Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs

415 items available

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9389

These briefs report on ongoing operational, economic, and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region.

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Madagascar - Building Leadership and Management Capacity through the Rapid Results Approach

( 2008-06) Mastri, Lawrence

In 2002 Madagascar's new government under President Mark Ravolamana recognized the urgency of addressing the peoples' high expectations for concrete economic and social improvements. While it rushed to put the economy back on track and improve the quality of life, its vision and strategy for reform was no match for the realities on the ground. By the time the Ravolamanana government assumed power in 2002, GDP had declined by 13 percent, key public services were discontinued, and the poverty rate soared from 69 percent in 2001 to 80 percent. There was widespread joblessness and high inflation. Within the government, there was little capacity for policy planning or monitoring and evaluation in most sectors. Collaboration was weak, with no existing mechanism to allow for a joint ministerial response to problems that cut across sectors. In February 2005, when the government launched its first rapid results pilot, the goal was to mitigate the effects of a significant shortfall in rice production, importation, and distribution. The crisis was solved by a combination of policy-based and technical interventions. Rice production increased significantly in two of the four targeted regions when the rapid results approach (RRA) was applied. In the region of Boeny, production went from 2.5 tons per hectare in 2004 to 4 tons per hectare in 2005, and in the region of Menabe, it increased from 22,000 tons to 37,000 tons.
Learning from the Extreme Poor : Participatory Approaches to Fostering Child Health in Madagascar

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-08) Blanchard, Caroline ; Godinot, Xavier ; Laureau, Chantal ; Wodon, Quentin

Definitions of poverty in developing countries used by most development organizations focus on household income or consumption that falls below a given threshold, such as one dollar per capita per day, and on other quantified indicators. While such definitions have the merit of providing a standard by which to measure progress, the very poor use quite different terms and ideas to communicate what extreme poverty means to them. This paper discusses learning from the extreme poor in the form of participatory approaches to fostering child health in Madagascar.
Madagascar : Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-06) Mohan, P. C.

The main objective of the Madagascar Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project, with a credit of US$ 17.3 million equivalent, was to improve the capacity of the government, communities and the private sector to expand sustainable and cost-effective coverage in water supply and sanitation. The project components were Policy and Legal Framework, WSS Sector Capacity Building and Institutional Development, and Community-based WSS Services. The last component had 2 sub-components, i.e. Community Needs Assessment, Education and Support, and Extension of RWSS Services. The project was implemented over the period 1998-2005. The project design built on successful experiences in the country and the region. For the gravity schemes, it replicated the experience of NGOs already active in the sector; for the hand pump schemes, it sourced the experience of a UNICEF project.
The Tourism Sector in Madagascar

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-05) Thornton Christie, Iain

Madagascar has an impressive array of biodiversity, natural beauty and cultural resources to support tourism. The world's fourth largest island, Madagascar is home to many species found nowhere else on the planet, among them 30 species of lemur - currently the main tourist attraction. Madagascar's nearly 5,000 km of coastline is coupled with a continental shelf equal to 20 percent of the island's land area which presents numerous opportunities for developing resort-based tourism to complement eco-tourism.
Madagascar - The Third Social Fund Project

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-03) Mohan, P.C.

The project ($ 15 million plus another $18 million - 1999-2003 ) had four objectives: (i) improved access of poor rural populations to social and economic infrastructure; (ii) on a pilot basis, empowerment of poor rural communities and/or communes to identify, organize, manage funds and implement sub-projects responsive to community needs; (iii) employment creation; and (iv) increased capacity of the private sector, local small contractors, artisans, skilled labor, and NGOs. Madagascar was struck by a series of cyclones that damaged basic infrastructure over the first three months of 2000. As part of the multi-pronged approach to assist the country in its rehabilitation efforts, in July 2000, the World Bank's Board approved a Supplemental Credit of $18 million - there was no change, however, in the project's original objectives.
Estimating Financing Needs for Local Services in Madagascar

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-06) Febgler, Wolfgang

This note presents the methodology and findings of a field study on the financing needs of Madagascar's communes-the country's lowest but most institutionally advanced level of subnational government. Following a first round of municipal elections in 1995, more than 1,500 communes are now formally responsible for maintaining basic administrative services and social and economic infrastructure, including local waste disposal and sanitation. In addition, communes are responsible for identifying and coordinating local investments and for supporting implementation of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy at the local level.
Madagascar : Incentives and Obstacles to Trade - Lessons from Manufacturing Case Studies

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2002-03) Cadot, Olivier ; Nasir, John

Despite fiscal and administrative reforms pursued by the Government of Madagascar since the mid 1980s, to prod economic and financial liberalization, contributing to steady GDP growth rates, manufacturing production however, still represents a relatively small share of value added. And, the development of import-substituting (IS) firms has been considerably slower, showing stagnating signs as these firms are unprepared for competition from imports unleashed by recent liberalization. The note looks at the present market structure which has created distortions, identifying several incentives by the Government, to firms located in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs), including a grace period on corporate taxes for the first 2-15 years of operations, exemption from customs duties and taxes on imported equipment; taxation of dividends at only 10 percent, and, 99-year leases for investment in land. The note further looks at the Common Law sector, i.e., those firms operating outside of EPZs, namely the IS firms, and the non-tradables sector, since most of the recent growth in the country's economy has come from non-tradables (construction, transport, beverages, and tobacco). Cross-cutting issues are identified by a survey of representative industries, showing a variety of factors affecting productivity, and reducing competitiveness. Recommendations include lower protection to make markets more contestable, but within lower, and more uniform taxation, to ease the fiscal burden on imported inputs, in an effort to encourage entry into the banking system, and improve the regulatory framework.
Madagascar : Private Enterprise Development

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-07) Mohan, P.C.

The objectives of the Financial Sector and Private Enterprise Development (APEX) Credit Project (report no. P5076), which was launched in 1990 and lasted for ten years, was as follows: 1) support small and medium enterprises (SME) through technical assistance and support of the government ' s ongoing restructuring efforts of the economy; 2) improve financial sector efficiency through resource mobilization, improved allocation, and interest rate liberalization; 3) strengthen institutions operating in the financial and SME support sector; and 4) generate new employment opportunities. The project comprises three components : 1) financing of projects in productive sectors promoted by private enterprises; 2) technical assistance to support SME development, staff training, strengthening of Central Bank supervision and monetary management capacities; and 3) establishment of policy conditions concerning the financial sector.
Madagascar : Promoting Livestock Production

( 2001-04) Mohan, Prasad C.

The note outlines the successful outcomes of the Livestock Adjustment and Investment Project in Madagascar, whose main objective was to promote livestock production for domestic consumption, and exports. A major project impact, i.e., the Ministry of Livestock's shift out of veterinary practice, - feed mill operation, fodder production, input supply, and breed improvement - was conducive to service contracts, and the establishment of a private veterinary profession, which significantly improved performance, as confirmed by subsequent reviews. Moreover, extension programs were successfully developed in support of farmers' associations, improved crop varieties were adopted, and significant progress was made with genetic improvement, and research and development. Lessons reinforce the importance of government commitment towards divestiture, particularly concerning privatization, emphasizing that the absence of commitment to policy adjustment, should deter project implementation. More importantly, policy reforms should complement institutional development and investments, where good roads and credit access are particularly important for rural, and private development, while investments in these areas may be sub-optimal in Bank lending.
Madagascar - A Developmental Approach to Community-Based School Management

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-01) Viens, Daniel

Over the past seven years, the Government of Madagascar has focused on involving communities in controlling their own primary schools. With the support of the World Bank, the Ministry of Education has developed and implemented principles, strategies, and procedures that move towards this objective. Implementation is addressed in the framework of the involvement of village communities not only in the rehabilitation, construction, and maintenance of primary schools, but also in their management and supervision. Collaboration between the Government and the Bank was based on five key guiding principles: a) the use of existing structures; b) needs are determined at the school level; c) a 'systemic' view or perspective; d) a working contract; and e) a holistic approach to problem-solving and management. The evaluation of school contracts was carried out by the ministry through the services of the district office staff. On the basis of the evaluation, at the end of each school year the ministry prepares a critical review of the strategy effectiveness as well as a program to update and improve it, in order to improve the year's program and approach.