21 September 2026: The African Development Bank Group, the World Bank Group and the Islamic Development Bank convened a High-Level Dialogue and Curriculum Co-Creation Workshop on the PIUneer platform in Nairobi, Kenya, on 31 August and 1 September.
PIUneer (‘Project Implementation Units for Results’) is a joint platform of multilateral development banks and development partners established to strengthen how development results are measured and delivered by project implementation units (PIUs).
PIUneer aims to address gaps caused by fragmented results monitoring systems across multilateral institutions, and to develop shared standards, using emerging technologies connected to national systems. By equipping results professionals and supporting them with coaching and peer exchanges, it supports better decision-making in project implementation, ultimately leading to stronger development outcomes.
The PIUneer curriculum covers areas such as core monitoring and evaluation skills, delivery approaches, behavioral science, data science, and new technologies such as AI, geospatial data, and digital platforms.
Speaking at the event, John Mbadi, Cabinet Secretary for Kenya’s National Treasury and Economic Planning, framed the country’s key development challenge in stark terms.
"The biggest challenge that we have as a country is the challenge of a growing population; young people coming out of colleges and institutions of higher learning, and jobs are scarce. If you don't find something for them to do, then certainly you will have a problem,” he said.
Ndiame Diop, World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, echoed this view. “Over the next 10 years, 360 million young [Africans] will reach working age… but at present, only about 150 million jobs will be created,” he said, adding that Africa’s youth want jobs and a stake in the future.
Armand Nzeyimana, Director of the Development Impact and Results Department at the African Development Bank, said, “Today's conversation really needs to focus on the execution: translating ambition and investment decisions into measurable, impactful, tangible development outcomes for Africa.”
Emphasising the importance of investing in institutions and people, he added, “It is equally important as we seek to achieve lasting development results to invest in institutions and people…in their ability to plan, prioritise, implement, measure, and use evidence to drive development.”
Syed Husain Quadri, Director of Partnerships, Global Advocacy and Resource Mobilisation at the Islamic Development Bank, stressed the importance of country-led development and urged a unified approach from partners, eliminating a costly scenario that he summed up as “five different results frameworks, five different scorecards, five different mutual assurance agreements.”
The workshop, which marks the beginning of a series of PIUneer engagements and regional rollouts across the continent, concluded with participants converging on a shared vision for the PIUneer curriculum structure, priority competencies, learning model, and way forward.
