Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs

415 items available

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https://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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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Malawi - The Emergency Drought Recovery Project
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-10) Mohan, P.C.
This project was designed and implemented (January 2003-November 2004) in response to Malawi's severe food crisis in 2002, caused by the drought and floods in 2001 and 2002, which resulted in a significant drop in maize output, the country's main staple food. The food crisis was exacerbated by a suboptimal harvest in the previous year. In addition, the Early Warning System (EWS) failed by predicting a food surplus when in fact a major food deficit was looming. Poor management of the Strategic Grain Reserve and an over-reliance on maize in the diet were additional factors which compounded the crisis. This combination of an IDA credit of $29 million equivalent and a grant of $21 million equivalent were used to finance 3 components. (i) Quick disbursing assistance to support critical imports through a positive list of import requirements linked to the drought and recovery efforts; (ii) Augmentation of the purchasing power of families whose incomes had been reduced as a result of the crisis; and (iii) Support for project implementation, technical assistance and studies. The bulk of the credit/grant ($40 million equivalent) went to support the first component.
Kenya - The Arid Lands Resource Management Project
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-02) Mohan, P.C.
The project ( 1996-2001 - US$22 million credit ) was uniquely designed as a risk management instrument - it conceived the establishment of a viable, government-run system of drought management, through early warning systems, contingency plans, mitigation and quick response. The design also devolved responsibility to the district and community level, encouraging civil servants and other district development actors to empower local communities in the design and implementation of development projects. The project built on the experience of others before it such as the Netherlands-supported Drought Management Project ( DMP ) and subsequently, the Drought Preparedness, Intervention and Recovery Project ( DPIRP ). The IDA-financed Emergency Drought Recovery Project (EDRP ) also provided useful insights.
Guinea - Health and Nutrition
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-03) Mohan, P.C.
This project was implemented over the period 1994-2002 with a World Bank credit of $24.6 million. The objective was to improve the health status of the population of Middle and Lower Guinea (the prefectures of Boke, Kindia, Mamou and Labe regions), especially the most vulnerable groups of the population, by increasing quality and access to low-cost basic health services. This was to be accomplished through (1) expansion of service coverage and quality improvement of health, nutrition and family planning services; and (2) strengthening sector organization, management and resource mobilization and community participation in order to build a sustainable program.
A European Market for Malian Mangoes
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-01) Mohan, P.C.
In 2001 a pilot operation to export mangoes from Mali was set up as part of the new operation plan of the Agro-Processing Trading Project (Projet d'Appui ?a Valorisation et Commercialisation des Produits Agricoles - PAVCOPA), financed by the World Bank. The objective of the project was to provide technical support to the Agricultural Trading and Processing Promotion Agency (Agence pour la Promotion des Fili?s Agricoles - APROFA), a non-profit, government-funded agency responsible for providing marketing opportunities for smallholders' agricultural products. The pilot operation set an unprecedented experience in establishing a multi-modal shipment system connecting the Malian Southern town of Sikasso to Abidjan and improving every step of the supply-chain (from production to packaging) in order to export mangoes grown by Malian smallholders to Northern Europe. The operation was highly successful and led to its expansion in the subsequent years.
Mali : The Selingue Rehabilitation Project
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-11) Mohan, P.C.
The main objective of this project (1996-2002), assisted by both the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, with an initial IDA credit of US$ 27.50 million, which rose to US$ 34.21 million equivalent due to exchange rate fluctuation, was to repair and rehabilitate the Selingue Hydropower plant built 26 years ago. Other objectives were: (i) maintain the electricity supply/demand balance by increasing the thermal capacity of the system and implement an energy-efficient program; (ii) improve the capacity of the Energie du Mali (EDM) to properly operate, maintain and supervise its power generation facilities; and (iii) prepare a long-term institutional framework and regulatory system for the power sector and privatize EDM.
Nigeria : The National Fadama Development Project
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2002-12) Mohan, P.C.
The objectives of the loan (1993-1999) were to build on the achievements of some of the Northern agricultural development projects (ADPs) in developing small-scale irrigation through the extraction of shallow groundwater with low-cost petrol-driven pumps. By making agricultural production less dependent on erratic rainfall, farmers' incomes were expected to be raised and food security augmented. this article, largely excerpted from the Implementation Completion Report no. 19730 describes the project's impact, lists the lessons learned, and underscores the aims of the follow-up project in preparation.
Tanzania : Managing Forest Resources
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2002-01) Mohan, P.C.
During the 1970s and 1980s in Tanzania, there was a widespread perception, though a somewhat narrow, and inaccurate one, that high and accelerating rates of deforestation in some areas, was primarily being driven by demand for woodfuel, and construction timber. In order to take a more comprehensive, and strategic view of the sector, the government launched the Tanzania Forestry Action Plan, which covered the period 1990/91-2007/08. The Bank-assisted Tanzania Forest Resources Management Project (FRMP - 1992/99) was formulated to implement the Action Plan, and to generally improve forest management in Tanzania. The note looks at the FRMP - aimed at strengthening the institutions responsible for developing forest, and land policies, as well as regional, and district forestry services in selected areas - through its impact on the ground, and provides a number of lessons learned.
Indigenous Knowledge for Development
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-11) Mohan, P.C.
The Indigenous Knowledge for Development Program, started in 1998, was the Bank's response to clients, and civil society who called for a more systematic integration of the indigenous knowledge (IK) in the development process. The program developed partnerships, and collaborative links with mostly nongovernmental organizations-operated IK resource centers in Africa, and, its objectives include raising awareness about the potential use of IK in development, disseminating pertinent information, and integrating IK into Bank projects, and capacity building of local institutions. The note reviews the impact on the ground of Bank projects, of research cooperation between NGOs, and/or other institutions on medicinal plants, of sharing environmental management programs, and of information exchange and dissemination. Lessons address the need to recognize IK existing trends, and institutionalize selectively, while seeking partnerships to foster the process with a national, local, and institutional official support. Moreover, lessons stress the need for wider stakeholder involvement, to pursue, and enrich the development process.
Mozambique : Capacity Building for Integrated Coastal Zone Management
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-08) Mohan, P.C.
The coastal zone of Eastern Africa includes the coastal lowlands from Sudan to South Africa, the nearshore islands off the coasts of Tanzania and Mozambique, and the oceanic islands of Madagascar, the Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius, and Reunion. In some of the countries of the sub-region, at least 80 percent of the population can be considered coastal. Overexploitation of coastal and marine resources and the degradation of the resource base could significantly limit the sub-region's potential for sustainable economic growth and development. In 1997, the Secretariat for Eastern African Coastal Area Management was launched in Maputo, Mozambique, to assist countries in the East African Region to coordinate and implement Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) activities. Capacity building and the need for enhanced information sharing were seen as critical issues. Critical skills that needed to be built up included techniques for problem solving, strategic planning, project/program monitoring and evaluation, and conflict resolution. In mid-1998, an Institutional Development Fund Grant for US$396,000 from the World Bank was provided for promoting Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the sub-region. Technical assistance, training, and equipment were provided to build capacity, particularly at the provincial and local levels where capacity is virtually non-existent. This Note summarizes the impact on the ground and the lessons learned from such implementation.