Saaka Adams, Chief of Party on the USAID/Ghana Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Platform Activity, is a Development Planner, MEL, and Program Management Specialist with more than 17 years of experience supporting international development organizations in developing and implementing MEL systems.
Prior to joining the Ghana MEL Platform, Saaka worked as the Chief of Operations (Chief of Party equivalent) for the USAID/Ghana Monitoring, Evaluation, and Technical Support Services II (METSS II) Project, where he dedicated ten years of his professional career providing technical support to more than 35 USAID-funded projects to design and implement MEL systems to meet USAID MEL requirements. Saaka has extensive experience managing evaluations, development research, and large population-based surveys. At METSS II, he managed more than eight population-based surveys, a dozen evaluations (performance and impact evaluations), and more than 20 commissioned special studies to support the USAID/Ghana’s Economic Growth Office’s investment decision-making. Saaka is also adept in imparting knowledge and has been instrumental in building the capacity of young MEL professionals in Ghana. Saaka provided industry perspectives to developing a module on project risk management, monitoring, and evaluation for the University of Cape Coast’s MPhil in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) course in Ghana.
Saaka has an MSC in Agricultural Economics from the University of London, an MSC in Development Policy and Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, and a BSC in Agriculture Technology from the University for Development Studies, Ghana. Saaka is a member of the Ghana Monitoring and Evaluation Forum and the African Evaluators Association (AfREA).