9th Biennial SAMEA Conference

The JET team is excited to be a part of the 9th Biennial SAMEA Conference, taking place 7-11 October 2024 at the Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg

The biennial conference serves as a platform for fostering the growth of a vibrant Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) community in South Africa and increasing the use of M&E as valuable tools for achieving equitable and sustainable development. The conference offers a unique opportunity for M&E practitioners, government officials, donors, and policymakers to learn from leading experts and peers, sharing insights on new developments within the M&E field.

Screenshot 2024-10-03 135622.png

This year’s theme, “Vuca-Vuka! Catalysing Change Through Monitoring and Evaluation”, highlights the necessity of proactively responding to our world’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) nature. The uncertainties and volatilities of the last several years call for us to wake up – Siyavuka sisebenzele ikusasa elingcono. The hope is that the SAMEA conference will inspire and capacitate participants to adopt adaptive, collaborative and innovative approaches to their M&E practice that will help us collectively steer South Africa towards equitable and sustainable development.

SAMEA aims to “unconference” this conference by integrating elements that foster co-creation, peer-to-peer learning, and community-building. To enrich the conference with an indigenous African heartbeat, the conference will also be infused with the art of storytelling as critical knowledge sharing. The conference will feature a mix of co-creative mini-hackathons or mini-workshops, oral presentations, panel discussions, World Café sessions, poster presentations, and lightning talks.

The hope is that the conference provides opportunities for M&E practitioners, governmental representatives, and professionals from different industries across the continent and beyond to learn from each other and expand their professional capacities. Participants can look forward to engaging in discussions and co-creation sessions that will underline the critical importance of M&E in driving successful outcomes for policies, programmes, and projects that effectively address the diverse development challenges South Africa and the continent face.

View the programme here

The JET team will be sharing knowledge and insights at the SAMEA Conference on the below topics:

  • Lessons we have learned from COVID on adaptive management. Pulling themes from the presentations, and discussing their implications for the field of M&E. - Eleanor Hazell, JET Education Services
  • Did I really think M&E was a walk in the park? Followed by session discussion - Lucille Smith, JET Education services
  • Exploration of how emerging technologies, such as AI and blockchain, are transforming M&E practices in response to VUCA challenges in South Africa - Tshegofatso Mashaphu and Moloko Mashabathakga, JET Education Services
  • PANEL DISCUSSION: Insights and Lessons from Virtual Evaluation Practice in South Africa - Lesedi Senamele Matlala, University of Johannesburg Shadrack Mlambo - African Ctrl Corporate Service (Pty) Oriel Tshilidzi Sithomola University of Johannesburg Conny Motlanthe (DPME) Kgaugelo Moshia-Molebatsi (DPME) Dr Ruth Mojalefa (SA National Department of Sports, Arts and Culture) Seirah Ngcobo (DPME), Eleanor Hazell (JET Education Services)
  • WORLD CAFE Chair: Jennifer Bisgard- Prospects and constraints of using AI technologies for Monitoring and evaluation in Africa. - Jaya Sojen, JET Education Services
  • SAMEA’s EE programme: Responding to EE challenges and lessons learned. - Dineo Madiba, JET Education Services

For more info, click here