On Friday 21 November 2025 the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) organised an Evaluation Stakeholders’ Workshop on the Thematic Evaluation of NDB Financing and Activities in the Energy Sector in South Africa. The workshop, which took place in Johannesburg, was attended by over 60 stakeholders who came together to discuss the findings and recommendations of the evaluation, and also on the wider topic of sector reform and opportunities going forward.
Participants came from the Government of South Africa, embassies from NDB member countries and BRICS partners in South Africa, borrowers, peer multilateral development banks (MDBs) and international organisations, key evaluation partners and organisations, and also NDB staff.
Prominent speakers from the government included Mr. Victor Luvhengo, BRICS and Advisor to the Director NDB, National Treasury, and Mr. Advocate Melanchton Makobe, Acting Director General of the South African Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME); with further speakers coming from the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research amongst others.
Since 2016, NDB has invested USD 972 million in five energy-sector projects (which, in turn, had 39 sub-projects) across eight provinces. The thematic evaluation, which was carried out in 2025, assessed the impact of these investments and strategic issues and trends in the country’s energy sector – and the participants at the workshop discussed its findings, analysis and conclusions. The workshop also looked at the wider energy situation in South Africa, with a special session on Emerging Reforms in Energy Sector and Opportunities for Financing and Private Sector Participation which is of interest to NDB’s projects going forward.
In the same week, DPME held its biennial National Evaluation Seminar. IEO was a keen participant throughout, with the Director General, Mr. Ashwani Muthoo, delivering opening remarks. In addition, during the seminar DPME and IEO signed a joint memorandum of understanding (MoU) during DPME’s National Evaluation Seminar. The MoU formalises the two parties’ cooperation for joint activities such as peer reviews of evaluations, training courses, and exchange of methodologies and good practices, as well as collaboration among both parties’ evaluation experts in areas of mutual interest.
Download: Agenda | Concept Note