Evaluation of Public-Private Partnership in the Veterinary Domain Using Impact Pathway Methodology: In-depth Case Study in the Poultry Sector in Ethiopia

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the veterinary domain are joint approaches in which public veterinary services and private actors such as private veterinarians, producers' associations, or private companies work together to address complex animal health challenges. They are implemented worldwide and can help to strengthen the capacities of veterinary services, but few have been evaluated. None of the evaluations developed in the veterinary domain explicitly addressed PPPs, their complex program design, their evolving governance, and coordination system, and their impacts. This work represents the first application of the participatory impact pathway methodology for the evaluation of a PPP in the veterinary domain. The PPP evaluated aimed at developing the poultry sector in Ethiopia and improving poultry health service coverage, particularly in remote areas. The combination of semi-structured interviews (n = 64) and collective reflection during three workshops (n participants = 26, 48, 18), captured the viewpoints of public and private partners, actors who influenced the partnership, and actors impacted by it. The context of the PPP was analyzed, and the causal relationships between the PPP and its impacts were investigated. This work showed that collaboration between the public and private sector occurred at several administrative levels. The actors considered a variety of impacts, on the economy, business, trust, and health, which were then measured through different indicators. The actors also identified the added value of the PPP to enrich those impacts. The participatory impact pathway methodology helped to strengthen the engagement of actors in the PPP and to formulate recommendations at the policy level to favor positive results. This case study represents a milestone in building a participatory evaluation framework of PPP in the veterinary domain.

Keywords: Ethiopia; evaluation; impact pathway; participatory approaches; poultry; public-private-partnership.

Figure 1

Simplified graphic of an impact pathway. Some hypothesis were made on the potential inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts of the PPP evaluated to illustrate the impact pathway.

Figure 2

Map of Ethiopia (bold line) and the four regions included in this study (in gray). The capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa (black circle), is surrounded by the Oromia region.

Figure 3

Mapping of categories of the actors involved directly or indirectly in the PPP between EthioChicken and the public Veterinary Services. The dark-gray rectangles indicate the public actors. The white rectangles indicate the private actors. The light-gray rectangle indicates international agencies. *The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has merged with Ministry of Agriculture since April 2018. CIRAD, French Agricultural Research Center for International Development; OIE, World Organization for Animal Health; PPP, Public–Private Partnership; USAID, United States Agency for International Development.

Figure 4

History of the PPP development in three main phases (2010–2019) and impacts; capturing elements of context, actors, and actions. The light-blue rectangles indicate inputs, turquoise ones indicate outputs, pink ones indicate outcomes, and green ones indicate positive impacts and red ones negative impacts. The stars indicate the building of PPPs at national level (second star) and regional level (first and third stars). The actors represented are the financial partners, who have invested in the company EthioChicken, the public partners, and the other private partners. The elements of context are given at the bottom of the figure. The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries was merged with Ministry of Agriculture since April 2018. AECF, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund; BMGF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; NAHDIC, National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center; Forex, Foreign Exchange Currency; NVI, National Veterinary Institute; PPP, Public–Private Partnership; SNNPr, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' region; VDFACA, Veterinary Drug and Animal Feed and Administration Control Authority; USAID, United States Agency for International Development.

Figure 5

Impact pathway of EthioChicken innovative model and PPP involved in this model: inputs (dark blue), outputs (light blue), PPP at national level (star with N), PPP at regional level (start with R); outcomes (pink), and impacts level 1(light green) and impacts level 2 (dark green). The impacts can be negative (rectangle with dotted red border) or positive (the others). DA, public development agents; DOC, day-old chicks; EC, EthioChicken; NAHDIC, National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center; NVI, National Veterinary Institute; PANVAC, Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Center of the African Union; VDFACA, Veterinary Drug and Animal Feed and Administration Control Authority; VPDA, Village Poultry Development Agents; Woreda, regions.