End of Term Evaluation of the Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol 2011 – 2013

Malawi sits at 170/188 countries on the 2017 UNDP Human Development Index with 50.7% of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture, the mainstay of the economy, employs 80% of the population, with tobacco, sugar and tea earning 87% of foreign exchange earnings. However, agriculture’s low productivity, together with other significant challenges contributes to ongoing endemic poverty and low food and nutrition security.

To assist the Government to address its major challenge of improving the economy, whilst concurrently improving food and nutrition security through the implementation of strategic initiatives such as the second Malawi Growth and Development Strategy, the National Export Strategy and the National Adaptation Strategy, the EU has invested into Malawi under the 10^th European Development Fund through the EU Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries (AMSP 2006-2013). The EU objective was to support the above, and other strategies; e.g. Agriculture Sector Wide Approach, where Malawi’s high potential sugar industry is emphasised as a precedence for development.

In this context, the European Delegation to Malawi has just awarded Prospect C&S to undertake the end of term evaluation of the accompanying measures for sugar 2011-2013. Therefore, beginning of 2018, a team of two international experts will assess the overall performance of the 2011-2013 AMSP with particular emphasis on elements such as design appropriateness relevant to sector needs and national programmes, the impact of project actions in terms of the achievement of their objectives and planned results, the contribution of the Programme to enhancing the livelihoods of sugar out growers and communities and to detail lessons learnt with practical recommendations to support ongoing out grower sustainability after the Programme ends.