Minister Maropene Ramokgopa opens 2025 National Evaluation Seminar on margins of G20

At the margins of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation, Hon. Maropene Ramokgopa, opened the 2025 National Evaluation Seminar (NES) on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, a two-day gathering focused on strengthening accountable, inclusive and innovation-driven governance.

Held under the theme “Reimagining Evaluation for Innovation, Inclusion and Impact,” the Seminar brought together government, civil society, academia, development partners and multilateral institutions to advance South Africa’s evaluation ecosystem and promote evidence-informed decision-making.

In her Opening Address, the Minister emphasised that evaluation is “a strategic pillar of a capable, ethical and developmental state,” underscoring the need for evidence to drive forward-looking governance, policy coherence and improved service delivery.

She noted that as South Africa moves through its Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP 2024–2029) and toward the NDP 2030, evaluation must evolve beyond retrospective assessments to support adaptation, innovation and people-centred impact.

As leaders in government, multilateral institutions, the private sector and civil society gather in South Africa for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Minister Ramokgopa emphasised the importance of deepening partnerships to centre evaluation as a catalyst to strengthen state capacity and to ensure evidence-based decision-making.

A key highlight of the Seminar was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the DPME and the Independent Evaluation Office of the New Development Bank (NDB IEO). The MOU was signed today by Advocate Melanchton Makobe, Acting Director-General of the DPME, together with Mr Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director-General of the NDB IEO, formalising cooperation on capacity-building, knowledge exchange and South–South learning.

Over the two days, delegates engaged on rapid evaluations, emerging technologies, data-driven decision-making, local government evidence use, participatory evaluation approaches and strengthening institutional capability, all aimed at aligning the National Evaluation System with global best practice and the priorities of South Africa’s G20 Presidency.

The Department thanks all partners, practitioners and institutions for their contribution to advancing a culture of evidence, accountability and impact-driven governance.

Enquiries:
Media Liaison Officer: Office of the Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Mr Litha Mpondwana
Cell: 064 802 3003
E-mail: Litha@dpme.gov.za

Departmental Head of Communications: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Mr Tom Nkosi
Cell: 079 907 9016
E-mail: TomNkosi@dpme.gov.za

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