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Support to the Limpopo Public Works Department on the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) - Midterm Evaluation

eval_number:

2423

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/2423

lessons_learned:

themes:

theme:

Programme sustainability

category:

Organizational issues

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comments:

Targeted users / Beneficiaries: The primary and main potential targeted users/beneficiaries who may be affected by the lessons learned, and who may wish to replicate the project approach in future include: (i) the Government of South Africa, and in particular the National Department of Public Works Department; and (ii) the ILO and national social constituents as the promoters of employment generation and the decent work agenda;

challenges:

The two main challenges facing the project in building sustainable in-house technical capacity for implementation of the LI methods in generating employment and creating sustainable livelihood due to the high turnover of staff; and lack of compliance with EPWP principles of LI methods- especially on the part of contractors, mentors and consultants – due to greater preference for machinery based construction compared to LI methods. Some of the negative lessons include the following: (a) Implementation of EIA focusing on the creation of temporary work opportunities do not necessarily result in improved “sustainable livelihood” and complementary initiatives - including forging win-win partnership with potential employers in the private sector (within the public-private-partnership framework), entrepreneurial skilling, and linkages to financial services are required for sustainable impact; (ii) EI-based jobs creation should not just focus on the number of work opportunities created, but on impact by way of assets creation, improvement in socio-economic welfare of the target beneficiaries (sustainable livelihood) and contribution to the national economy; and (iii) Without effective institutionalization for in-house capacity among the national implementing bodies, external TA projects (including the ILO TA Support Project to NDPW) runs high risks of prolonged engagement.

success:

The ILO national project support component has performed fairly well especially with respect to the result areas on skills and capacity – due to the high demand (albeit the observation that sustainable in-house capacity is yet to be achieved-which has primarily been due to the high NDPW staff turnover that is nevertheless outside the team’s control). The other interventions with significant success include management and technical support which has been reasonably adequate; policy development and promotion; and research

context:

The context and preconditions underpinning these lessons related to socio-economic conditions of the target beneficiaries-the majority of whom are poor; technical aptitude with respect to project design and implementation - especially by ensuring relevance of interventions and sustained involvement of stakeholders); and the apparent political will of the Government of South Africa which is committed to improving the livelihood of her people.

description:

Based on literature review, field interviews and observations by the Evaluation Mission, a number of lessons seem to emerge: 1. Implementation of EIA focusing on the creation of temporary work opportunities do not necessarily result in improved “sustainable livelihood” and complementary initiatives - including forging win-win partnership with potential employers in the private sector (within the public-private-partnership framework), entrepreneurial skilling, and linkages to financial services are required for sustainable impact; 2. Capacity building in an environment characterized by high shortage of technical skills should be complemented with strategies for engaging and retaining dedicated, passionate and committed local staff to understudy technical assistance support such as that being provided by the ILO under EPWP; 3. EI-based jobs creation should not just focus on the number of work opportunities created, but on impact by way of assets creation, improvement in socio-economic welfare of the target beneficiaries (sustainable livelihood) and contribution to the national economy; 4. Experiential learning (through practical training and learning tours) is an effective way of fast-tracking stakeholders’ knowledge acquisition, attitude change and capacity building in general; 5. Without effective institutionalization for in-house capacity among the national implementing bodies, external TA projects (including the ILO TA Support Project to NDPW) runs high risks of prolonged engagement.

administrative_issues:

While the ILO team of four (4) experts is deemed generally adequate, its capacity will be increasingly over-stretched due to the increase in demand for technical support - which will further be exacerbated by the high staff turnover within partner local organizations and the emerging demand for roll-out of project technical support services to other provinces (e.g. NW, EC and FS). In this context, there was a strong feeling among some key respondents that the ILO Technical Assistance Project to NDPW has been providing much more support to the infrastructure sector compared to the other focal sectors (i.e. Environment & Culture, Social and Non-state sectors). Sustainability of project activities and enhanced “sustainable livelihood” is likely to be seriously undermined by four main factors: (a) The continued inadequate in-house technical capacity among most implementing bodies particularly the provincial Departments including LDPW, as well as Municipalities - which has been due to delays in providing dedicated counterpart staff to understudy the ILO technical support team; (b) The high staff turnover among implementing bodies including NDPW, Provincial Departments and municipalities – which to a large extent has been triggered by their improved employability after undergoing project training (an unintended result); (c) Lack of appropriate and integrated institutional framework for training in LI methods (e.g. LITC and its satellite network, and integration of training in higher institutions of learning) to broaden training so as to expedite progress towards attaining the requisite critical mass of trained personnel; and (d) Lack of a clear sustainability and exit strategy in the project design and implementation processes – which is essential for purposes of guiding project implementers and stakeholders in terms of requisite interventions.

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/lessons/212801

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location:

country:

South Africa

region:

Africa

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eval_title:

Support to the Limpopo Public Works Department on the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) - Midterm Evaluation