Botswana | World Bank

Botswana - Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project

The project's development objective (PDO) of the Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project in the Botswana is: (i) to mitigate human-wildlife conflict through proactive prevention interventions in selected rural communities in Northern Botswana; and (ii) to offer local people in the project areas employment choices in wildlife-based tourism to benefit directly from the presence of wildlife. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is strengthened extension service delivery for human-wildlife coexistence interventions. This component will strengthen Departments of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP's) extension service delivery for human-wildlife coexistence strategies such as proactive wildlife conflict interventions. It will address administrative and operational capacity requirements of DWNP at district level for planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring of Human- Wildlife-Conflict (HWC) management in the three project areas. The second component of the project is strengthened capacity of rural target population to implement human-wildlife-coexistence strategies. The component concerns to strengthen the capacity of the rural target populations in undertaking proactive prevention measures to mitigate HWC impacts and to improve skills of selected local community members to become more competitive for Botswana's tourism industry. Component two, consequently, addresses simultaneously reducing vulnerability and increasing rural livelihood and income opportunities. HWC interventions will focus on tested conflict mitigation based on elephant deterrents which can easily be demonstrated and supported, while piloting additional approaches to mitigate livestock-predator conflict. The third component of the project is project management support. This component concerns to strengthen DWNP's capacity to efficiently administer project funds, as well as coordinate and implement project activities. It also aims to improve the project's external communications, including the establishment of a permanent information dissemination forum to involve all relevant stakeholders and development partners.

Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project

The objectives of the Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project are to support Botswana in: (i) developing reliable and affordable supply of electricity for energy security; (ii) promoting alternative energy resources for low-carbon growth; and (iii) building its institutional capacity in the energy sector. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is Morupule generation expansion. This component, to be implemented by Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), includes three distinct and integral infrastructure subcomponents as follows: the first sub-component is Morupule B power station involves construction of a 600 MW coal-fired power station, adjacent to the existing Morupule A Power Station near Palapye, in the eastern part of the country; the second sub-component is transmission system involves construction, supply and installation of: (a) Morupule Phokoje 400 kV transmission line (102 kilometer (km) and associated equipment; and (b) Morupule-Isang 400 kV transmission line (215 km) and associated equipment; and the third sub-component of the project is water supply system involves construction of: (a) pipeline from the new Paje well field to the Morupule B Power Station (80 km) for backup supply; and (b) power supply line for the new Paje well field. The second component of the project is alternative energy development. This component will support diversification of Botswana's economy through a low-carbon growth strategy. Given Botswana's energy endowment, its cleaner fuel options are to develop coal-bed methane and to explore solar thermal, while examining prospects for carbon capture and storage as a means to mitigate climate change impacts. The third component of the project is institution and capacity building. This component covers project implementation assistance, institutional and capacity building for BPC and the Ministry of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources (MMEWR).

Status of projects in execution (SOPE) - FY09 : Africa region - Botswana

The Status of Projects in Execution (SOPE) report for FY09 provides information on all International Bank and Rural Development (IBRD)/International Development Association (IDA) projects that were active on June 30, 2009. The report is intended to bridge the gap in information available to the public between the project appraisal document, disclosed after the Bank approves a project, and the implementation completion report, disclosed after the project closes. In addition to the project progress description, the FY09 SOPE report contains project level comparisons of disbursement estimates and actual disbursements, and a table showing the loan/credit/grant amount and disbursements to date for all active projects.

Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project

Botswana - Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project

Botswana - Human Wildlife Conflict Management in Northern Botswana Project : environmental and social management framework

The objective of the Human Wildlife Conflict Management in Northern Botswana Project is to reduce human-wildlife-conflict in targeted hotspot areas in Northern Botswana. Negative measures include: natural habitat; loss of crops; increasing impoverishment of rural communities; loss of livestock, increasing impoverishment, particularly of women (in relation to small livestock); and loss of food stocks and water sources. Mitigation measures include: a) proper training in deterrent activities for Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and community members, to enable them to assess and act appropriately, supervision and monitoring is essential; b) to reduce livestock predation in areas where lions are absent, provide 'maternity kraals' for pregnant females and calves to better protect vulnerable calves during day and night. In areas close to a reserve where lions roam, enhance herders' incentives to keep all livestock protected in a kraal at night, as predation incidents normally occurs at night and outside kraals; and c) provision must be made for coordination, monitoring, follow-through, and extension support to farmers.

Botswana - Country partnership strategy : chairman's concluding remarks

Abbreviated resettlement action plan

The objectives of the Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project are to expand domestic power generation capacity that will support sustained economic growth in Botswana; and build institutional capacity for sustainable development of the energy sector. Negative measures include: loss of top soil, ground water pollution due to hydrocarbon spillage, air quality, flora and fauna, and increase in noise pollution during construction. Mitigation measures include: a) all vehicles and equipment should be monitored and maintained in good working order; b) all sirens should have appropriate directional and volume settings; c) maintenance of vehicles should only be carried out in designated areas within towns or in the construction camp; d) materials capable of resulting in poor quality leachates will not be used for the construction of roads or other infrastructure; e) number and extent of borrow pits should be kept to the minimum possible for the economic supply of construction materials; f) roads should be constructed with calcrete or laterite, which will maintain its form for longer; g) to preserve as much of the animals' habitats as possible; and h) to prevent the loss of a viable seed bank in the stockpiled topsoil.

Abbreviated resettlement action plan

The overall objectives of the Botswana Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project are to: (i) secure reliable and affordable supply of electricity as soon as possible; and (ii) to build institutional capacity for sustainable development of the energy sector. Negative measures include: valuation of assets, land, reconstruction of buildings, and compensation for crop loss. Mitigation measures include: compensation to the family will consist of an equivalent plot of land located approximately five-six km from Palapye in a similar setting of undeveloped land. The location should allow them to continue present livelihood activities which include: collection of firewood, mopane worms and other fruits for sale in Palapye, and growing of some crops for their own consumption. Compensation will also consist of assistance by Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) with the process of resettlement, including moving the family's belongings and assisting with reconstruction of housing, structures, and fencing. Subject to the family's agreement, BPC may also assist by providing materials and labor to improve the standard of the buildings with more durable materials. BPC will also provide compensation equivalent to this year's foregone crop opportunities as the family did not plant their usual subsistence crops, aware that they will be moved.

Draft resettlement policy framework

Botswana - Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project

Indigenous people's planning framework

The overall objective of the Human Wildlife Conflict Management in Northern Botswana Project is to assist in strengthening conservation, sustainable use and mainstreaming wildlife and biodiversity in Botswana's economic development, through policy and institutional reforms, strengthening community-Based Natural Management (CBNRM) policy and implementation, and on-the-ground interventions in high biodiversity and conflict areas, focused on livelihood-enhancing community participation in wildlife management, conflict resolution, and monitoring and evaluation. Some of the negative impacts and their mitigation measures are: 1) education and training to: a) sensitize and inform people, especially communities living close to the wildlife areas, of the ecological and economic (tourism) importance of large carnivores, and of potential impacts to wildlife quotas of eliminating predators; b) how to behave to minimise risks, and c) develop a community farmer's insurance scheme including provisions for life assurance. Support groups and buddy program. Case-by-case investigation and appropriate action; 2) extent of fencing to be limited to field cluster itself, not to wider area; require environmental impact assessment (EIA) for fencing proposals, specifically relating to animal movement impacts; and 3) proper training in deterrent activities for Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and community members, to enable them to assess and act appropriately; supervision and monitoring is essential.

Botswana - Integrated Transport Project

The development objective of the Integrated Transport Project for Botswana is to enhance the efficiency of the transport system by building modern business management capacity, and improving the strategic planning aspects of inter-regional transport and critical transport infrastructure. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is capacity building, institutional strengthening, and training. This component comprises provision of technical advisory services to undertake; (i) a number of pre-investment activities; and (ii) a capacity-building, knowledge transfer, and institutional strengthening and training program. It aims to introduce strategic planning and transport integration, modem methods of management and contracting, technology improvement, knowledge development, and sharing. The second component of the project is road sector investment. This component introduces a pilot long term output and performance based road contracting (OPRC) method for a road asset management program covering some 800km of rural and semi-urban road in Kanye road depot, as well as the provision of technical advisory services to monitor the progress and quality of works. The work cycle will include all required activities in order to reach the designed level of service on the specific road network from engineering to the final users' satisfaction point of view. The third component of the project is urban roads infrastructure investment. This component comprises the implementation of an urban traffic improvement program in Greater Gaborone city and technical advisory services to supervise construction of the improvement works under this component. The investment aims to solve the urgent urban congestions along the major city roads/streets and intersections introducing modem and advanced planning, design and implementation techniques.

Botswana - Country partnership strategy for the period FY09 - FY13

This Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) presents the World Bank's indicative program for Botswana for the period FY09 to FY13. This first-ever Bank strategy for Botswana comes in response to increased interest from the Government of Botswana for a scaled-up World Bank Group (WBG) program that has been limited in the 15 years. The strategy has been developed in consultation with the Government of Botswana, and is linked to the national development priorities as set forth in Botswana's long term development strategy 'Vision 2016', and it's National Development Plans (NDPs). The CPS will support the final year of NDP9 (2003-2008) and the first four years of NDP10 (2009-2016). Government policies and programs aimed at improving competitiveness and wealth redistribution although generally well designed and executed transparently have not been effective enough and often lack in implementation. Many in the country today believe that the plethora of public programs may indeed have inadvertently led to a 'dependency culture' in the economy and in society. Lastly, in more recent years, the tremendous burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has increased costs for the fiscus and companies, and continues to pose a major sustainability risk to the economy, and a great burden on People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), their families, communities and society as a whole. It appears that, as a result of a combination of these factors, poverty and inequality have not decreased sufficiently in Botswana. Government fully realizes that unless it can solve this distributional challenge going forward, growth cannot be sustained over time. Government is looking to its development partners for assistance in designing policy options and providing financing to address these challenges. Overall access to electricity is poor in comparison with other countries in the region, with 31 percent access levels, let alone in comparison to other upper-middle-income countries. In part this is a result of the country's spatially dispersed population and economic activity, but it also reflects the limited level of domestic power generation. The Government of Botswana has therefore made the development of domestic electricity generation a national priority and is looking for assistance from its development partners.

Environmental management plan for 400 kV line from the Morupule B Power Station to the Phokoje Substation

Environmental and social management framework

Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project

Botswana - Integrated Transport Project

Promoting Human-Wildlife Coexistence: Botswana Shows the Way

2009-11-20T19:29:45.000Z

Contacts:

In Pretoria:

Mmenyane Seoposengwe

+27-12-348-8895

mseoposengwe@worldbank.org

In Washington:

Francois Gouahinga

202-473-0696

fgouahinga@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2009 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors yesterday approved a US$5.5 million grant to the Government of Botswana for an innovative program designed to enhance human wildlife coexistence by engaging communities in managing natural resources and protecting biodiversity in northern Botswana. The project is financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the World Bank.

Preventing human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a key sustainable development challenge in wildlife-rich countries such as Botswana. For example, when large, roving pachyderm populations travel along migratory corridors they can damage crops and livestock in subsistence farming areas. Botswana currently spends $6.8 million annually to compensate farmers for crop and livestock losses.

“There are many development benefits to be gained by fostering human-wildlife coexistence,” said Ruth Kagia, World Bank Country Director for Botswana. “By engaging communities, we are not only laying the foundations for sustainable rural development in biodiversity-rich areas but also helping to protect Botswana’s unique patrimony of wildlife for posterity.”

Left unmanaged, HWC poses one of the major threats to the survival of elephants and large predator species such as lions.

The project will support focused interventions in 13 villages, with a combined population of 12,000 people, located along three primary wetlands in northern Botswana. The project areas are situated in demarcated wildlife management areas that have been established to serve as migratory corridors for facilitating wildlife movements between the network of parks and reserves. Botswana’s unique environment and wildlife is an important source of tourism revenues estimated at $1.6 billion annually.

“This is long-term sustainable development in action. I applaud the Government of Botswana for their dedication and foresight in addressing human-wildlife coexistence,” said Inger Andersen, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in the Africa Region.

Specifically, the project seeks to:

· Enable 1,500 households to implement proven elephant-restraining techniques such as chili-pepper deterrence;

· Strengthen eco-tourism related competencies of communities living in the project areas;

· Improve extension service delivery for human-wildlife coexistence interventions by the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) by providing training in strategic and operations management, mobilizing communities for proactive wildlife conflict interventions, and setting up geographical information system equipment and technical support, and

· Implement a proactive communications strategy to engage stakeholders and disseminate project-related information for community engagement.

“When designing the project, we consulted extensively with communities and benefited from their knowledge,” said Juan Gaviria, World Bank Sector Leader for Sustainable Development. “Our interventions are focused on innovative and proactive human-wildlife coexistence techniques with proven potential.”

“When local communities are involved in addressing human wildlife conflict they are better positioned to take advantage of employment and income-generating opportunities offered from wildlife related tourism,” adds Karsten Feuerriegel, a World Bank biodiversity specialist and Project Leader located in Pretoria, South Africa.

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For more information:

www.worldbank.org/afr

www.thegef.org

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

Botswana: Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project

2009-11-19T21:48:25.000Z

WASHINGTON, November 19, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:

IDA Grant: US$5.5 million equivalent

Project ID: P095617

Project Description: The Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project aims to mitigate human-wildlife conflict through proactive prevention interventions in selected rural communities in Northern Botswana, and to offer local people in the project areas employment choices in wildlife-based tourism.

Media Contact

Francois Gouahinga

(202) 473-0696

fgouahinga@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P095617

The project Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project is now in the pipeline.

2009-11-05T05:00:00.000Z

The project Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project has changed to Active

2009-10-31T04:00:00.000Z

The project Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

World Bank Financing for Continued Growth, Enhanced Poverty Reduction in Botswana

2009-10-30T18:15:06.000Z

Media Contacts
In Pretoria: Sarwat Hussain +27 73 888 1778 shussain@worldbank.org

Mmenyane Seoposengwe +27 73 888 4598
mseoposengwe@worldbank.org

In Washington: Heather Worley +1 202 458 4857

hworley@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, October 29, 2009 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$136.4 million loan for the Morupule ‘B’ Generation and Transmission Project, a direct response to requests from the Government of Botswana to support its drive for energy security. The Board also approved a Partial Credit Guarantee of US$242.7 million of commercial bank financing for the project. The financing will help secure a reliable electricity supply for the country’s economic growth and poverty reduction programs. Financing will also help Botswana prepare a robust low-carbon growth strategy (consistent with the current Tenth National Development Plan: 2009-2016), strengthen management skills in the power sector, and establish a new, independent electricity regulator.

In considering the financing proposal, the Board of Executive Directors noted Botswana’s strong commitment to democracy and development and its remarkable successes in achieving economic growth and poverty reduction through prudent management of its mineral resources. Botswana currently imports almost 80% of its power from South Africa, which is being scaled down and will stop completely in 2012 due to growing energy shortages in South Africa and the region.

President Seretse Khama Ian Khama has stated that without new sources of electricity, “the economic development of my country would be seriously compromised … The living standards of Botswana would be in serious jeopardy on account of fewer job opportunities, as well as the lack of resources with which to improve programmes in nutrition, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, health, sanitation, education, and other social services”. President Khama also has stated that his Government “is fully committed to the Kyoto protocol and to playing its part in the reduction of Green House Gas emissions…..clean energy technologies are given prominence in the current National Development Plan”.

The project that the World Bank is supporting will see the construction of the 600 megawatt Morupule ‘B’ coal-fired power station, accompanied by related transmission lines and a water supply system. Moreover, the project will support the country’s evolving low-carbon growth strategy, including fast-track exploration of alternatives such as coal-bed methane (CBM), concentrated solar power (CSP), and new, emerging technologies such as carbon capture and storage. In addition, the financing will provide for the establishment of an independent energy regulator, and also help to improve project implementation capacity at Botswana Power Corporation and the Botswana Ministry of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources.

“Botswana needs to act swiftly to ensure its energy security, and ensure economic growth and diversification,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. “With only half of the Botswana population having access to electricity, the Morupule’B’ project will help to not only increase generation capacity and access but also serve as a down payment for a greener future.”

The World Bank has established strict selection standards under its Strategic Framework for Development and Climate Change for projects such as Morupule B. These include examining how to optimize energy sources by considering the possibility of meeting the country’s needs through energy efficiency and conservation; consideration of viable low-carbon alternatives to least-cost options and verification that projects use the best appropriate available technology to allow for higher efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

“Achieving energy security is a national strategic priority for Botswana,” said Ponatshego Kedikilwe, Botswana’s Minister of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources. “The Morupule ‘B’ project is essential for boosting energy generation capacity, catalyzing economic growth, and reducing poverty.”

The project, which was developed through an extensive consultation process in Botswana at the local and national level, will help the Government of Botswana move to a lower-carbon growth path in the medium-term, potentially harnessing solar energy from the Kalahari Desert, developing coal-bed methane as an attractive low-carbon energy resource, and exploring promising options for carbon storage in Botswana’s favorable geological structures. This approach has the potential to have a demonstration effect for mitigating climate change in the region.

The solution adopted responds to the immediate needs of the people of Botswana” said Ruth Kagia, World Bank Country Director for Botswana. “But the project also supports Botswana’s determination to step up efforts to address climate change mitigation and adaption.”

For more information, please visit:

www.worldbank.org/africa

www.bpc.bw

Botswana: Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project

2009-10-29T18:17:38.000Z

WASHINGTON, October 29, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:

IBRD Loan: US$136.4 million

Terms: Maturity = 30 years; Grace Period = 4 years

Partial Credit Guarantee: US$242.7 million equivalent

Terms: Maturity = 20 years; Grace Period = 15 years

Project ID: P112516

Project Description: The Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project in Botswana aims to develop reliable and affordable supply of electricity for energy security, promote alternative energy resources for low-carbon growth, and build its institutional capacity in the energy sector.

Media Contact

Francois Gouahinga

(202) 473-0696

fgouahinga@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P112516

The project Integrated Transport has changed to Active

2009-05-30T04:00:00.000Z

The project Integrated Transport has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

Call for Action to Mitigate Effects of the Financial Crisis on Africa

2009-02-05T21:38:43.000Z

Contacts:
In Addis Ababa: Gelila Woodeneh: 1 (251) 62 77 00
gwoodeneh@worldbank.org
In Washington, DC: Herbert Boh: (1) 202 473- 3548
hboh@worldbank.org

ADDIS ABABA, February 4, 2009 – African economies, which were on the verge of turning the corner following more than a decade of faster and steadier economic growth, now desperately need new funding to mitigate contagion from the global financial crisis, the World Bank said Tuesday.

“We call on rich countries to keep Africa in mind as they design programs to help their economies weather the financial crisis,” the World Bank’s Vice-President for the Africa Region, Obiageli Ezekwesili, said during a video press conference from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was attending the African Union summit.

Connected via video to journalists in 21 other African capitals, Ezekwesili said it was crucial for wealthier nations not to focus on “insular” domestic responses to the crisis. She reiterated a call made earlier by World Bank President Robert Zoellick for donor countries to devote 0.7 percent of the amount of their stimulus packages to a Vulnerability Fund for Africa.

She explained that the Fund would direct spending to projects that are urgently needed to avert the growing unemployment, now building across Africa, as a result of the closure of mining operations, the suspension or cancellation of projects in sectors hardest-hit by a reversal of private capital flows, and tighter public budgets, the fall in commodity prices, and the shrinking of revenue from tourism and remittances.

The Fund would also finance safety net programs, attending to the basic needs of the poorest of the poor: health, education, school feeding projects, basic inputs for farmers, etc. It would help sustain the flow of credit to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the engines of growth, job and wealth creation.

The Fund, which the World Bank is asking the G20 summit expected to hold in London next April 2 to help set up, would support investments in infrastructure projects that can build a foundation for future productivity and growth in Africa and other poor countries.

To sustain support for aid and the kind of fresh funding proposed under the Vulnerability Fund, Ezekwesili urged African governments to stay the course of public sector reforms; helping to build more capable states; train and retain competent civil servants who demonstrate integrity and tackle inefficiencies in state bureaucracies.

She called on African governments to improve the efficiency of public expenditures, pointing to the need to scrap subsidies that benefit those Africans who do not need them, for those that are better targeted in favor of the poor. A staggering one half of Africa’s US$40 billion annual financing gap for much-needed infrastructure could be closed by improving the efficiency in the way the public service functions.

She urged resource-rich countries, to improve adherence to transparency and accountability mechanisms; to ensure that revenue from natural resources are invested in sustainable poverty alleviation programs; to promote pro-poor growth and to diversify their economies beyond non-renewable sources of wealth.

“Countries like Zambia and other mineral-rich African nations must articulate a development strategy and make policy choices that would guarantee prosperity for ‘a Zambia without copper’,” the World Bank Vice President said, in reply to a question from a Lusaka-based journalist. She said citizens’ groups, the media and parliaments must all play more active roles in holding governments and donors accountable.

“The citizens of Africa are the continent’s most valuable asset,” Ezekwesili said, stressing the importance of tertiary education in building Africa’s skills to compete in a truly globalized economy. She said education, innovation and the technological leap-frogging offered by ICTs (information and communications technology) would help those African economies that invest in them to build the knowledge economy of the future.

“Those who can pay should pay but governments should provide scholarships and other forms of assistance to ensure that poor students who deserve to can attend university,” Ezekwesili said, in response to a question on tertiary education in Tanzania.

She acknowledged the need for governments to stick only to those things they do best – allowing space for the private sector to thrive in what businesses do.

“Governments cannot abandon their regulatory role, especially when it comes to ensuring that their financial sectors work efficiently,” Ezekwesili said.

Some analysts have blamed ineffective regulatory mechanisms for the current global financial crisis.

Initially underestimated, contagion from what started as a crisis in the US subprime mortgage sector, poses a real threat of rolling back gains in poverty alleviation in Africa that had been fuelled by healthy growth rates ranging from 5.9 percent to 8.1 percent for about 65 percent of Africa’s population during 1997-2007. Although still fragile, that growth had clearly broken with a past marked by the economic collapse of the decade 1975-1985 and the stagnation experienced in 1985-1995. Ensuring that Africa also benefits from initiatives to stimulate economies in the North would help restore that growth and return Africa and the world to a path of prosperity.

For more information about the work of the World Bank in Africa, visit:
www.worldbank.org/afr

New Project to Strengthen HIV/AIDS Prevention Efforts in Botswana

2009-01-29T16:09:47.000Z

Contacts:

In Washington: Rachel McColgan-Arnold (202) 458-5299

rmccolgan@worldbank.org

In Pretoria: Sarwat Hussain (+27)12 431 3124

shussain@worldbank.org

Mmenyane Seoposengwe (+27) 12 431 3103

mseoposengwe@worldbank.org

Washington, DC, January 29, 2009 – Botswana’s efforts in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic received a welcome boost, thanks to an innovative US$50 million project that includes a “buy-down” design being implemented for the first time in Africa.

Botswana, one of the countries in the region most afflicted by HIV/AIDS, is facing an uphill challenge in combating the epidemic. An estimated 283,000 Botswana adults, many in their prime are suffering from the debilitating disease. The national adult prevalence rate is nearly 24 percent.

“The Government of Botswana is committed to intensifying the battle against HIV/AIDS,” said Hon. Baledzi Gaolathe, Botswana’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, at a project signing ceremony held in Gaborone today. “The funds will help us to increase the coverage, efficiency and sustainability of our interventions.”

The project’s “buy down” design allows a donor, in this case the European Commission, to ‘buy’ the interest on the loan, essentially making it a no-cost transaction. Botswana’s status as a middle income country precludes it from receiving concessional financing from the World Bank, hence the need for a financing instrument specifically tailored to the country’s needs. The design is being looked at as a potential model to support development efforts in other middle-income countries. China benefited from a similar, anti-tuberculosis project.

“The World Bank applauds the Government of Botswana’s efforts in tackling this raging epidemic,” said Ruth Kagia, World Bank Country Director for Botswana, at the signing ceremony. “But we cannot afford to be complacent. Success in the battle against this insidious disease requires all hands to be on deck, suitably armed with financing and fundamental change of behavior to accomplish the job.”

Botswana has notched some impressive gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Beginning in 2002, it was the first African country to provide no-cost, antiretroviral therapy to all citizens. By June 2008, antiretroviral coverage had expanded to an estimated 93 percent of the population. These concerted efforts, together with introduction of a routine HIV testing policy, have successfully halved the number of AIDS-related deaths.

The project is a good example of a country-led effort. The multi-partner project steering committee is chaired by Botswana’s National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA), and includes representatives of the European Commission, U.S. Government, United Nations agencies, the private sector (Merck) and civil society, including the Gates Foundation, among others.

The disease has exacted a heavy toll on the country with many lives lost. Between 1991 and 2003 mortality rates in Botswana tripled, severely distorting the population structure. Life expectancy has decreased to 56 years. Were it not for the epidemic, the Botswana Census Bureau estimates that life expectancy would be 70 years. By 2010, projections show that more than 20 percent of all children in Botswana will have lost one, or both parents, to the disease.

“We are delighted to strengthen the capacity of the Government of Botswana in fighting the disease,” said Ambassador Paul Malin, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Botswana and Southern African Development Community. “We look forward to speedy implementation of the project, so that the benefits can touch the lives of common people who are suffering from the adverse effects of the disease.”

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For more information

www.gov.bw

www.worldbank.org/botswana

www.worldbank.org/aids

www.ec.europa.eu

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

The project Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project is now in the pipeline.

2009-01-23T05:00:00.000Z

The project Botswana - Morupule B Generation and Transmission Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

Consultations on the Bank Web Site

2008-12-09T15:37:38.000Z

Dear reader,

A few years ago, the World Bank’s Web site was noted as a leader among development organizations’ websites. As technology has rapidly advanced and user expectations evolved, our Web site too needs to change and adapt.

You come to our Web site because you are looking for the latest information on development. Our project information, data and research assist you in tackling your challenges or keeping up on the Bank’s activities.

Now we’re catching up. We are revamping our Web site and expanding our online capabilities to better satisfy our business needs and meet audience demands.

We’re examining all aspects of the site—content, technology, business needs and audience demands—to figure out what needs to stay, be improved or be removed.

This is a complex undertaking. We are currently gathering information to determine requirements for our future site.

Through our open online consultation, we are looking for comments from anyone who wishes to discuss their information needs and any difficulties they encounter with the site. The online consultation period ends on December 31, 2008.

All feedback we receive will inform the future design and functionality of the Web site by informing Bank management on audience needs.

Our ultimate goal is to make the Web site better support the institution’s mission of fighting global poverty and helping countries develop.

Your feedback will bring us closer to this goal.

Thank you,

Angie Gentile
Managing Editor, www.worldbank.org

Global Food and Fuel Crisis Will Increase Malnourished by 44 Million

2008-10-08T17:30:00.000Z

Contacts:
In Washington :Carl Hanlon 202-473-8087; chanlon@worldbank.org;
Philip Hay 202-473-1796
phay@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, October 8, 2008 – High food and fuel prices will increase the number of malnourished people around the world in 2008 by 44 million to reach a total of 967 million, a report from the World Bank says.

While food and fuel price increases may have moderated in recent months, prices remain much higher than previous years and show few signs of declining significantly, according to the report entitled “Rising food and fuel prices: addressing the risks to future generations”. Poor families around the world are being pushed to the brink of survival, causing irreparable damage to the health of millions of children. As families cut back on spending, there are also grave risks for the educational performance of poor children.

“While people in the developed world are focused on the financial crisis, many forget that a human crisis is rapidly unfolding in developing countries. It is pushing poor people to the brink of survival,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “The financial crisis will only make it more difficult for developing countries to protect their most vulnerable people from the impact of rising food and fuel costs.”

The report, due to be presented on Sunday to the Development Committee at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF, says the food and fuel crisis could have long term effects on poor people and countries. Malnourished children cannot develop into healthy adults and become productive members of society who can contribute to the growth needed to lift themselves and their country out of poverty.

The report says priority should be given to a series of targeted measures. These include:

Making existing targeted cash (or near cash) transfer programs more generous;
Getting nutrition to infants and pregnant women;
expanding so-called ”in-kind” food distribution programs including school feeding and the distribution of fortified calorically dense food;
using fee waivers, lifeline-pricing and other forms of targeted subsidies for poor users/consumers; and
introducing additional measures to prevent children from dropping out of school, such as fee waivers, subsidies for school inputs, or cash transfers.

The report also argues that allocating the necessary amount of budget to finance an expansion of safety net programs may require pruning less-priority spending in other areas. But it notes that well-designed safety net programs do not have to be prohibitively expensive to be effective. Some of the most successful programs in the world cost well under 1 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Moreover, investing in safety net programs now will give governments new tools to address not just the current crisis, but future ones as well.

In May, the World Bank launched a $1.2 billion rapid financing facility to help poor countries cope with the food crisis. Since then, around US$850 million has been committed to finance seeds, plantings, and feeding programs. In April, Zoellick called for a New Deal for Global Food Policy that included short, medium and long-term measures to provide immediate help to poor people and farmers while increasing food production.

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For more information on the Bank's work in nutrition, please visit: www.worldbank.org/nutrition

and for more on social safety nets, click here: www.worldbank.org/safetynets

The project Botswana National HIV/AIDS Prevention Support Project has changed to Active

2008-07-13T04:00:00.000Z

The project Botswana National HIV/AIDS Prevention Support Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The objective of the National HIV/AIDS Prevention Support Project is to assist the Government of Botswana to increase the coverage, efficiency, and sustainability of targeted and evidence-based HIV/AIDS interventions through: (i) strengthening the National AIDS coordinating agency's institutional management and coordination capacity; and (ii) financing strategic and innovative HIV/AIDS-related prevention and mitigation activities. It is envisioned that this project development objective would be measured by utilizing indicators addressing the longer-term planning, implementation, and effectiveness of national and decentralized coordination efforts. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is to support AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA). The NACA component will provide very focused and strategic attention to build internal capacity to coordinate HIV/AIDS activities effectively, both for the project and the program more generally. The second component of the project is public sector ministries. This component will support public sector line ministries focusing on prioritized public sector mainstreaming initiatives in line with the national strategic framework. The third and the final component of the project is civil society organizations private sector. This component has been allocated the majority of the project funds, reflecting the importance of the civil society organizations in the achievement of project activities.

World Bank Supports Botswana’s Efforts to Fight HIV/AIDS

2008-07-10T21:00:00.000Z

Contacts

In Washington: Beldina Auma (202) 458 7303

baumaowuor@worldbank.org;

In Pretoria: Mallory Saleson (+27-12) 431-3100

msaleson@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 – The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a loan of US$50 million over five years to the Government of Botswana to assist the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a key government priority in the hard-hit southern African country. The Botswana National HIV/AIDS Prevention Support (BNAPS) Project leverages a European Commission grant allocation of US$20 million to finance the “buy-down” of this IBRD project, which effectively enables a zero-interest project loan.

The IBRD loan buy-down mechanism was developed to increase the flexibility and concessionality of funding for projects where it is justified by global public good or cross-border externalities—in this case targeting a priority health intervention. To date, the buy-down mechanism has been piloted in one other IBRD project, in support of tuberculosis control in China.

World Bank Senior Health Specialist Sheila Dutta, project leader, says the project development objective is to assist the Government of Botswana to increase the coverage, efficiency, and sustainability of targeted and evidence-based HIV/AIDS interventions. “This will be done financing strategic and innovative HIV/AIDS-related prevention and mitigation activities, particularly at community-level.” The BNAPS Project is designed to strengthen and support the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework, with emphasis on the prioritized goals of prevention and strengthened management of the national response.

World Bank Lead Operations Officer for Botswana, Dirk Reinermann, notes that the project is also fully aligned with the draft Interim Strategy Note for Botswana which is expected to be presented to the Board in late-2008. “The forthcoming Interim Strategy Note, which is the first-ever Bank strategy for Botswana, includes HIV/AIDS among its three strategic priorities”.

The first case of HIV infection in Botswana was diagnosed in 1985. It is estimated that as of 2008, the national adult prevalence in Botswana (among adults over 15 years) is 23.8 percent. The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana has already partly undermined the very significant socioeconomic development achievements realized in Botswana over the past decades.

Existing institutions in Botswana will implement the BNAPS Project. However, where needed, the project will help ensure that the existing institutions, systems and processes are strengthened to help ensure improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall national response. The three main project components are: support to the National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA); support to public sector ministries in line with the National Strategic Framework; and the majority of project funding for civil society organizations and the private sector, reflecting their importance in achieving national program goals.

The World Bank is working closely with other key development partners, including PEPFAR (the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ), (CDC/USAID), African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), European Commission, and the UN family, in supporting NACA’s goal of establishing a stronger and more coordinated response to HIV/AIDS in Botswana. The Project will support Joint Annual National Program reviews with all key partners.

Expanding its HIV/AIDS response in Southern Africa is an institutional and partnership commitment by the Bank. The rationale for the development of a specific operational strategy for Botswana derives from both the extraordinarily high burden of HIV/AIDS-related disease and the need for innovative financial instruments to enable greater Bank engagement. The Southern Africa sub-region – comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland – is paradoxically, both the most economically developed sub-region in Sub-Saharan Africa (all but Lesotho are IBRD countries), and the epicenter of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

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For more information on the World Bank’s activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, please visit: http://www.worldbank.org/afr

For more information about the World Bank’s activities in Botswana, please visit: www.worldbank.org/botswana

For more information about this project visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=322804&menuPK=322845&Projectid=P102299

For more information about the Bank’s HIV/AIDS program visit: www.worldbank.org/aids

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

Botswana National HIV/AIDS Prevention Support Project

2008-07-10T16:53:38.000Z

WASHINGTON , July 10, 2008- The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IDA CREDIT: US$50 million

TERMS: Maturity = 25 years; Grace Period = 8 years

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project aims to increase the coverage, efficiency, and sustainability of targeted and evidence-based HIV/AIDS interventions. The project is designed to strengthen and support the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework, with emphasis on the prioritized goals of prevention and strengthened management of the national response.

For more information, please call Beldina Auma at (202) 458 7303 or e-mail her atbaumaowuor@worldbank.org.

For more project information please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P102299

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

World Bank Injects US$50 Million into the Malawi Social Action Fund to Improve Livelihoods of the Poor

2008-07-03T20:15:00.000Z

Contacts

In Washington: Eric Chinje +1 202 458 8418

echinje@worldbank.org

In Lilongwe: Zeria Banda (+265-1) 770611

zbanda@worldbank.org

LILONGWE, July 3, 2008 – The World Bank will continue to support the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) with an injection of US$50 million approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors at the end of June.

The new funds are a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the second phase of Malawi Third Social Action Fund (MASAF 3 APL II), which is expected to run from end 2008 to 2013. Using experiences from the first phase of MASAF 3 which ended on June 30, 2008, the second phase will aim to reach the poor with public works earnings, infrastructure improvements, savings mobilization, public and social accountability tools, in the context of increased local governance and public sector management.

MASAF 3 APL II will differ from previous MASAF programs in that it emphasizes livelihoods support and improving the delivery structure for local assemblies. Previous MASAF programs mainly focused on infrastructure provision. MASAF 1 and MASAF 2 were implemented between 1995 and 2002 when the World Bank made available over US$120 million to support the construction of schools, water points, bridges, clinics, and other small investments implemented by communities; and public works projects implemented by Local Governments.

MASAF 3 APL II will also differ in its implementation management arrangements. Whereas the previous programs were implemented partly by Local Assemblies and partly by the MASAF Secretariat, projects in MASAF 3 APL II will be implemented by the local assemblies. What used to be the MASAF Secretariat will now be a technical support unit in the Ministry of Finance responsible for definition of rules and procedures, monitoring compliance and national reporting.

“The value of this new implementation arrangement is that it will help strengthen the capacity of local assemblies to take charge of their development programs, in line with the process of decentralization,” says Timothy Gilbo, Country Manager for Malawi.

“Since the projects under this new-look MASAF are multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral, the new implementation arrangements will help ensure better co-ordination at both policy and program levels,” adds Gilbo.

To fulfill its objective of improving the livelihoods of poor households within the framework of improved local governance at community, local authority, and national levels, MASAF 3 APL II will have three components. The first is the Community Livelihoods Support Fund which will finance public works sub-projects, and investments for improving functionality of existing facilities and creation of opportunities for community savers and entrepreneurs to increase their participation in Local Economic Development under the Community Fund.

The second component is the Local Authority Capacity Enhancement Fund. This component will support the development of a comprehensive framework for addressing capacity needs for Local Authorities in the effective management of grants they are already receiving, performing the functions allocated to them under this project, and preparing them to perform anticipated responsibilities as devolution proceeds and more resources are available under any longer-term Malawi Government grant arrangement.

The last component is the National Institutional Strengthening Fund to finance national-level cross-cutting issues aimed at improving accountability and transparency in the use of project resources.

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For more information on the World Bank’s work in Africa visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/afr/

For more information about the World Bank in Malawi please visit:

www.worldbank.org/malawi

For more information about this project visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=355870&menuPK=355904&Projectid=P110446

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

New report on economic growth offers lessons on achieving sustained, high economic growth

2008-05-21T17:11:32.000Z

Contacts:

In Washington:

Maya Brahmam at +1-202-473-6231 or email at mbrahmam@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2008 – The World Bank Group welcomes a new report by the independent Commission on Growth and Development, a global panel of eminent experts, which reveals important lessons from countries that have achieved high, long-term economic growth. The experts say the lessons learned could help policy makers in developing countries as they seek to set their countries on a steady growth path.

The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development says integration into the world economy, maintaining high rates of savings and investment, and committed, capable governments are among the key features of countries that have sustained growth rates above 7 percent for 25 uninterrupted years since World War II.

"This report underscores to the development community that one size doesn’t fit all." said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. I am especially pleased that it draws on input from first class practitioners and leaders who have hands-on pragmatic and practical experience of making inclusive development a success. This will help enrich the thinking and practice of the World Bank Group as well as others in the development field.” “

High, long-lasting growth is not easily achieved, but the report by some of the world’s top policy-makers and thinkers, believes it can be reproduced in developing countries, giving them a chance to reduce poverty and improve opportunity and quality of life for their citizens.

“We are acutely aware that there are no silver bullets to create long-running, inclusive growth, and that no single paradigm exists,” says Commission Vice Chair Danny Leipziger, who is also Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management at the World Bank. “While seeking to identify those key elements that can lead to long running and inclusive growth, the report is clear that policy makers will need to customize and experiment with polices rather than follow any rigid set of guidelines.”

Commission Chairman Michael Spence said: " What makes the report so unique is that it was prepared by policymakers, many from developing countries, who have been in the trenches themselves and have learned what works and why. It is these commissioners who are now providing their insights to the next generation of policymakers on ways to improve growth prospects and the quality of life in the poor parts of the globe."

Spence is one of two Nobel Laureates on the 21-member commission comprising leaders from business, government and academia. The Commissioners come from 18 countries that include a broad mix of developing, emerging and developed economies, as well as small island states and populous, large countries.

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To download full report click here:

http://www.growthcommission.org/

World Bank Broadens Transport Agenda

2008-05-21T17:00:00.000Z

Contacts
In Washington:
Roger Morier (202) 473 5675, rmorier@worldbank.org
Anna Piasecka (202) 458 7027, apiasecka@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2008 – The World Bank Group today launched a new transport business strategy for 2008-2012 that will help partner countries establish the governance, strategies, policies and services to deliver transport for development in a way that is economically, financially, environmentally and socially sustainable.

Called Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development, the business strategy strengthens the alignment of the transport sector approach with the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2000. At the same time, it widens the directions and deepens the routes that will be taken to meet the evolving development agenda. It gives more attention to emerging trends, such as trade globalization, urbanization of populations; rising concerns about climate change, the increase in traffic congestion; and the recognition of access as a key to both economic opportunity and good governance.

“In striving to achieve its development objectives—and foremost to eradicate poverty—the World Bank Group is mobilizing the transport sector to the fullest possible extent,” said Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development. ”To that end, the transport business strategy aligns Bank Group instruments along a few key strategic directions that will pave the way to truly sustainable development, one where transport plays a crucial role.”

“In a world with rising levels of greenhouse gases, poor road safety, and the too-frequent spread of communicable diseases along international routes, transport must be looked at anew. A coherent way forward requires innovative thinking and cooperation among sectors to optimize the role of transport without jeopardizing personal and commercial mobility.”

The Bank Group consulted widely in preparing its new business strategy, seeking contributions from over 75 transport development partners, governments, professional institutions, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral donors, and putting an early draft on its external website for four months to elicit public comments.

Safe Transport
Acknowledging the importance of transport for achieving public health outcomes within the Millennium Development Goals, the strategy stresses the need to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to address safety in all transport modes, especially road transport. It also addresses the safety issue in air transport which, although globally much safer, still shows a safety record significantly affecting growth and investment prospects in some regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa. Transport and supply-chain security has also become a major issue in ensuring fair access of developing country exports to developed markets, and needs to be addressed as a new global public good.

“Road crashes kill an estimated 1.2 million people a year and injure 50 million more, disproportionately affecting the poor,” said Anthony Bliss, Lead Road Safety Specialist, Program Coordinator for the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility. “We are placing special emphasis on road safety, extending our support to include not only road safety components embedded in road infrastructure projects, but also larger stand-alone projects to formulate national policies and strategies that would improve road safety across the board. We will also pursue cross-sectoral approaches, such as including pre-hospital components in road programs and road safety components in health programs.”

Clean Transport
Urban air pollution, 90 percent of it generated by motor vehicles, kills an estimated 800,000 people each year. Transport now produces approximately 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reflecting the contribution of transport to the wider environmental aims of the Millennium Development Goals, the strategy encompasses the transport-energy-environment nexus, from the energy consumption to the emissions and climate change impact perspectives. Going forward, the World Bank Group will be working to help restrain transport energy consumption. It will be assessing and controlling transport projects emissions, favoring shifts to low carbon modes.

“We are setting guidelines for environmentally effective transport planning and decision making,” said Jamal Saghir, Director, Energy, Transport and Water Department and Chair of the Transport Sector Board. “We are seeking ways to mitigate the effects of transport on the climate—and the effects of climate change on transport asset. We intend to build climate change issues into transport project appraisals where appropriate.”

Affordable Transport
An estimated 1 billion people in low-income countries lack access to an all-weather road. Affordable transport can enhance mobility and inclusion. It can promote social, economic, and political integration, by keeping a country together despite geographic disparities, by overcoming potential disputes over access to resources, and by defusing the seeds of conflict that sometimes arise from feelings of isolation.

Marc Juhel, Sector Manager for Transport stressed the fact that affordability concerns not only the rural and urban poor, but also the whole freight economy, aiming at improving competitiveness to foster stronger economic growth:

“The strategy stresses the need for better knowledge and control of transport costs, for both passengers and freight, on domestic and regional, urban and rural settings. The implementation of an effective urban transport strategy, reaching out to the growing urban poor population, is a key element of this approach. On the freight side, the cooperative work on trade and transport facilitation—in particular on customs and transit issues—will be strengthened.”

World Bank contribution to transport over previous decade
Since the Bank’s 1996 transport strategy, Sustainable Transport, was endorsed by the World Bank’s Board of Directors, the Bank Group has committed around US$42 billion for more than 530 dedicated transport operations and transport components in over 500 non-transport specific projects in more than 100 client countries. Lending in fiscal year 2007 (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007) reached over US$5 billion, amounting to 20 percent of World Bank Group new annual commitments.

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View the transport business strategy—Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development at: http://www.worldbank.org/transport

World Bank Group President Appoints Vice President of Institutional Integrity

2008-05-05T18:00:00.000Z

Contacts:
In Washington: Carl Hanlon (202) 473 8087
chanlon@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. May 5, 2008 – World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick has named South African Leonard McCarthy to head the Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity (INT). McCarthy has earned international recognition for investigations and prosecutions of individuals engaged in corruption as head of South Africa’s Directorate of Special Operations.

“Leonard McCarthy is recognized worldwide for his integrity, independence, and effectiveness in fighting corruption and strengthening good governance,” says Zoellick. “This is the first time that the Department of Institutional Integrity will be headed at the level of Vice President, and McCarthy brings to the post stature, skill, and tested experience. This post is critical for our work, reputation, and fiduciary duty. I am confident that he will bring effective leadership to our highest obligation to protect the Bank’s assets and hold people, businesses, and governments responsible if they steal from the poor.”

McCarthy’s work with South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority has included investigating and prosecuting high profile cases of financial crime, organized crime, and high-level corruption. He has worked closely with African governments and law enforcement officials across the globe to expose and prosecute transnational financial crime. McCarthy was formerly a Director of Public Prosecutions appointed by President Nelson Mandela.

An experienced trial lawyer, he has held numerous positions in government, including Investigating Director in the Office for Serious Economic Offenses, Deputy Attorney General in Cape Province and Senior Public Prosecutor. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of South Africa in Cape Town.

Following talks with the South African government, President Mbeki has agreed to release McCarthy from service, to take up the position at the World Bank on June 30, 2008.

“I am honored to receive this appointment and to be joining the World Bank, I believe strongly in its vision, said McCarthy. “President Zoellick has made clear to me the strong emphasis he places on INT’s role, its need for strong, highly skilled people who will both pursue investigations and integrate anti-corruption work into Bank projects across the world. I am committed to delivering results and building on INT’s work to strengthen financial due diligence and ensure that precious development resources benefit people who need them most.”

McCarthy was selected from a list of candidates assessed by an internal search committee with the addition of former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who led a review of INT last year. In his report Volcker called for greater attention to protect against corruption in designing and implementing Bank programs.

Mr. Volcker has welcomed the fact that: “the Bank is now implementing the recommendations of the Panel he chaired, importantly including elevating the head of INT to the level of vice president.”

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World Bank Marks World Press Freedom Day with Study on Broadcasting and Development

2008-05-02T12:30:00.000Z

Contact:

In Washington: Christopher Neal, (202) 473-2049

Cneal1@worldbank.org

MAPUTO, May 2, 2008—The World Bank marked World Press Freedom Day by launching a study outlining conditions under which radio, television and online broadcasting can fulfil a vital role in development by making governments accountable, and giving voice to the world’s poor.

“Huge numbers of people, including those who can’t read, have access to broadcast media,” said Kreszentia Duer, of the World Bank Institute (WBI), who presented the study, Broadcasting, Voice and Accountability, at a conference here on freedom of expression hosted by UNESCO. “In countries with strong oral traditions, community broadcasting can enable people to share information and raise issues with a large audience, and hold government officials to account. This makes broadcasting a powerful tool for enhancing governance and promoting development.”

The 400-page study, subtitled A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law and Regulation, is the result of five years of research by six media experts, including Ms. Duer, Steve Buckley, president of the World Association of Community Broadcasters; Toby Mendel, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression; Seán Ó Siochrú, founder of the Campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society; Monroe E. Price, of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; and Marc Raboy, of Canada’s McGill University.

The study reviews broadcasting practices and regulations around the world, and identifies those which produce an “enabling environment” for broadcasting that is free, independent and pluralistic. These characteristics are essential, the report says, for broadcasting to perform an effective role in giving people voice, and ensuring government accountability.

Drawing from their research, the authors propose standards on freedom of expression, access to information, use and misuses of defamation law, content rules and limits to free speech, and the regulation of journalists. The study also offers guidelines on best practice for broadcast regulators, as well as the respective roles of public service, community non-profit, and commercial private sector broadcasters, all of which, it argues, should be present in a healthy media environment.

Co-author Steve Buckley notes that increased movement towards democracy in developing countries opens the way to build broadcasting that serves the public interest.

“Countries that are opening their economies, democratizing, and decentralizing public service delivery are looking for guidance on how to involve citizens in decisions that affect them,” he said. “Broadcasting, enabled by the right regulation and conditions, can empower groups through bottom-up participation.”

The book cites countries that have developed systems to enhance the quality and diversity of media content, while fully respecting freedom of expression, and identifies ways in which government regulation can expand access to broadcast media. Community broadcasting, for example, can be encouraged through special licensing arrangements that guarantee fair and equitable access to radio frequencies and financial support.

“This book focuses on useful proactive approaches to setting up, sustaining, and governing broadcasting systems across the world,” said Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, UNESCO Chair in Communication for Southern Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “It’s based on sound scholarship and provides practical advice for policymakers, media scholars and broadcasters alike.”

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For more information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/WBI/0,,contentMDK:21747844~pagePK:209023~piPK:207535~theSitePK:213799,00.html

To order: http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=8100893

Youssou N’Dour Joins Top World Bank Officials in Calling for Immediate Action to Conquer Malaria

2008-04-24T17:41:29.000Z

Contact:

Carol Hooks: +1 202 458 9346

chooks@worldbank.org

Beldina Auma: +1 202 458 7307

baumaowuor@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 – The World Bank and partners in the global war against malaria are calling for an intense push to eliminate malaria as a major public health problem and end deaths from this ancient disease. This week, the Bank invited world music superstar Youssou N’Dour to perform before African ambassadors, Roll Back Malaria partners, Bank staff, and other distinguished guests. The occasion? World Malaria Day—an opportunity to focus attention on the challenge and opportunity malaria presents for those most directly affected and those able to help do something about it.

From his place at the top of the music charts, Youssou is doing his share, by reaching out to everyone from African youth who enjoy his music and have young siblings at risk, to world leaders who can apply vast resources to the problem. “The world has started a war against malaria, a war we can all win. We have a grand alliance, called Roll Back Malaria. Allies like the World Bank, the Global Fund, the U.S. and the U.N. are doing more. And on the first World Malaria Day, we have presidents and even basketball players involved. The high-level attention to malaria is just what we wanted when we started the Africa Live malaria concert in 2005, but it's still not enough. Mosquitoes don't care about visas—we need cross-border efforts like the Zambezi region proposes. With efforts like that, we can eliminate malaria," Youssou said.

Commitment from Africa and current partners is at an all-time high. Youssou, the World Bank, and partners across the globe are calling on others to join this winnable fight.

Malaria is preventable and treatable, but a million or more people – mostly African children – still die from it every year.

“The good news however, is that more African countries are showing that it is in fact possible to control malaria,” notes World Bank Vice President for Africa, Obiageli Ezekwesili. “Despite difficult conditions and initial pessimism, countries such as Benin, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Zambia are successfully scaling up malaria control efforts through provision of bed nets and effective drugs. Certainly more countries can follow a similar path with enough resources and technical support.”

Critical to the success of these countries is the ability to ramp up malaria control efforts quickly and sustain the level of effort long enough to drastically reduce the number of people and mosquitoes harboring the parasite that causes malaria. Given the current immense global interest in malaria, now is the time to do it, and effective partnership is crucial to the equation.

"The malaria community is in a better place than ever before. The Roll Back Malaria Partnership is working to produce unprecedented collaboration. People on the ground and at the global level are excited about the prospect of ending deaths from malaria," said Ray Chambers, United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria. "We know what to do; now we just need to get it done." Additional financing is essential.

Since the 2005 launch of its Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa, the World Bank has committed US $467 million to malaria prevention and treatment in Africa, making it one of the top three funders of malaria control. This funding has been requested by African countries to buy long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), effective drugs, and supplies for spraying the walls of homes with insecticide. It includes money to strengthen health care systems so that they can better manage the life-threatening malaria cases that can consume up to 40 percent of public health resources in heavily-affected countries.

This funding comes from the World Bank’s International Development Association, better known as IDA. IDA is a mechanism by which the poorest countries receive no-interest loans or grants from the world’s richer countries. Every three years, donor countries meet to decide what each of them will contribute. Pledges made by donor countries in December 2007 mean that IDA 15 (the 15^th time the fund has been replenished) will contain a record US $41 billion.

While that sounds like it would buy more than enough bed nets, drugs, and insecticides to stop malaria, IDA resources are used to support an entire spectrum of development issues – roads, education, agriculture, health, and many others. Even under the “simple” rubric of health, any number of diseases and issues come into play. And it is the countries borrowing the money who decide how to spend it. The Bank has been able to commit $467 million for malaria control only because 18 African countries decided malaria was important enough to allocate a significant portion of their IDA funds to it.

From this next round of funding, the Bank anticipates that countries will spend significantly more of their IDA funds on malaria to take advantage of the current momentum around eliminating malaria as a public health threat. This would go a long way toward removing malaria as a major barrier to Africa’s economic growth.

"Defeating malaria is essential to Africa's development," emphasized Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. "In addition to making people physically miserable, malaria reduces productivity. When adults--or their children--are sick with malaria, they lose
time from their work, which means they cannot produce the food, money, or other things they and their countries need." She added, "Unless malaria is tackled in Africa, few countries there will meet FIVE key Millennium Development Goals on child health, maternal health, infectious disease, universal primary education, and the eradication of poverty. Malaria must be stopped, and the world is now poised to achieve this goal."

* * * * *

The World Bank Group is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. We use our financial resources, staff, and extensive experience to aid countries in reducing poverty, increasing economic growth, and improving the quality of life. The impact of malaria extends far beyond the realm of public health and exacts a heavy toll on development. This makes the disease central to the Bank’s development agenda. In 2005, the World Bank launched the Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa. Booster is a ten-year program designed to help African nations meet critical targets for malaria control and reducing child and maternal mortality.

For more information on the World Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa, visit www.worldbank.org/afr/malaria.

For more information on the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, visit www.rbm.who.int

World Bank Commits to Deepen Reforms to Better Serve Middle-Income Countries in Africa

2008-04-17T15:39:35.000Z

Contacts

In Washington: Herbert Boh (202) 473 3548

hboh@worldbank.org;

Dina ElNaggar (202) 473 3245

delnaggar@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2008 – The World Bank Group reiterated its commitment to reduce the non-financial costs of doing business with it and to expand the menu of products and services to better serve middle-income countries (MICs) in Africa.

“We have taken your feedback and tasked an institutional Working Group to come up with new innovative ways of serving MICs and are finalizing an Action Plan to guide our engagement with MICs in Africa,” said World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a recent meeting.

The high-level consultation was held in Washington, DC, on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It was as a follow-up to two earlier consultations, held in Tunis (Tunisia) in March 2006 and in Cairo (Egypt) in March 2008.

“The key objective of the Africa MIC Action Plan stresses the need for the Bank to provide services better, faster and cheaper; moving rapidly from development lending to a development partnership in MICs,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. The Africa MIC Action Plan proposes a three-year pilot of a different way of doing business in MICs - anchored in part on two pilot projects to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Botswana and Swaziland.

Recognizing that MICs value the Bank as a provider of cutting-edge knowledge services as well as financing, efforts within the Bank to better serve MICs focus on four key areas: (i) improving client responsiveness; (ii) expanding the range and utilization of financial products; (iii) enhancing the Bank’s knowledge services; and (iv) strengthening synergies between different parts of the Bank Group.

“Important progress has been made on this agenda. As a result of recent reforms, the World Bank Group has drastically cut back on the costs and time needed to prepare projects; extended lending to MICs in local currency; and provided lending to sub-sovereign entities,” explained Juan Jose Daboub, World Bank Managing Director.

“We are seeking innovation in the way we traditionally do business,” said Daniela Gressani, the World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Region, pointing to ongoing pilots for the use of country systems in procurement in Morocco and in environmental safeguards in Egypt and Tunisia.

Finance ministers lauded the Bank Group for the successful implementation of reforms since the Tunis consultation, notably the reduction in loan pricing; improvements in the response time and the speed of loan processing; and efforts to increase the use of country systems and to delegate more authority to field-based staff.

Going forward, the World Bank Group together with its partners in MICs and regional development institutions will continue to foster cooperation on agreed priorities and work on initiatives to advance the dialogue, including through consultations.

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For more information on the World Bank in sub-Saharan Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/afr

For more information on the World Bank in the Middle East and North Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/mna

World Bank President Calls for Plan to Fight Hunger in Pre-Spring Meetings Address

2008-04-02T15:53:10.000Z

April 2, 2008—In a speech today, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick called for a "new deal" to combat world hunger and malnutrition through a combination of emergency aid and long-term efforts to boost agricultural productivity in developing countries.

The "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is part of a suite of initiatives Zoellick outlined to advance development in the face of skyrocketing food and oil prices. He also called for a global trade deal to be agreed as soon as possible, detailed an initiative to help countries manage their wealth earned from high energy and mineral prices in a more inclusive way, and encouraged sovereign wealth funds to create a "One Percent Solution" for equity investment in Africa.

Agricultural Assistance

The World Bank will nearly double agricultural assistance to US$800 million in Africa. Zoellick also urged wealthy nations to help the UN’s World Food Program meet some $500 million in emergency food needs.

"The United States, the European Union, Japan and other OECD countries must act now to fill this gap – or many more people will suffer and starve," Zoellick said in an address sponsored by the Center for Global Development in Washington.

Zoellick said the "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is needed to combat the "forgotten" Millennium Development Goal of overcoming malnutrition. Only about a tenth of the resources directed at HIV/AIDS goes to fight malnutrition, which causes 3.5 million deaths a year in children under 5 and has long-lasting impacts on health and achievement.

"Hunger and malnutrition are a cause, not just a result, of poverty," said Zoellick.

The World Bank estimates 33 countries face social unrest because of soaring food and energy prices.

The New Deal requires a shift from traditional food aid to a broader concept of food and nutrition assistance, such as cash or vouchers that can help build local food markets and farm production,.and create a "Green Revolution" for Sub-Saharan Africa, said Zoellick.

"This New Deal should focus not only on hunger and nutrition, access to food and its supply, but also the interconnections with energy, yields, climate change, investment, the marginalization of women and others, and economic resiliency and growth," said Zoellick.

"Food policy needs to gain the attention of the highest political levels, because no one country or group can meet these interconnected challenges."

Zoellick said the World Bank Group can help by:

Backing emergency measures that support the poor while encouraging incentives to produce and harvest food
Offering access to technology and science to boost yields
Helping countries counter weather-related risks, such as drought
Facilitating land-titling, local currency financing, working capital, distribution and logistics, and support for services on which farmers rely

"Income gains in agriculture have three times the power in overcoming poverty than increases in other sectors, and 75 percent of the world’s poor are rural, with most involved in farming," said Zoellick.

Trade Also Key to Lower Food Prices

Zoellick said the time was "now or never" to break the impasse in global trade talks. A "fairer and more open trading system" would encourage developing country farmers to expand production, he said.

"The poor need lower food prices now. But the world’s agricultural trading system is stuck in the past. If ever there was a time to cut distorting agricultural subsidies and open markets for food imports, it must be now."

An accord would give developing countries, big and small, more opportunities to become more productive and lower prices through trade. It would also infuse confidence in an economic system stressed by financial anxiety, he said.

However, "powerful voices across the political spectrum, including in my own country, are calling for, rationalizing, protectionism," Zoellick said. "This economic isolationism signals a defeatism that will reap the losses, not the gains, of globalization."

The trade talks are also a "critical test" for striking a global deal on climate change. "If negotiators of 150 economies cannot manage the political tradeoffs of the Doha Round to reap the clear benefits, it does not auger well for bringing developed and developing countries together on a new accord for climate change."

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Zoellick also outlined a plan to encourage emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil to invest about US$30 billion in African nations through government-sponsored wealth funds.

Such sovereign wealth funds currently hold about US$3 trillion in assets. They have come under scrutiny recently because of investments outside their own countries. Zoellick noted they need transparency and should be guided by best practices to avoid politicization, but "where some see sovereign funds as a source of concern, we see opportunity," said Zoellick.

The World Bank’s "One Percent Solution" involves creating the equity investment platforms and benchmarks to attract these investors, and allocating 1 percent of the assets to African growth, development and opportunity.

"This one percent could be the start of something much bigger, across more types of funds and countries, because the investment of wealth into equity for development offers opportunity, not something to fear."

Extractive Industries Initiative

Zoellick announced a new approach to help ensure that high energy and commodity prices translate into improvements in the lives of the poor.

The EITI++ builds on the transparency and good governance concepts of the existing multi-stakeholder Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). EITI publicizes and verifies company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining. But many governments are emphasizing that transparent revenue reporting, while important, is not enough. The World Bank is therefore working with developing countries and other partners to frame a "comprehensive approach to supplement the original project."

EITI++ will include providing technical assistance to countries on the awarding of contracts, monitoring operations, collecting taxes, improving resource extraction and economic decisions, better managing price volatility, and investing revenues effectively in sustainable development.

An EITI++ approach will be launched in Guinea. "The successful development of Guinea’s rich resources can strengthen sustainable development for the entire region," Zoellick said.

"The EITI++ can advance inclusive and sustainable globalization by broadening the beneficiaries of resource development."

World Bank & African Development Bank Join Efforts to Reaffirm Regional Partnerships as an Effective Means to Address Middle Income Countries’ Needs in Africa

2008-03-12T01:15:00.000Z

Contacts
World Bank
Lilia Burunciuc +1 202 473 8865
lburunciuc@worldbank.org
Eric Chinje+1 202 458 8418
echinje@worldbank.org
African Development Bank
Kazumi Larhed +216 7110 2134
k.ikeda-larhed@afdb.org
Onike Nicol-Houra +216 7110 3227
o.nicol@afdb.org

March 11, 2008 -- Increasing competitiveness of Middle Income Countries (MICs) will be the focus of a 2-day conference co-organized by the World Bank and African Development Bank on 11 – 12 March, 2008. The conference brings together delegates from 11 African countries to Egypt where the event is being held.

The objective of the conference is to promote a better alignment of the services provided by the World Bank and the African Development Bank and the needs of the Middle Income Countries in Africa, and explore how development partners might contribute to addressing the development challenges of the MICs, with a special focus on competitiveness including the investment climate, science and technology and infrastructure.

Participants include senior governmental officials from Algeria, Botswana, Gabon, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tunisia, and Egypt in addition to private sector and representatives of other multilateral development institutions such as the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and Asian Development Bank.

“This conference is a great opportunity to energize both traditional and new development partners and also the private sector to collaborate in meeting the development needs of the MICs,” said Hartwig Schafer, Director of Operations & Strategy, Africa Region, World Bank. “Overcoming these challenges will be key to enhancing competitiveness of MICs on an inclusive and sustainable basis that benefits all segments of society,” he emphasized.

“The African Development Bank recognizes the many diverse and dynamic development challenges that MICs face, and is in a strong position to adapt to assist MICs in addressing these challenges,” said Philbert Afrika, Director, Operations Policies and Compliance of the African Development Bank.

Emmanuel Mbi, World Bank Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti, highlighted the importance of the conference by saying: “We are pleased to host the conference in Egypt and engage in this dialogue with our partners across Africa while exploring opportunities to coordinate our efforts with regional development organizations such as the African Development Bank.”

At the end of the conference, it is expected that the meeting will (i) produce new ideas on how MDBs and other partners can provide more useful services to MICs, and (ii) generate practical follow-up steps for new initiatives.

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For more information on the World Bank's activities in sub-Saharan Africa, please visit www.worldbank.org

For more information on the African Development Bank, please visit www.afdb.org

The project Botswana Development Corporation Project (01) is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Botswana Development Corporation Project (01) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The loan would assist BDC in meeting its estimated commitments for financing the import component of its sub-projects. BDC would normally lend at prevailing market rates, currently 10 percent per annum. BDC would normally pass on the foreign exchange risk to its borrowers, except in cases of small loans (below $75,000). The Government has indicated that it intends to protect BDC against any substantial net financial losses resulting from exchange rate fluctuations on BDC's sub-loans.

The project Botswana HIV/AIDS Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Botswana HIV/AIDS Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Botswana Integrated Transport Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Botswana Integrated Transport Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Gaborone - Losatse Water Supply Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Gaborone - Losatse Water Supply Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The dam on the Notwani River just outside Gaborone has a large catchment area which yields water much in excess of Gaborone's present requirements. After considering various schemes, the consultants have recommended the proposed project as the least-cost solution to the urgent problem at Lobatse and the longer-term improvement of the water supply system in both towns. A raw water pumping station and treatment plant would be built at Gaborone to serve both Gaborone and Lobatse. A 32-mile pipeline would be built from Gaborone to Nuane, where the water will be pumped into the existing transmission line to the Lobatse distribution system. Main extensions and reservoirs would be constructed in Gaborone and Lobatse. The project would include office and laboratory equipment and equipment for pipe laying, metering and testing, vehicles and laborers' housing. Technical assistance would be provided under the project to establish an appropriate accounting and budgeting system.

The project Highway Project (02) is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Highway Project (02) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The proposed project comprises: (a) the reconstruction and paving of approximately 80 km of the North-South road from Pioneer Gate through Lobatse and Gaborone (the capital) to the Botswana Agricultural College near Selebi 9 km north of Gaborone; (b) consulting services for the detailed engineering and supervision of construction of the above work; (c) technical assistance to strengthen the staffing of the Roads Branch of the Public Works Department of the Ministry of Works and Communications.

The project Highway Reconstruction Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Highway Reconstruction Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Highway Reconstruction Project will consist of: (a) construction of the Mahalapye-Serule road (150 km) to two-lane bituminous standards; (b) consulting services to: (i) assist the Borrower in bid evaluation and supervise construction of the Mahalapye-Serule road; (ii) assist the Borrower in the identification and preparation of a rural feeder road construction program; (c) assistance for road maintenance for: (i) gazetted roads: The recommendations of the Road Maintenance Study being carried out under the Third Road Project will be implemented; and (ii) district roads: The District Roads Maintenance Program, initiated under the Third Road Project, will be extended to two additional districts; and (d) provision of training equipment and construction of new classrooms and office space for the Roads Department Training School.

The project Livestock Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Livestock Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project is part of the government's program of opening up unoccupied land for ranching under proper management. The project aims at raising the incomes of cattlemen and farmers by increasing production and improving the quality of livestock. It comprises: (a) the establishment of thirty breeding and five fattening ranches of about 16,000 acres each in the west, and the improvement and expansion of twenty-four Karakul sheep farms of about 17,000 acres each in the southwest; (b) the establishment of nine fattening ranches of about 20,000 acres each in the eastern part of the country and one 180,000 acres ranch - the Makalamabedi fattening ranch - in the north; (c) the establishment and operation of mobile borehole installation and maintenance units, and stock route development; (d) project management and land surveys; and (e) marketing and ecological studies.

The project Livestock Project (02) is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Livestock Project (02) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The proposed project will (i) assist the Borrower in arresting the deterioration of the country's rangelands through introducing improved range and cattle management systems on about 100 ranches to be developed on tribal land zoned as commercial; (ii) seek new technologies to benefit small livestock owners through developing about fourteen grazing units on tribal lands zoned as communal for testing alternative grazing systems and provide support for small communal schemes in these areas; (iii) promote more efficient marketing of livestock through constructing new and improving existing trek routes, improving rail handling facilities, and constructing holding grounds for small stock; and (iv) strengthen institutions serving livestock development programs. About 1,000 individuals in tribal areas are expected to benefit from the ranch development and a much larger number, over 3,500 individuals, will benefit from the communal grazing units and the improvement of the marketing infrastructure.

The project Roads and Water Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Roads and Water Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Highway Project for Bechuanaland will assist in the development of the transportation system in Bechuanaland. It will consists of three parts: (i) the design, construction and reconstruction of three roads totaling 355 miles in length, (ii) betterment of the main north-south road; and (iii) the strengthening and expansion of the highway maintenance organization. The first component will improve the road from Vleischfontein on the border of the Republic of South Africa to Gaberones, while the second will replace the existing road between the town of Serowe and the railhead at Palapye. The project will lead to economic development, and reduce transport cost for existing and future traffic of a primarily agricultural economy.

The project SHASHE SUPPLEMENT is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project SHASHE SUPPLEMENT is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Shashe Construction and Supplementary Loan Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Shashe Construction and Supplementary Loan Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The proposed project would include: (1) water facilities including a dam on the Shashe River, pumping station, pipeline, treatment plant and distribution system to serve the mining complex, power station and township, and a separate water supply to serve a coal mine at Morupule; (2) power facilities including a 60 MW conventional steam power station, a transmission line to Francistown, the main city in northern Botswana, and an electric distribution system in the mining township; (3) two railroad branch lines to connect with the Rhodesia Railways main line through Botswana, a 10-mile spur to the coal field, and a 40-mile spur to the mine, smelter and power plant; and (4) township facilities including housing for Government, Government corporations and railway employees, roads, sewerage and other services, schools, administration, health service and other Government facilities.

The project Shashe Engineering Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Shashe Engineering Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project would provide consultants' services to conduct surveys, complete the engineering design and prepare the contract documents for the construction of transportation, power, water, township and medical facilities. The consultants would also estimate construction costs, prepare time schedules, assist with the evaluation of bids and give such advice as is required. They would supervise the construction of the preliminary works. These works include site clearance, temporary offices, advance housing, temporary water and power supplies and the provision of the services of project coordinating staff during the design stage. The total cost is estimated at US$2.5 million, of which $1.8 million is for design.

The project Tuli Block Roads Project is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tuli Block Roads Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Tuli Block Roads Project is a natural continuation of the Bank's support directed towards eliminating the major constraints to the area's emerging economic attraction to investors and will build on previous Bank involvement in the road subsector by strengthening the planning and maintenance capability of the Roads Department. The main objectives of the project are to : a) provide road links necessary for the development and integration of the Selebi-Phikwe area and its hinterland; b) strengthen the capacity of the RD to organize and carry out effective road maintenance at the increased level mandated by the expansion of the road network; and c) improve road planning and programming capability in anticipation of the seventh National Development Plan in 1991. Project components comprise the following : 1) construction of the Sefophe-Martin's Drift road, 134 km, to bitumen standard, and village access roads; 2) construction of the Bobonong-Lekkerpoet road, 66 km, including two short access roads to the villages of Molalatau and Mathathane; and 3) consulting services for construction supervision and for preparation of a study for a new maintenance management / organization system for roads, combined with a network planning study.

The project Urban Development Project (02) is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Urban Development Project (02) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Second Urban Development Project is designed to increase the participation of low-income people in the economic growth centered in the two main centers of Francistown and Selebi Phikwe situated in northeast Botswana. The project will include minimally serviced upgraded and settlement plots for about 6,500 households, low-cost sewered plots for about 300 households, house improvement loans, primary infrastructure, community facilities, commercial and industrial facilities, and studies on health/nutrition and small-scale enterprises. Concurrent with the proposed project, the Botswana Development Corporation will provide funds from an existing Bank loan (Loan 1019-BT) to help stimulate the development of small-scale enterprises. The project will provide for the expansion of the two towns, and help direct public investment to the greater benefit of low-income people. About 38,000 people will benefit from the residential component of the project, and about 1,250 jobs will be created or upgraded. The main risk facing the project is the economic uncertainty surrounding the two towns.

The project Wildlife Conflict Management and Biodiversity Conservation for Improved Rural Livelihoods in Botswana is now in the pipeline.

2007-10-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Wildlife Conflict Management and Biodiversity Conservation for Improved Rural Livelihoods in Botswana is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database