what the AEN provides [through its focus on EIDM in Africa]."

But an AEN service that has changed something for him is the high-quality and up-to-date information that the AEN provides through platforms such as the newsletter and social media: "When I take my coffee I will have a look and use the information in my job. It’s the place to go for what is new. If the learning was not good we would delete it. It is a reliable source of up-to-date information where you know that you will find something that is good."

Having only recently been acknowledged as an AELA runner up for 2020, it is too soon to comment on the impact of this on him personally and professionally. However, Serge Eric sees it as an acknowledgement of his skills, as encouragement to keep doing a good job, and an encouragement to others to do the same.