Blog by Sibongile Sithole – Emerging Evaluator at SAMEA (2024)

The South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) Conference, held in Johannesburg from 7–9 October 2024, offered a vibrant platform for the International Evaluation Academy (IEAc) to showcase its work and vision.

This year’s conference theme, “VUCA-VUKA! Catalysing Change Through Monitoring and Evaluation”, blended the concept of VUCA—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—with Vuka, a Zulu word meaning “to awaken.” This powerful framing sparked deep discussions around the decolonisation of national evaluation systems and the adaptation of community-focused evaluation methods, among many other topics.

Introducing the Three Horizons Evaluation Initiative (3HEi)

IEAc led a dynamic two-hour co-creation session spotlighting the Three Horizons Evaluation Initiative (3HEi), a project well aligned with the conference’s transformational ethos.

Dr Ian Goldman, President of the IEAc, introduced the Academy and its motivation behind initiating the 3HEi—an initiative in which SAMEA is a key partner. Following this, Three Horizons expert Ian Kendrick provided an insightful overview of the initiative, detailing its objectives and transformative potential in the field of evaluation. His presentation included examples of previous applications of the framework, such as those from the European Health Futures Forum.

Participation and Engagement

The session sparked a high level of interest, especially among those encountering the framework for the first time. Many attendees expressed a strong desire to remain involved with the initiative, highlighting the framework’s value as a tool for transformative evaluation.

A key feature of the session was a discussion of a survey distributed to a selected group of evaluators, gathering their views on how evaluation can evolve to help tackle global challenges.

As part of the co-creation format, attendees analysed responses received from the survey to date. Participants were divided into 13 groups of three, with each group assigned a question and up to 20 associated responses. Their task was to distil the responses into concise, 10–15-word summaries, which were entered into a shared Google Sheet.

Interestingly, some responses had been summarised using ChatGPT, which proved helpful. However, the session reinforced that human verification remains essential to ensure accurate, meaningful analysis. While AI can be a valuable tool, it must complement—not replace—human judgement.

“I loved the introductory presentation to the 3H approach. It was such a great presentation.”
— Conference attendee

Moving Forward

Eight participants indicated a desire to remain involved in the ongoing analysis process. The session was a clear success—sparking curiosity, enthusiasm, and collaboration.

Going forward, the IEAc will continue to use platforms like the SAMEA Conference to test ideas, share perspectives, and explore the role of evaluation in driving transformative change.

To learn more about the Three Horizons Evaluation Initiative and its evolving insights, contact: