CAF Launches Seminar on Impact Measurement for Development: Panama SEMIDE 2.0

CAF—development bank of Latin America—, with the support of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Latin American Center for Development Administration (CLAD), announces the launch of Panama SEMIDE 2.0, the theoretical-practical online seminar for training and advice on the use of impact assessment as a tool for efficient public management.

SEMIDE 2.0 is aimed at public officials who are currently serving at different levels of the Panamanian public sector and have particular interest in improving their knowledge on impact assessment and its implementation in decision-making.

Daniel Ortega, Director of Impact Assessment and Policy Learning, said the seminar aims to offer successful techniques and experiences on the use of impact assessment as a tool for public administration.

“CAF promotes the training of public officials in order to convey knowledge on impact assessment, as well as experience in implementing evaluations, in order to consider these instruments as a management tool and thus promote better decisions on public funds,” Ortega said.

Benefits for the country. A total of 35 Panamanian public officials will benefit from a full scholarship for the Panama SEMIDE 2.0 online course. In addition, beneficiaries will also receive:

• Financing of certificates of completion of the online course on introduction to impact assessment. In turn, CAF will cover the cost of certification for those who decide to take also the intermediate course on impact assessment.
• Participation in face-to-face events in Panama City during the first quarter of 2021, subject to the health situation in the country.
• Membership of the LinkedIn Network of Latin American public officials and academics, a network to share information and experiences on the use of assessment and data to improve the quality of public administration.

The seminar will train participants in the fundamentals of impact assessment methodologies, some success stories, and their impact on decision making. In this regard, priority will be given to officials involved in one or more public programs may be subject to evaluation. However, no prior knowledge about impact assessment methodologies is required.

The course will be used as a platform to:

• learn the experience of renowned world-class speakers,
• network with officials from other national, provincial and local institutions who will also participate in the event,
• meet academic experts, leaders and public officials who have led impact measurement cases aimed at improving public administration,
• become part of an international impact assessment network along with alumni from previous editions, academics, policy makers and the CAF impact assessment team,
• receive direct advice from CAF’s impact assessment team to work on your own project.

Participants must:

• be a public official at a government agency in Panama.
• have command of the Spanish language.
• have a degree accredited by a higher education institution at the time of application (degree must have already been awarded).

Application and selection of participants is divided into two phases; the first phase is to complete the form which contains questions about education and work experience. Deadline: August 1. The second phase is to complete the six modules of the online course “Introduction to Impact Assessment for Public Administration.” Deadline: August 31.

The call to Panama SEMIDE will be extended from July 1 to August 1, 2020.

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