Format of Project Reporting

Project Title:
Project for Capacity Building of the Alemgena Training and Testing Center of ERA

Sector:
Transportation

Cooperation Scheme:
Technical Cooperation Project

Period of Cooperation (R/D):

1 April 2002 - 31 March 2006
Table of Contents
Background to the Project..........................................................................................................................2
Project Overviews.......................................................................................................................................2
Evaluation Team.........................................................................................................................................2
Type of Evaluation: Terminal Evaluation.....................................................................................................3
Results of Evaluation...................................................................................................................................3
Summary of Evaluation Results..................................................................................................................3
Efficiency.....................................................................................................................................................5
Impact.........................................................................................................................................................5
Contributing Factors...................................................................................................................................6
Inhibiting Factors........................................................................................................................................6
Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................7
Recommendations......................................................................................................................................7
Lessons Learned..........................................................................................................................................7
Background to the Project
Roads and bridges in Ethiopia remained in bad condition due to a prolonged civil war and the
lack of maintenance, hindering the country's socio-economic development. To rectify the
situation, the Ethiopian government identified road sector improvement as a priority in the
field of national development and poverty reduction and launched the Road Sector
Development Program (RSDP) for 1997-2007. An important target of RSDP was to train
road engineers. Earlier in August 1995, the Ethiopian government made a request to the
Japanese government for a technical cooperation project for the Alemgena Training and
Testing Center (ATTC), an institution designed to develop human resources in road
construction, construction work supervision, and civil engineering technology.

The Project supported the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) and ATTC as the implementing
agencies in three sections: (i) Equipment Operation for road construction; (ii) Trades &
Crafts; and (iii) Civil Engineering. The project lasted for four years, from April 2002 through
March 2006.

Project Overviews

(1) Overall Goal

To meet the qualitative and quantitative needs for human resources in mechanized
construction required for road construction and maintenance work in Ethiopia

(2) Project Purpose

To ensure that the ATTC delivers appropriate training for mechanized construction

(3) Outputs

1. An effective framework will be in place for training management.

2. Efficient training courses will be prepared.
3. Instructors will improve their technical skills and teaching capacity.
4. Training equipment and teaching materials will be prepared and managed appropriately.

Evaluation Team
Members of the Evaluation Team

Team Leader: Yuichi SUGANO, Director, Transportation Team II, Group III, Social
Development Department, JICA
Evaluation Planning: Momoko HOTTA, Transportation Team II, Group III, Social
Development Department, JICA
Evaluation Analysis: Naoki TAKE, Manager, Economic Cooperation Department, Overseas
Project Division, International Total Engineering Corporation (ITEC)
Period of Evaluation: 28 September 2005 - 12 October 2005

2
Type of Evaluation: Terminal Evaluation
Results of Evaluation

3-1 Achievement Level

a. Training management

Since 2003, ATTC has prepared its annual training programs and distributed them among the
organizations concerned. This has resulted in an increase in the number of trainees at ATTC.
Yet the number has remained at about 70 percent of the capacity due in part to delays in
distributing the program and abrupt cancellations.

The procurement of supplies for training has been significantly improved due to the opening
of a bank account, which allowed ATTC to buy them at its discretion.

b. Curriculum development

ATTC presented new curricula and syllabuses at the first Joint Coordination Committee in
February 2003. Generally, they were implemented appropriately, except in the Civil
Engineering Section.

c. Capacity of instructors

Many instructors in the two sections other than the Civil Engineering Section are largely
satisfied with technical cooperation by Japanese experts.

d. Equipment maintenance

The chiefs of the Equipment Operation and Trades & Crafts sections are responsible for the
maintenance of the equipment. The Project has developed several forms for equipment
maintenance, which are used appropriately by the chief of the Equipment Operation Section.

Summary of Evaluation Results

(1)
Relevance

The Ethiopian Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Programme (SDPRP) have
identified road sector improvement as the key to the socioeconomic development of the
country. The Engineering Capacity Building Programme (ECBP) of the Ministry of Capacity
Building (MoCAB) also covers human resources development in construction, especially in
the private sector.

The Project has contributed to the development of human resources in the road sector by
helping the improvement of ATTC, the only training institute in Ethiopia in the field of
mechanized road construction.

(2)
Effectiveness
The Evaluation Team has examined the effectiveness of the Project, focusing on the following
six aspects:

a. The process of developing annual training programs and recruiting

trainees

The head of ATTC and the section chiefs, as well as the Japanese experts are now involved in
the process of developing annual training programs. They finalize the programs at least two
months before the beginning of the fiscal year (July). Nevertheless, the current trainees
represent only 70 percent of the capacity due in part to the postponement of some courses and
many organizations cannot afford to send their employees to ATTC for training.

b. The process of developing and revising the curricula,

and their usage

The Equipment Operation Section and the Trades & Crafts sections have completed the
curricula, syllabuses, instructors’ guidelines for their electricity courses through close
collaboration between the Japanese experts and their Ethiopian counterparts. The Trades &
Crafts Section has developed curricula for many other courses and even syllabuses for the
equipment maintenance and advanced equipment maintenance courses. The curricula have
not been be updated since their introduction in 2003 largely because major changes to them
have not been approved. It is necessary to assess and analyze the needs for training and
reflect the results of these activities in the curriculum development process.

c. The process of developing and revise teaching/learning

materials and their usage

The Project has enabled the Equipment Operation and Trades & Crafts sections to develop
various teaching/learning materials. These materials are used appropriately. Those for the
Civil Engineering Section have been brought from Japan but they are not used because they
do not fit the local context. It is necessary for the Equipment Operation and Trades & Crafts
sections to teach how to develop teaching/learning materials to the Civil Engineering Section,
thus helping to ensure that the Ethiopian counterparts will develop their teaching/learning
materials on their own.

d. Quality of instructors

The Evaluation Team has found that instructors at the Equipment Operation and Trades &
Crafts sections are generally satisfied with Japan’s technical cooperation. The head of ATTC
acknowledges improvements in their teaching capacity and attitude toward their students.
Technology transfer to the Civil Engineering Section has been conducted only with
counterpart training of three instructors in Japan, not through experts from JICA.

The trainees are largely satisfied with their courses.

e. The system for maintaining equipment and procuring supplies

The Garage Unit of the Trades and Crafts Section is responsible for equipment repairs. The
Equipment Operation Section monitors the condition of the equipment. The system for
maintaining equipment and procuring supplies was significantly improved when the opening
of a bank account allowed ATTC to procure supplies at its discretion. Earlier, ATTC had to
obtain approval of the ERA, to which it reports to, for any case of procurement.
f. The number of certificates issued

The Evaluation Team expects that ATTC will achieve 74 percent of the target number of
certificates issued by the end of March 2006. The projected achievement rate by sector shows
100 percent for the Equipment Operation Section, 70 percent for the Trades & Crafts Section,
and 52 percent for the Civil Engineering Section.

Efficiency
a. Expert assignment

JICA provided five experts for a long-term assignment and seven others for a short-term one.
This expert assignment was appropriate in terms of both quantity and timing. Nevertheless,
the assignment of a mechanical engineer to the Civil Engineering Section failed to make
significant contribution to technology transfer to the section.

b. Equipment provision

Although the equipment is used appropriately in most cases, a few problems still remain. For
example, the tire roller and the crane are rarely used. Also, the refrigerated ductility machines
are difficult to repair in Ethiopia. These problems stem from the fact that the findings of the
development study were not fully reflected in the process of planning the Project.

c. Counterpart training

The counterpart training in Japan largely allowed the participants to upgrade their skills.

Impact
Because ATTC is the only training institute in the field of mechanized road construction, it is
safe to assume that the number of graduates from ATTC almost matches the number of
people trained in this field nationwide.

A survey shows that 94 percent of the executives of the organizations that have sent their
employees to ATTC for training say their employees’ skills have improved. This suggests
that the Project has had a certain qualitative impact on the development of human resources
for road construction in Ethiopia.

(5) Sustainability

a. Policy level

Human resources development remains a priority issue even in the Road Sector Development
Program (RSDP) Phase III, which starts in 2007. As the private sector is playing an
increasingly important role in road construction, the sector will likely need more construction
equipment operators. ATTC has a bright future if it remains committed to providing training
to meet such needs.
b. Financial level

The budget of ATTC continued to increase throughout the project period. The current budget
is considered sufficient to ensure that the provided equipment is properly maintained.

c. Institutional level

As the initiative to develop annual training programs now rests with ATTC, the Evaluation
Team concludes that ATTC will be able to formulate the program on its own after the project
is completed. Improvements to the program may result in improvements to the process of
recruiting trainees. Revising the curricula requires expertise. The responsibility for assessing
training needs rests not with ATTC but with the Manpower Planning and Training
Coordination Branch, Human Resource Development Division, ERA. This branch, however,
may not be capable enough to revise the curricula on its own; it may need external experts,
including university professors.

Revising the existing teaching/learning materials or developing new ones requires access to
new technical information and continuous efforts by instructors to improve their skills. It is
unclear whether ATTC will be able to revise them on its own because it has no experience.

The Evaluation Team concludes that the system for maintaining equipment and procuring
supplies is sustainable enough.

d. Technical level

The Ethiopian counterparts have achieved a measure of success in developing their skills.
Skills development at ATTC will be sustained if they share their acquired knowledge with
others at the center.

Contributing Factors
(1) Concerning the implementation process

• Communication between the Japanese experts and the Ethiopian counterparts significantly
improved halfway into the project period, enabling close collaboration between them notably
in developing teaching/learning materials and curricula for the Equipment Operation Section.

• No counterpart has left his or her job at ATTC, ensuring the accumulation of transferred
technology at the center.

Inhibiting Factors
(1) Concerning the project plan

• The Japanese and Ethiopian sides had different ideas as to the scope of the Project (in both
the Trades & Crafts and Civil Engineering sections). A gap between the Japanese and
English titles of the Project aggravated the situation.

• The Japanese side had an insufficient understanding of the role, responsibility, and authority
of each of the Ethiopian organizations concerned.
• Sufficient action was not taken to address the issues that had been identified in the project
consultation study and the mid-term evaluation study, including a low achievement rate
regarding the number of trainees, which in turn required a revision to the target number in the
Project Design Matrix (PDM), and insufficient transfer of technology to the Civil Engineering
Section.

(2) Concerning the implementation process

• A mechanical engineer was selected and assigned to the Civil Engineering Section. This
engineer had difficulty in providing the skills required by the Ethiopian side, contributing to
insufficient communication between the Japanese experts and the Ethiopian counterparts.

Conclusions
The Project is heading toward a successful conclusion. The Equipment Operation and Trades
& Crafts sections are expected to achieve their targets during the project period. There
remains room for improvement for the Civil Engineering Section.

Recommendations
The Evaluation Team recommends that the Project take the following measures during the
remaining six months in the project period:

• Institutionalize the development of annual training programs;

• Strive to complete the development of the curricula and teaching/learning materials, which
are incomplete for some courses;
• Establishing a system for continuous upgrading of skills for the instructors; and
• Make effective use of the counterpart training (in training management), which will start in
November 2005.

Lessons Learned
• The scope of authority and responsibility of the counterpart organizations. The Japanese
side should have a full understanding of the role, responsibility, and authority of the
counterpart (C/P) organizations before planning a cooperation project. It should ensure that
the purpose and outputs of the project remain within their authority and responsibility.

• Project design. It is necessary to ensure that the project stakeholders from Japan and the
partner country share a common understanding of the scope and activities of the project, as
well as technical terms used in the Project.

• Project Design Matrix (PDM). It is necessary to ensure that the PDM clearly describes the
scope of activity and the theories/indicators, and serves as a common basis for project
management.
• Selection of equipment. Japan should select only the kind of equipment that would certainly
be put to effective use in light of the situation in the partner country and the project activities.

• Ownership by the partner country government. The project activities should be within the
scope of the original functions of the counterpart organization in order to ensure operational
continuity (including budgetary support). For the purpose of sustainability, the Japanese side
should preferably reduce the scope of its cooperation gradually.

• Selection of Japanese experts. In selecting experts to be assigned to the partner country, it is

essential to ensure that their expertise matches that required by the partner country in order to
ensure successful technology transfer.

• Review and correction of the project plan. The project consultation study and the mid-term
evaluation study should identify implementation difficulties and make necessary changes to
the project plan in a timely manner.