Chairperson of AGDEN Board
Madam Nimaga
Madam Nimaga is the Chairperson of AGDEN Board. She has more than twenty years of experiences in the sector of the rural development and the Gender. During her professional career, she had to manage responsible jobs to the gender equality question in public and Civil Society Organizations (OSC). She organized and livened up several training for executives and development agents on Gender approach. She also works and participate to the national and international level, several Gender networks. She besides led, several working teams on the Gender during which she realized many studies and researches on the approach of equality between woman and man. She also made as expert diverse short-term services on the Gender in Mali and abroad with technical structures - national and international NGOS- agencies of cooperation bilateral (ACDI, GTZ, ICRAF, FAO, Dutch Cooperation, Swiss Cooperation – Near East Foundation UN-Woman). Tel. +223 66 71 56 34
Founding Member and Current Chair
Dr. Florence Etta
Florence Etta is a creative, innovative and results focused manager, consultant and researcher. An experienced international development expert, and action leader with over 35 years’ experience and focus on evaluation of gender, human rights projects, programmes and policies and aid effectiveness.
She was the founding member and current Chair of the Africa Gender and Development Evaluators Network (AGDEN) also from 2006 – 2012; Vice Chair from 2012 until 2017. She was the President of the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) between March 2009 and January 2012. Currently a member of over 6 national and international Evaluation Associations including the Nigerian Association of Evaluators and the American Evaluation Association, Florence served on the Board of the International Development Evaluation Association – IDEAS for six years. She has served on the UN Women Global Evaluation Advisory Committee since 2015 and is currently its Chair.
Regional representative for Central Africa
Cecile Ebobisse
Cecile is the AGDEN regional representative for Central Africa. She is an economist; technical expert at the National Social Economy Network and solidaire. consultant gender and monitoring project assessment, specialist craft and income-generating activities; member of the technical group of the observatory on gender; member of the subgroup on violence based on gender (unfpa-UN Women °), the focal point of gender evalgender = French; Representative AGDEN, Central Africa area
Regional Representative - Eastern Africa
Ms. Immakulata Menas Komba
Ms. Immakulata Menas Komba is the AGDEN Regional Representative – Eastern Africa. She is a founder member and shareholder of Ecosystems on Land Consult Ltd in Tanzania. She holds Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from University of Dar es Salaam and BSc in Agriculture General both in Tanzania. Immakulata Komba has more than 16 years experience in Monitoring and Evaluation; and Gender aspects gained from consultancy works within her company and also from working with National and international development organizations on social and development programmes and projects. Before establishing her company Immakulata Komba has worked with ActionAid International Tanzania; and Ifakara Health and Development Centre holding various managerial positions include Consultant, Researcher, Programme Officer and Programme Coordinator; and with Tanzania Education Network managing Policy Analysis and Advocacy Programme and Communication and Information Sharing in different period.
Tel. +255 787 875 562
Treasurer for the AGDEN Board.
GRACE ACHIENG OKONJI
Ms. Okonji is a Senior Evaluation Expert; and Gender and Social Inclusion Expert. She is a development economist with a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Her key competencies and skills include: Strong leadership and management skills; strong analytical skills; high level of initiative and independence in ability to undertake complex tasks; Excellent written and oral communication skills; demonstrated ability to create and encourage a climate of team-work; strong in facilitation and self-organization; Excellent in report writing and conflict management.
Before embarking on full time consultancy, she previously worked with the United Nations Development Programme (Kenya and South Sudan) and UN Women (Kenya, New York and South Sudan). She also worked as a senior Economist with the Government of Kenya.
She is currently a Board member for the Africa Gender and Development Evaluators Network.
She has over 30 years of proven record of accomplishment and experience in gender and social inclusion: Developing policies, strategies, approaches, and tools for effective gender and human rights mainstreaming in policies, programs and projects; conducting social and gender assessments, evaluations, policy analysis, research; resource mobilization.
She has substantive practical knowledge and experience related to evaluations from a gender equality/equity/ human rights and social inclusion perspective. She has sound experience in developing, interpreting and evaluating programs based on appropriate methodologies including, Results based evaluations, Theories of Change and Logical frameworks. She has a wealth of previous practical expertise in evaluating complex multidisciplinary programs supported by multiple development partners such as:
The Swiss Development Corporation, Horn of Africa (HoA) Strategy (2017- 2021)- https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Gender/Documents/Gendernet%20Toolbox/Knowledge%20Sharing/RB_Gender%20Evaluation%20of%20the%20HoA%20Coop%20Strategy%202018%202020_G.A.Okonji_Dec19.pdf
She was an evaluation expert in and evaluated and submitted high quality report of findings and actionable recommendations for the thematic evaluation of gender mainstreaming in UNDP, Tanzania Country Program (2016-2021).- https://erc.undp.org/evaluation/documents/detail/12258
She was a gender technical expert with the Evaluation Office, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), New York for the evaluation of UNDP Strategic Plan, Global and Regional Programs, https://issuu.com/undp-evaluation/docs/sgrp_evaluation_fullreport
She provided technical expertise for national gender action plans and policies. For example, she was the technical expert for the review of UNICEF gender Action plan for Rwanda and Eritrea.
Board Member
Mr Alexis
Alexis holds a PhD in measurement and evaluation and has extensive experience on projects and programs evaluation involving civil society, women / girls, youth, and Indigenous people. He has nearly 20 years of experience in project and program evaluation in several African countries including Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Niger. He worked for international organizations such as the Independent Development Evaluation of the African Development Bank, the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank, Plan Canada, and the US Agency for International Development. Doctor Alexis is a member of the scientific committee of the Regional Program Assessment in Africa of the CONFEMEN, and a scientific coordinator for the CLEAR-Francophone based in Dakar / Senegal. He is author of several publications in specialized evaluation journals (Journal of measurement and evaluation, African Evaluation Journal, Learning and Individual Differences, etc.) and on gender mainstreaming in Africa. Alexis is member of AGDEN since 2012. He is also a former representative of Francophone Evaluation Network at EvalGender+. Since 2023, Alexis is the coordinator of the Thematic Interest Group on Measurement and evaluation of education and training programs for the Burkina Faso Monitoring and Evaluation Network (ReBuSE).
Francophone Secretary
Lydiane Josepha Mbia Nguelle Epse Jobin
Lydiane Josepha Mbia is an international development professional passionate about governance networks, social policy, and evidence-based decision-making. With over five years of experience in research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, she has developed expertise in designing and implementing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies with a strong focus on gender equity and inclusiveness.
She has worked with leading global organizations including UNICEF, the United Nations System-Wide Evaluation Office, and the Economic Policy Research Institute. In these roles, she contributed to program evaluations, scoping reviews, stakeholder mapping, and the development of culturally responsive evaluation approaches. Her field experience spans Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where she has evaluated programs on education, public health, water and sanitation, and humanitarian response. Her academic background includes a master in Public Administration with a specialization in Applied Research and Evaluation from the University of Roehampton, London, and a Bachelor degree in Social Sciences with a focus on Corporate Communication from ASMAC Yaoundé II, Cameroon. She also holds specialized certificates in program evaluation from ENAP-Quebec, mixed methods research, participatory evaluation, and social and behavioral research.
Beyond technical expertise, Lydiane is a skilled knowledge manager and strategic communicator. She has produced evaluation reports, blogs, newsletters, and learning products, and is recognized for her ability to synthesize complex findings into actionable insights. Her engagement as Knowledge Management Focal Point for voluntary organizations of professional evaluators (VOPEs) underscores her commitment to strengthening evaluation capacity across Africa and beyond.
Currently, she is the AGDEN Francophone Secretary and is also an active contributor to the global evaluation community. She has presented papers at international conferences, including AfrEA, CES, and IDEAS Global Assembly, on topics such as AI & Evaluation, humanitarian evaluation methodologies, gender-sensitive approaches, and the evaluation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has co-facilitated equity, and gender audits and frequently contributes as a peer reviewer for professional associations. Through these platforms, she continues to advocate for inclusive, equity-focused evaluation practices that amplify diverse voices and promote sustainable development.
Board Member
Jean Bosco NDONGO BIHINA
Jean Bosco NDONGO BIHINA is a ameroonian. He is not only a teacher in Higher Professional Institutions but also a civil society activist. An ntrepreneurial evaluator, he is the founder of the firm Case And Impact, which promotes young people in evaluation. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a major in International Communication and Public Action; he also has a degree in Sociology of Development. He is currently enrolled in a research master’s programme in the sociology of , focusing on gender, health, education and evaluation, health, education and evaluation. His professional career has focused on the evaluation of policies and public action. Registered as an Emerging Evaluator since 2015, he is a member of the Board of AGDEN, representing Central Africa.
Board Member
Mr. Mark Mulobi
Mr. Mark Mulobi a Young and Emerging Evaluator based in Kenya. He is a Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Consultant for Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) of United Nations Foundation (UNF). He is part of the team that helps bridge the gap of digital inclusiveness using evaluation to better the lives of others and ensure that no one is left behind in the world. Currently Mark is supporting Policy and research at DIAL on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the intersections of DPI and Climate, Gender and Data governance. Prior to DIAL, Mark worked with Benaphil consultants Ltd as the evaluation intern. He also co-chairs African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) network for Young and Emerging Evaluators (YEEs). He is serving at Africa Evaluation Association (AfrEA) as the Anglophone Africa Young and Emerging Evaluator in the Board. Mark is a champion for the Eval4Action campaign geared towards accelerating the delivery of SDGs by advocating for stronger evaluation capacities and evidence-based policies. At AGDEN he represents the East Africa region and Youth.
Trustee and Board Member
Dr. Ravi M. Ram
Dr. Ravi M. Ram is a monitoring, evaluation and learning and strategic planning professional. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Ravi brings substantial experience in evaluation with a focus on gender, human rights and equity, drawing on UN Women/AGDEN guidance with a utilization-focused approach. He works globally with a range of development initiatives and integrated programming, including direct engagement with communities and policymakers in Africa, Latin America and Asia/Pacific on the synthesis and use of evidence from evaluation.
As professional service, Ravi serves as co-chair of the WHO Civil Society Commission and as trustee and board member of the African Gender & Development Evaluators Network (AGDEN) Board, Health Poverty Action (UK), the Kampala Initiative and other civil society networks. He has served on the boards of several NGOs, and he is active with the EvalSDGs Guidance Group and the African Evaluation Association and the People’s Health Movement.