Community-based development and indigenous evaluation in Africa: insights from Ghana

Community-based development (CBD) evaluation is often rooted in mainstream evaluation theories and methods to the detriment of Afrocentric evaluation philosophies and practices. Afrocentric values, grounded in cultural ideals and relational patterns, are the foundation of the search for new knowledge. The notion is that indigenous evaluation values and assumptions could aid in developing alternative concepts, approaches, and practices for assessing CBD initiatives. Employing a thematic analysis approach rooted in indigenously responsive evaluation (IRE), this paper identified tangible and intangible notions such as social networks, relational stakeholders, social accountability, mutual respect, community participation, community spirit, relational feedback, and consensus building as some of the key concepts embedded in social and development activities that have the potential for effective CBD and evaluation activities. This paper outlined cultural evaluation components that Ghana and Africa at large may effectively include in contemporary evaluation frameworks to ensure the sustainability of CBD and evaluation initiatives.