Pragmatic ambivalence in decolonising development evaluation: Negotiating African indigenous perspectives within international evaluation practice

This article examines the potential for more inclusive and transformative knowledge production within international development cooperation by focusing on the decolonisation of evaluation practices. It argues that integrating alternative, situated knowledges in the evaluation systems – particularly those rooted in indigenous traditions – can contribute to more sustainable pathways towards social transformation. Tensions and possibilities of decolonising international development evaluation are investigated through the interaction between Western development evaluation approaches and ‘indigenous’ evidencing methods, focusing on the approaches of African Initiated Churches as a practical case example. As part of a broader study, this article specifically examines how calls for decolonisation have influenced development evaluation practice, drawing on interviews with international development experts. It investigates how ‘indigenous’ methods of evidencing – such as communal evidencing and spiritual forms of decision-making, which are prevalent in the practices of African Initiated Churches – are perceived by international development evaluators, and it explores the prospects for collaborative, equitable knowledge creation in evaluation processes to serve social transformation. The study finds that development evaluators and institutions often adopt a stance of pragmatic ambivalence, recognising the value of alternative approaches yet only partially accommodating them within existing donor-driven structures.