Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
Public sector monitoring and evaluation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Implications for Africa
Submitted: 25 April 2019 | Published: 10 September 2019
About the author(s)
Teddy Nalubega, School of Public Management, Governance and Public Policy, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus, Johannesburg, South AfricaDominique E. Uwizeyimana, School of Public Management, Governance and Public Policy, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
Background: The current era of transformative scientific and technological advances is reshaping traditional government business as it is blurring geographical boundaries and posing a challenge to existing regulatory frameworks.
Aim: This article explores the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on current public sector monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in Africa.
Setting: The 4IR (also called Industry 4.0) is thought to bring about enormous benefits associated with increased efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. However, even with the highly anticipated opportunities related to automated and digital transformations in the 4IR, governments in African countries need to understand the challenges ahead and will need to measure and mitigate the impact of the unpredictable and rapidly changing products and services created for the public.
Methods: Using the documentary review method to collect data, this research answers the following guiding questions: (1) How has the 4IR been harnessed in Africa to improve public sector service delivery? (2) How can the 4IR be harnessed to improve M&E in the public sector in Africa? and (3) What are the implications of the 4IR technologies on public sector M&E in Africa?
Results: Findings reveal that various 4IR disruptive technologies have already been fully adopted in public service delivery in Africa. The 4IR disruptive technologies have the capacity to capture or collect and analyse multi-dimensional information or data from multiple contextual variables, with minimal costs and time in both qualitative and quantitative formats. However, findings disclose that the use of big data in evaluation requires extra new skills training and critical discussions among M&E specialists, technologists, economists, engineers and tech companies as a whole so as to significantly enhance the quality, validity and reliability of the data captured by the technologies.
Conclusion: Deep integration, collaboration and embracing change are needed to efficiently manage and control the multi-stakeholder nature of the 4IR innovative technologies. This article asserts that policies on the 4IR technologies need to be adaptive, inclusive, sustainable and human centred in order to efficiently regulate or guide these innovative technologies without curtailing the future opportunities.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 8009Total article views: 13992
Crossref Citations
1. South African public hospital intrapreneurship culture: Unit nurse managers’ governance role
Thandiwe M. Letsie
Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review vol: 12 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/apsdpr.v12i1.805
2. Impact of a monitoring and evaluation training in 3 PEPFAR-supported countries
Anna Russell, Smita Ghosh, Niharika Tiwari, Clarissa Valdez, Leigh Tally, Lindsay Templin, Danielle Pappas, Samantha Gross, Biniyam Eskinder, Sisay Alemayehu Abayneh, Elizabeth Kamga, Colince Keleko, Spence Lloyd, Nasim Farach, Sherri Pals, Eboni Galloway, Sadhna Patel, John Aberle-Grasse
Evaluation and Program Planning vol: 108 first page: 102479 year: 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2024.102479
3. Artificial intelligence technologies usage for improved service delivery in Uganda
Teddy Nalubega, Dominique E. Uwizeyimana
Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review vol: 12 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/apsdpr.v12i1.770
4. Supply chain management and the fourth industrial revolution in Africa: a systematic review, theory building and future directions
Jonas Shafondino Kamakela, Devkumar Callychurn, Dinesh Hurreeram
Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal vol: 26 issue: 2 first page: 180 year: 2025
doi: 10.1080/16258312.2025.2468153
5. Enhancing Female Professional Security and Managerial Capacity-Building in Kenya: The Impact of Gender-Equal Participation
Daniel Jinnefält, Barbara Son, Robert Robertson
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENDER & WOMEN S STUDIES year: 2023
doi: 10.15640/ijgws.v11n1p4
6. ASSESSMENT OF E-GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 11 IN SOUTH AFRICA
Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad
Journal of Law and Sustainable Development vol: 12 issue: 9 first page: e3851 year: 2024
doi: 10.55908/sdgs.v12i9.3851
7. Navigating the challenges and opportunities for adopting the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in South African (SA) Municipalities
Alouis Chilunjika
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy (2687-2293) vol: 6 issue: 5 first page: 184 year: 2024
doi: 10.36096/ijbes.v6i5.652
8. Analysing the importance of e-government in times of disruption: The case of public education in Rwanda during Covid-19 lockdown
D.E. Uwizeyimana
Evaluation and Program Planning vol: 91 first page: 102064 year: 2022
doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2022.102064
9. Digital Transformation in Higher Education and Postgraduate Research Supervision in Africa: A Critique of 4IR-Based Interventions in Open Distance Education
David Mhlanga, Emmanuel Ndhlovu
Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University vol: 59 issue: 5 year: 2024
doi: 10.35741/issn.0258-2724.59.5.11
10. 4 IR-based capacity-building for improved service delivery and municipal readiness in South Africa
Mncedisi Ncamphalala, Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy (2687-2293) vol: 7 issue: 2 first page: 207 year: 2025
doi: 10.36096/ijbes.v7i2.693
11. RETRACTED: Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Readiness Assessment of Project Managers in Tanzania
Edephonce Ngemera Nfuka
Journal of Software Engineering and Applications vol: 16 issue: 03 first page: 73 year: 2023
doi: 10.4236/jsea.2023.163005
12. An examination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the context of the South African local government
Thobile P. Mhlongo, Peta Thomas
Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review vol: 12 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/apsdpr.v12i1.807
13. Akonta: Examining the epistemology and ontology of Made in Africa Evaluation
Mjiba Frehiwot
African Evaluation Journal vol: 10 issue: 1 year: 2022
doi: 10.4102/aej.v10i1.615
14. Corporate governance and its impact on organisational performance in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A systematic literature review
Ranson Sifiso Gwala, Pfano Mashau
Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review vol: 6 issue: 1 first page: 98 year: 2022
doi: 10.22495/cgobrv6i1p7
15. Monitoring and Evaluation of Transformative Service Delivery: Evidence from a Provincial Department of Transport in South Africa
Babalwa Faith Vellem, Dovhani Reckson Thakhathi (posthumous), Tando Rulashe
Hitit Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi vol: 18 issue: 3 first page: 986 year: 2025
doi: 10.17218/hititsbd.1636189
16. Using artificial intelligence to enhance evidence informed-decision-making
Ronald Munatsi
South African journal of information management vol: 27 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.4102/SAJIM.v27i1.2004
17. Navigating the trends, strides and dilemmas of ingraining the fourth industrial revolution in health care delivery system in Sub-Saharan Africa
Chakupewa Joseph Mpambije
Discover Global Society vol: 4 issue: 1 year: 2026
doi: 10.1007/s44282-026-00387-6
18. Data driven human resource management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
Tasneem Majam, Dawchund B. Jarbandhan
Africa’s Public Service Delivery & Performance Review vol: 10 issue: 1 year: 2022
doi: 10.4102/apsdpr.v10i1.588
19. Machine learning algorithms for climate change integration in evaluation: A conceptual model and simulated case application in Africa
Chineme A. Anowai
African Evaluation Journal vol: 14 issue: 2 year: 2026
doi: 10.4102/AEJ.v14i2.858