Decolonizing and indigenizing evaluation in Africa: evidence from Ghana

Purpose Evaluation philosophies, methods and practices in Ghana and Africa at large have been predominantly Euro-American-centered, with little to no regard for Afrocentric methodologies that are rooted in indigenous norms, values and other cultural realities. Thus, the recent quest for new evaluation knowledge is anchored in cultural values, norms, ideals and relational patterns. The notion is that a holistic understanding of indigenous values and assumptions could aid in developing alternative evaluation theories, methods and procedures for assessing development initiatives. Design/methodology/approach Using key informant interviews (KII) and in-depth interviews, supplemented by observations, 32 participants from three traditional areas were interviewed in the Eastern Region, Ghana. Employing a thematic analysis approach, the data were analyzed. Findings This paper identified several indigenous evaluation instincts, such as social accountability, relational stakeholders, neighborhood webs, community participation, empowerment, relational information gathering and feedback and consensus building. These key indigenous notions are embedded in the six-sphere traditional governance structures, which can be espoused to indigenize and decolonize evaluation frameworks in Ghana. These evaluative impulses, rooted in the six-sphere framework, when adopted, could greatly complement contemporary evaluation theories, methods and practices. Research limitations/implications This paper utilized a qualitative data analysis approach and therefore cannot make generalizations except to attribute the findings to the thirty-two (32) respondents and three (3) traditional areas used as a case study. Originality/value This paper concludes by proposing an integrative indigenous relational-decolonial evaluation framework embedded in Ubuntu, Afrocentricity and communitarian knowledge systems, which emphasizes that decolonization and indigenization need political, epistemic and theoretical restructuring.