MCDF and ADB Partner with China Export-Import Bank to Build its Infrastructure Project Evaluation Capacity

Project evaluation for improving infrastructure project quality and development impact was the focus of a workshop for China Export-Import Bank (CEXIM) staff held in Beijing on 4 September, co-organized by the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF), Independent Evaluation Department (IED) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and CEXIM.

Participants included CEXIM senior management and staff from 10 departments in China and overseas. Sessions covered the evolution of project evaluation methodology and organizational arrangements; global evaluation standards; and evaluation’s twin purposes of accountability and learning and the role of joint evaluations, based on the experience of ADB’s IED. The workshop also spotlighted operational staff perspectives on evaluation and creating value from it to improve the quality of development projects.

In opening remarks, CEXIM Vice President Xiao Wang emphasized the importance of building project evaluation capacity for its operations while MCDF CEO Zhongjing Wang highlighted the value of information sharing between International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and developing country financiers (New Partners) on project evaluation standards and good practices.

“Effective project evaluation beginning at the design stage and based on clear objectives, strong results frameworks, robust monitoring systems, and reliable data is vital for enhancing infrastructure project risk management and development outcomes,” said CEO Wang. “IFIs’ project evaluation systems can serve as a practical guide for designing and implementing high-quality infrastructure in developing countries.”

Mr. Nathan Subramaniam of ADB’s IED noted that knowledge sharing can enable more informed project evaluation decisions. MCDF’s Senior Evaluation Consultant and the training moderator, Mr. Keith Leonard, and MCDF Senior Advisor to the CEO, Mr. Ayumi Konishi, went on to lead discussions on the evaluation function’s evolution in ADB and other IFIs, related challenges, and lessons emerging from that experience.

The discussions underscored that evaluation helps institutions improve decision-making, strengthen accountability, manage risks, and enhance development outcomes throughout the project cycle. It was explained that with IFI independent evaluation departments reporting directly to boards of directors, the focus of evaluation in IFIs has shifted from individual project evaluation to broader strategic evaluations at the sector, country, thematic, and institutional levels.

A recurring theme throughout the workshop was the need to systematically capture lessons from projects that were rated both successful and not fully successful and feed them back into future operations to boost project effectiveness. It was also noted that clients of development financiers are increasingly seeking knowledge as well as finance. Evaluation can be a useful source of knowledge and development financiers’ competitive advantage, participants agreed.

The workshop builds on an MCDF-World-Bank-CEXIM workshop on World Bank policies and practices of the project cycle held in Beijing in 2024 and a USD714,000 project preparation grant approved by MCDF in 2021 and implemented by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to help CEXIM develop its environmental and social management system.