Central African Republic | World Bank

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

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.

Central African Republic - Country partnership strategy for the period 2009-2012

This country partnership strategy (CPS), prepared jointly by the World Bank Group (WBG) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), lays out the strategy and planned lending and non-lending support from the two institutions to Central African Republic (CAR) for the FY09-12 period (July 2008-June 2012). For the first time, the CPS integrates the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) into the partnership. The CPS builds on results achieved under the Joint Interim Strategy Note (JISN), and sustains and deepens support provided through current programs. The CPS provides support to poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) pillars two (governance) and three (diversification), with limited WBG support to PRSP pillar four (human development). Analytical and advisory work by the two institutions will target priority sectors and topics where information gaps hamper sound policy making and appropriate donor responses. The CPS sends a clear message that, following its protracted absence, the international community is ready to sustain support to CAR's efforts to achieve sustainable development results. The CPS is selective based upon CAR's priority needs, the comparative advantages of both banks, and harmonization/coordination with other donors. Coordination is particularly critical with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other partners with specific mandates in the areas of peace and security. The CPS also optimizes the joint response through increased WBG presence on the ground.

Central African Republic - Poverty reduction strategy paper first annual progress report and the joint IDA-IMF staff advisory note, and completion point document for the enhanced HIPC initiative : chairman's summing up

Central African Republic - Poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) annual progress report and joint staff advisory note

This joint staff advisory note (JSAN) reviews the first annual progress report (APR) on implementation of the poverty reduction strategy (PRS) of the Central African Republic (CAR), presented to the Boards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 29, 2008, and International Development Association (IDA) on May 27, 2008. The APR describes the results of implementation and monitoring of the PRS. It incorporates inputs from representatives of civil society and the donor community. The CAR's PRS has four strategic pillars: (i) restore security, consolidate peace, and prevent conflict; (ii) promote good governance and the rule of law; (iii) rebuild and diversify the economy; and (iv) develop human capital. The APR confirms that these pillars remain valid and that the poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) is a fundamental point of reference for the dialogue between the government, civil society, and donors.

Central African Republic - Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project

This project paper provides a grant to the Central African Republic for the Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project (CDP). The CDP aims to rehabilitate social infrastructure and improve the capacity of local stakeholders to plan and manage community recovery in targeted areas of CAR. The program will be implemented in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs. The two institutions will share the same project name, the costs of key project personnel and operational expenses, coverage of the same four regions and the same reporting, implementation and processing procedures. The major difference will be that the AfDB project will focus on financing income generation activities, micro-credit and support to specific vulnerable groups such as widows and disabled groups. International Development Association (IDA) will, on the other hand, finance social infrastructure and community 'public goods.' The AfDB project is for about US$11 million and will launch at the end of March 2009. Other donors with relevant interventions include the European Commission which is rolling its 'poles of development' program aimed at developing over ten urban centers outside Bangui over the next three to five years. This program has not yet started but will be in the sum of over US$lOO million.

Central African Republic - Second Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant Project

This program document presents a Second Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant Project (EMGRG II) for the Central African Republic (CAR). This is the third development policy operation (DPO) supporting the Government of the CAR, after its successful reengagement with the donor community in 2006. The grant is a single-tranche operation supporting the 2009 budget. The grant supports the second and third pillars of the PRSP. Promoting good governance and the rule of law will be supported by efforts to improve public sector and economic governance through enhanced accountability of the executive and transparent management of public resources. Public finance efforts aim to align the budget with the PRSP, produce comprehensive fiscal reports, increase the role of external oversight bodies, and strengthen Government's revenue mobilization capacity. Structural reforms directed at rebuilding the economy aim to establish a legal and regulatory framework conducive to the development of a competitive mining and environmentally sustainable forestry sector, the two sectors being the main sources of foreign exchange earnings and growth for CAR.

Central African Republic - Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project

Central African Republic - Emergency Power Response Project

The objectives of the Emergency Power Response Project for Central African Republic are to partially restore reliable electricity supply to the project implementing entity's customers in Bangui, including essential service providers such as the Recipient's water company and hospitals, and improve the financial and operational performance of the sector. There are five components to the project. First component of the project is rehabilitation of Boali two hydropower stations. This component will provide for the rehabilitation and the procurement of transformers and protection devices, and the replacement of regulation devices of hydropower turbines. This component will address the lack of protection devices in the substations that put the integrity of the entire network system in jeopardy. Second component of the project is Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Program. This component will distribute CFLs in order to reduce energy usage for lighting purposes. Third component of the project is pre-payment meters. This component would be a pilot program to introduce pre-payment meters among the main consumer categories, particularly those from whom collection rates are low. The target is to introduce some 5,500 pre-payment meters at customer premises out of about 18,000 customers. Priority would be given to the 5,000 customers who currently have no meters. This would enable Energie Centrafricaine (ENERCA) to improve its cash flow, in order to start maintaining its infrastructure. Fourth component of the project is loss reduction program. This component will focus on replacing these old low-voltage distribution lines in six Bangui neighborhoods with PVC insulated aluminum cables, where technical losses are lower and theft of electricity is much more difficult, and on equipping existing and new transformers to improve the quality of service. Fifth and the final component of the project is Agence d 'Exicution des Travaux d 'Interet Public (AGETIP-CAF). This component is constituted of the fees to be paid for the services of AGETIP-CAF in procurement and financial management of the project on behalf of ENERCA, given the low fiduciary capacity of the latter.

Central African Republic - Joint World Bank/IMF debt sustainability analysis 2008

According to the joint World Bank-International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt sustainability framework for low-income countries, the Central African Republic's external debt is at high risk of distress. Debt relief is needed to reduce debt ratios to sustainable levels. Debt indicators in the initial years are significantly above the policy-dependent thresholds, particularly the net present value (NPV) of external debt to export ratio. The public sector debt sustainability analysis (DSA) indicates that improvement in revenue collection and reduction of domestic borrowing are needed to bring down public debt to a sustainable level.

Doing business 2010 : Central African Republic - comparing regulation in 183 economies

Doing Business 2010 is the seventh in a series of annual reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 183 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. This paper presents the summary Doing Business indicators for the Central African Republic. The paper includes the following headings: introduction and aggregate rankings, starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, closing a business, and Doing Business 2010 reform.

Central African Republic - Emergency Power Response Project

Central African Republic - Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project

Central African Republic - Emergency Power Response Project

Central African Republic - Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project

Central African Republic - Emergency Power Response Project

Status of projects in execution (SOPE) - FY08 : Africa region - Central African Republic

The Status of Projects in Execution (SOPE) report for FY08 provides information on all International Bank and Rural Development (IBRD)/International Development Association (IDA) projects that were active on June 30, 2008. 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 FY08 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.

Central African Republic - Education Sector Support Project

Doing business 2009 : country profile for Central African Republic - comparing regulation in 181 economies

Doing Business 2009 is the sixth in a series of annual reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 181 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. This paper presents the summary Doing Business indicators for Central African Republic. The paper includes the following headings: introduction, starting a business, dealing with licenses, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and closing a business.

Central African Republic : lessons from a disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program

This Dissemination note is based on 'Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA): Le Decile Distribution Ratio (DDR) sans Global Positioning System( GPS)', final report from the independent evaluation mission of the program for reinsertion of ex-combatants and community support (PRAC) in Central African Republic (CAR), which was commissioned by the multi-country demobilization and reintegration program and published in December 2007.

Central African Republic - Food Response Project

The objectives of the Food Response Project for the Central African Republic is to: i) provide increased food access to primary and pre-school students in targeted areas; and ii) support rural producer's capacity to ensure adequate supply response for medium-term improvement in food security. The grant is being undertaken under the Global Food Crisis Response Program, which was endorsed by the Board on May 29, 2008, and will be financed out of the Food Price Crisis Response Trust Fund. The grant will help finance activities to mitigate both the short-term and medium to long-term impact of rising food prices in CAR as a result of the global food price trends. The interventions will support the government's strategy to maintain and enhances food security. It includes support to: 1) increase food access for primary and pre-school students through school feeding programs; 2) enhance rural producer's access to agricultural technology and advice in order to support agricultural production; and 3) coordination and monitoring.

Bank Increases its Support for Transport Corridors in Central Africa

2009-11-05T21:53:56.000Z

Contacts

In Washington: Herbert Boh (202) 473 3548

hboh@worldbank.org;

In Yaoundé: Henri Laurent Bateg (237) 22 20 38 15
hbateg@worldbank.org

In Bangui: Jelena Pantelic (236) 61 65 77

Jpantelic@worldbank.org

In Ndjamena: Edmond Dingamhoudou (235) 52 33 60

edingamhoudou@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, November 5, 2009– The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved an additional financing of US$217 million to help ensure the completion and expansion of critical rail and road links in Cameroon and the Central African Republic under the CEMAC Transport and Trade Facilitation Project.

The overall project development objective (PDO), approved in 2007, is to facilitate regional trade among the Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) Member States and improve the Central African Republic’s, the Republic of Cameroon’s and the Republic of Chad’s access to world markets. This objective is to be achieved mostly through support to the CEMAC Customs Union, coupled with facilitation measures and investment in road and rail infrastructure along the Douala-Bangui and the Douala-N’Djaména corridors.

The additional financing will secure the achievement of the project objective by: (i) funding the financing gap for the Bouar/Garoua Boulaï road paving works, the main component of the project along the Douala Bangui Corridor; (ii) contributing to bridge the gap for the Kousséri road by-pass along the Douala N’djamena corridor; (iii) strengthening the road maintenance component of the Bangui-Douala corridor in CAR to take into account deteriorated conditions on several sections; (iv) rehabilitating part of the Maroua-Kousséri road section on the Douala and N’Djaména Corridor; and (v) supplementing the original IDA contribution to the rail infrastructure investment plan in Cameroon for 2009-2013.

“The additional financing of the project will secure the achievement of the PDO by bridging funding gaps and providing rehabilitation of additional rail and road infrastructure on both corridors to improve their efficiency” said Jean-Francois Marteau, Task Team Leader for the project. “The World Bank acts in conjunction with and in support to the European Commission, France and the African Development Bank, which reflects the high degree of collaboration between these institutions”.

Transport costs in central Africa are among the highest on the Continent. For Chad and the CAR, both landlocked countries, transit costs represent 52% and 33% of the value of exports respectively. Road travel from Douala, Cameroon --the main port and regional gateway-- currently takes about 15 days to N’Djamena, Chad and 10 days to Bangui, CAR. The proposed project and the additional financing activities will help reduce transit time by at least twenty percent along corridors and also improve transport conditions, which should also lead to a decrease in transport costs.

As pointed out by Richard Scobey from the Africa Region’s regional integration department, “this project essentially helps connect landlocked Central African Republic and Chad to regional markets, and should also increase regional trade in Central Africa. At a time when the global economic crisis severely threatens Africa’s recent economic achievements, regional solutions like this project are essential to unblock economies of scale and restoring growth”.

“The project is a key element of our support to economic growth and poverty reduction in both the Central African Republic and Cameroon”, said Mary Barton-Dock, the Country Director for Cameroon, CAR and Chad. Beyond its obvious regional benefits, it will also provide opportunities for the people living along both corridors, and will facilitate trade and travel within the respective countries,” she added.

The regional CEMAC Transport and Transit Facilitation Project was developed within the framework of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and with strong support from the community member countries. The project finances activities in Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad. The project addresses key objectives of the Africa Action Plan, including deepening regional integration, improving governance, facilitating trade and supporting infrastructure development. The project, with the inclusion of the additional financing, has leveraged a total of about US$980 million, including US$418 million by IDA, for a multifaceted operation designed to secure access to landlocked CAR and Chad, enhance regional integration, and increase trade in the CEMAC region.

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

For more information about the World Bank and regional integration in Sub Saharan Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/afr/rid

For more information about the World Bank in Cameroon visit: www.worldbank.org/cameroon

For more information about the World Bank in CAR visit: www.worldbank.org/car

For more information about this project visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=258644&menuPK=258672&Projectid=P079736

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

Central African Republic and the Republic of Cameroon: CEMAC Transport and Transit Facilitation Project [Additional Financing]

2009-11-05T21:43:17.000Z

WASHINGTON, November 5, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following projects:

IDA Grant (Central African Republic): US$67 million equivalent

IDA Credit (Republic of Cameroon): US$150 million equivalent

Terms: Maturity = 40 years; Grace Period = 10 years

Project ID: P115259

Project Description: The Transport and Transit Facilitation Project for the Central African Republic and the Republic of Cameroon aims to facilitate regional trade among the CEMAC member states and improve access to world markets for the Central African Republic, the Republic of Cameroon, and the Republic of Chad. The additional financing will help finance the costs associated with: (a) the completion of some of the original Project activities, most of which were funded by other donors and (b) the enhancement of the project's capacity to achieve its objectives.

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=P115259

$215 Million Central Africa Backbone Program Will Bring Low Cost, High Speed Internet to the Region

2009-10-06T14:30:42.000Z

Contact
In Geneva: Ian Larsen
Phone: +41(0)79 477 96 17

E-mail: ilarsen@worldbank.org or ianlarsen71@yahoo.com

GENEVA, October 6, 2009 – Today the Executive Board of Directors of the World Bank Group has announced its endorsement of the $215 million, ten-year Central African Backbone Program (CAB Program). This program will support the countries of the Central African region in developing their high-speed telecommunications backbone infrastructure to increase the availability of high-speed Internet and reduce end-user prices. The CAB Program will also help countries harmonize the laws and regulations that govern the ICT sector to increase private sector investment and improve competition.

Three countries – Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic (CAR) – are participating in the initial $26.2 million phase of the Program. A further eight countries are also eligible to participate in the Program—Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Principe, and Sudan.

The CAB Program is being supported through a partnership between the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The program also aims to leverage an additional US$98 million from the private sector. In conjunction with the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), the African Union Commission (AUC) will play an important role in facilitating inter-governmental cooperation and policy harmonization. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will also assist governments in structuring Public Private Partnerships under the program.

Development Impact

The CAB Program brings much needed connectivity to Central Africa. Until now, people in Central Africa have the lowest quality and highest cost Internet and telephone services in Africa. The population pays up to two times more in monthly Internet rates than people living in other African countries, and up to three times more than those living in other parts of the world. “The CAB Program is very important for the countries involved and lies at the heart of their development strategies. It will assist countries to strengthen their enabling environment, create competition and, ultimately increase access and lower the costs for end users,” said Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank Country Director for Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.

In its recent Information and Communications for Development 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact, the World Bank found that for every 10 percentage-point increase in high speed Internet connections there is an increase in economic growth of 1.3 percentage points. The report also identifies the mobile platform as the single most powerful way to reach and deliver public and private services to hundreds of millions of people in remote and rural areas across the developing world.

“Ultimately, our goal is to develop regional and national broadband backbones and significantly reduce the cost of ICT services in Central Africa. Through better and affordable connectivity, the aim is to leverage the transformational powers of ICTs to support economic growth, SME development, employment creation, productivity gains and trade integration in the region,” says Mohsen Khalil, Director of Global Information and Communications Technologies at the World Bank Group.

Modernizing the ICT Sector

In addition to infrastructure development, the CAB Program will strengthen the capacity of public institutions such as the sectoral ministries and regulatory authorities and will promote a competition-friendly environment by liberalizing the sector and restructuring telecommunications operators.

The Program is also meant to be a model of regional integration and successful public-private partnerships. Its design and implementation require the cooperation of several countries and international and regional organizations. Design goals will be to: (i) maximize the use of private financing (or minimize the use of public financing); (ii) ensure feasibility and attractiveness of the transaction; and (iii) secure open access to regional connectivity infrastructure and ensure competitive, reasonable tariff of international, regional and national capacity.

“This program is a great example of the World Bank’s increasing emphasis on regional infrastructure as part of Africa’s development,” said Rick Scobey, Acting Director for Regional Integration in Africa at the World Bank.

Part of a Broader Regional Strategy

The World Bank Group and African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership, are committing significant resources and are making progress on the ground in helping to achieve the goals outlined at the October 2007 Connect Africa Summit. The Summit was convened by the International Telecommunications Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the African Union, and the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

This partnership has already launched three major regional connectivity programs, among a range of other ICT activities, with a fourth in the pipeline.

Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP)

The World Bank is providing US$424 million in financing for the Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP) to support regional connectivity and transparency in government through the use of ICT. The Program is available to all countries in the East and Southern Africa region and can be tailored to each country’s specific needs and priorities. The first phase of RCIP included Kenya, Madagascar and Burundi and was approved by the Board of the World Bank in 2007. The second phase was for Rwanda and was approved in 2008. The third phase includes Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi and was approved by the Board of the World Bank in June 2009.

East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) – World Bank Group, AfDB and other Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)

EASSy is a 10,000 km submarine fiber-optic cable running along the East Coast of Africa from Sudan to South Africa. It will directly connect eight of the countries along the route and indirectly connect all of the others in the region to the international communications infrastructure. It will provide broadband connectivity to the global fiber-optic cable networks, supplying low-cost, high bandwidth capacity to the markets in the region.

The project was developed by a consortium of 26 telecommunications operators, mostly from Eastern and Southern Africa with the support of five DFIs: International Finance Corporation (IFC), the AfDB, European Investment Bank, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The total cost of the project is $235 million with around $70 million coming as debt-financing from the DFIs. Of this, IFC contributed $32.7 million and AfDB contributed U$14.5 million.

EASSy is one of three submarine fiber-optic cables that are due to become operational in the region between 2009 and 2010. Experience shows that competition between submarine cables is the best way to achieve efficient and affordable ICT services.

West African Power Pool – Joint World Bank-AfDB

Limited inter-country connectivity in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region results in inefficient, costly routing of calls between neighboring countries by satellite. Policy makers in the region have identified the emerging regional electricity transmission infrastructure as a way of improving high bandwidth regional communications capacity. These electricity networks have built in fiber-optic cables whose spare capacity can be utilized to provide backbone services to communications providers on a wholesale basis.

The World Bank and AfDB have been closely involved in developing the regional electricity transmission infrastructure through the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP). This transmission infrastructure will also be able to carry telecommunications traffic. In 2008, a stakeholder workshop in Benin endorsed the opportunity and committed to removing the bottlenecks associated with creating a regional backhaul network.

The World Bank and AfDB continue to provide support to the development of this network in FY09 through the preparation of the detailed technical, commercial and financial feasibility studies. Staff are also working with governments in the region to address the legal/regulatory and contractual arrangements for implementation, and continue to work with other donor agencies to ensure that efforts in this area are complementary.

“Regional communication infrastructure programs such as the CAB program illustrate what can be achieved through a strong partnership between the governments, private-sector and development partners,” said Yann Burtin, Project Manager for the CAB Program. The contributions of the AfDB and of the African Union Commission are essential to the process, added Burtin.

“The CAB program is an exciting development for Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Program. Regional connectivity projects like this one are increasingly important in the African Development Bank’s strategy for the region,” said Amadou Thierno Diallo, Manager for Energy and ICT at theAfDB.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/gict

Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Chad: Communications Infrastructure and Technology Project [Central African Backbone - APL1A]

2009-09-24T23:11:42.000Z

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:

Cameroon: IDA Credit (Adaptable Program Lending): US$9.9 million equivalent

Central African Republic: IDA Grant (Adaptable Program Lending): US$7.3 million equivalent

Chad: IDA Grant (Adaptable Program Lending): US$9 million equivalent

Terms: Vertical APL with trigger based disbursements

Project ID: P108368

Project Description: The Central African Backbone (CAB) Program Project for the countries of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Chad aims to contribute to increase the geographical reach and usage of regional broadband network services and reduce their prices. There are four components to the project, the first component being enabling environment. This component aims to: (i) promote further regional market integration; (ii) strengthen the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework; (iii) support market liberalization; and (iv) promote the establishment of infrastructure that once in place is accessible to all service providers on open, transparent, competitive, and nondiscriminatory terms. The second component is the connectivity. The third component is the eGovernment and flagship Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications. Finally, the fourth component is the project management. Depending on the specific implementation arrangements for each country, this component may include elements such as human resources support with management, procurement, financial management, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), internal and external audit, communications expertise, operating expenses, and equipments.

Media Contact

Herbert Boh

(202) 473-3548

hboh@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P108368

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

The project CAR - Strengthening National Statistical System has changed to Closed

2009-09-16T04:00:00.000Z

The project CAR - Strengthening National Statistical System has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project CAR - Strengthening National Statistical System is now in the pipeline.

2009-09-15T04:00:00.000Z

The project CAR - Strengthening National Statistical System is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Central African Republic: Extractive Ind. Transparency Initiative Implementation is now in the pipeline.

2009-08-31T04:00:00.000Z

The project Central African Republic: Extractive Ind. Transparency Initiative Implementation is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

IMF and World Bank Support the Central African Republic's Completion Point Under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative and Approve Debt Relief Under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative

2009-07-01T15:23:38.000Z

Contacts:

Washington: Sharzad Sharjeel

(202) 458-5584

ssharjeel@worldbank.org

C.A.R: Edmond Dingamhoudou
235-52-3360

edingamhoudou@worldbank.org

Washington DC-June 30, 2009. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) have agreed that the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) has made sufficient progress and taken the necessary steps to reach the completion point under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The C.A.R. becomes the 25th country to reach the completion point under the Initiative.

Debt relief under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative from all of C.A.R.'s creditors has been revised downward to US$578 million in net present value (NPV) terms ¹ from US$583 million estimated at the time of the decision point. HIPC debt relief from IDA and the IMF amounts to US$207 million and SDR 17.19 million (US$ 26.77 million) in NPV terms, respectively.

In reaching the HIPC completion point, C.A.R. also becomes eligible for further debt relief from the IMF, IDA, and the African Development Fund (AfDF) under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). MDRI relief net of HIPC assistance would lead to a nominal ²reduction of debt owed to IDA and the IMF by US$182 million and SDR 1.9 million (US$ 2.9 million) respectively.

To reach the completion point, the C.A.R. completed a number of measures aimed at preparing and implementing a national poverty reduction strategy and maintaining a stable macroeconomic environment. In addition, the authorities have made good progress in implementing measures in the area of transparency, structural reforms in the forestry and mining sectors, civil service reform, public debt management, social sectors and HIV.

Martin Petri, IMF Mission Chief for C.A.R., noted that "the authorities are to be commended for reaching this important milestone. Despite a difficult post-conflict environment, they have undertaken important reforms to reach the Completion Point for debt relief under the HIPC Initiative. Debt relief will reduce significantly C.A.R.'s debt burden and free up resources to finance spending in areas critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goals."

"We are very pleased that the Boards of the Bank and the Fund have approved full debt relief for C.A.R. under the HIPC Initiative and MDRI," said Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank Country Director for CAR. "This confirms C.A.R.'s commitment to improve governance, foster transparency in public finance and debt management, accelerate reforms in the forestry and mining sectors, and strengthen social programs, as reflected in the Completion Point triggers. These reforms are critical for fostering increased economic growth and improved living standards in CAR. My Fund colleagues and I congratulate the C.A.R. authorities on this achievement. At the same time we urge them to maintain momentum toward the goals of their national poverty reduction strategy," she added.

ANNEX

The HIPC Initiative

In 1996, the World Bank and IMF launched the HIPC Initiative to create a framework in which all creditors, including multilateral creditors, can provide debt relief to the world's poorest and most heavily indebted countries, and thereby reduce the constraints on economic growth and poverty reduction imposed by the debt-service burdens in these countries. The Initiative was modified in 1999 to provide three key enhancements:

Deeper and Broader Relief. External debt thresholds were lowered from the original framework. As a result, more countries have become eligible for debt relief and some countries have become eligible for greater relief;

Faster Relief. A number of creditors began to provide interim debt relief immediately at the "decision point." Also, the new framework permitted countries to reach the "completion point" faster; and

Stronger Link between Debt Relief and Poverty Reduction. Freed resources were to be used to support poverty reduction strategies developed by national governments through a broad consultative process.

To date, 35 HIPC countries have reached their decision points, of which 26 (including C.A.R.) have reached the completion point.

The MDRI

At the July 2005 G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, G8 leaders pledged to cancel the debt of the world's most indebted countries, most of which are located in Africa. The aim of this Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) was to reduce further the debt of HIPCs and provide additional resource to help them reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The MDRI is separate from the HIPC Initiative but linked to it operationally. Under the MDRI, three multilateral institutions—the World Bank's International Development Association, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Fund—provide 100 percent debt relief on eligible debts to countries having reached the HIPC completion point.³ Unlike the HIPC Initiative, the MDRI is not comprehensive in its creditor coverage. It does not involve participation of official bilateral or commercial creditors, or of multilateral institutions other than the above-mentioned three.

¹ Net present value of debt is the discounted sum of all future debt service obligations (interest and principal)

² Nominal terms refer to the actual dollar value of reduction in debt stocks.

³ The IMF also provided MDRI debt relief to non-HIPCs whose income per capita is below US$380 in order to ensure uniformity of treatment in the use of IMF resources.

The project Economic Governance and Reform Grant 2 has changed to Closed

2009-06-26T04:00:00.000Z

The project Economic Governance and Reform Grant 2 has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

World Bank hosts 4th Africa Region Education Capacity Development Workshop ‘Country Leadership and Implementation for Results’ in the EFA-FTI Partnership

2009-04-29T17:58:59.000Z

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2009— The Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) is a global partnership between donors and developing countries to ensure accelerated progress toward the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education. As a contribution to the partnership’s agenda, of which it is a member, the World Bank hosts the 4th Africa Region Education Capacity Development Workshop ‘Country Leadership and Implementation for Results in the EFA-FTI Partnership’, in Dakar, Senegal, May 18-22, 2009, in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Education in charge of Pre-School, Primary and Middle Education.

Previous workshops took place in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2007; in Tunis, Tunisia, in December 2007; and in the Mauritius, in December 2008, and gathered each of them over 80 participants from countries either preparing or implementing education sector plans within the FTI framework. For this workshop, the fourth in the series, the number of expected participants is also over 80, including 5 senior officials from the Ministry of Education and 2 donor representatives from the following 8 Sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Sudan, and Senegal. Other participants include members of the EFA-FTI Secretariat, staff from headquarters of donor agencies, representatives of the Senegalese Ministry of Education, several resource persons, and World Bank staff. The Minister of Education in charge of Pre-School, Primary, and Middle Education of Senegal will deliver the opening remarks.

According to UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2009, se veral countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have registered progress between 1999 and 2006. For example, Benin, Madagascar, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia saw enrollment rates increase from between 50% and 70% to levels over 80%; Ethiopia, which started from an even lower baseline, has doubled its NER, reaching 71%, thanks to an ambitious school construction program in rural areas, the abolition of school fees, and increased teacher recruitment. Nevertheless, of the thirty-one countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for which data is available, eleven have repletion rates for grades 1 and 2 of more than 20%, and 75% of secondary-school-age children is still not yet enrolled in secondary education; furthermore, eleven out of the twenty-one low income countries for which there is available data spend less than 4% of their GDP in education.

These workshop series aims at fostering country leadership and creating a forum for national teams and donors to interact and share knowledge and experiences in the design, funding, and implementation of sustainable and successful education sector plans which are geared to future progress in the development of quality education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The project Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project has changed to Active

2009-04-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

Central African Republic: Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project

2009-03-31T22:41:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009 - The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IDA Credit: SDR 5.5 million (US$8.0 million equivalent)

Terms: Maturity = 40 years; Grace = 10 years

Project Description: The project will rehabilitate social infrastructure and improve the capacity of local stakeholders to plan and manage local recovery in targeted areas of the Central African Republic.

Media Contact

Rachel McColgan-Arnold

(202) 473-2588

rmccolgan@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P111679

The project Economic Governance and Reform Grant 2 is now in the pipeline.

2009-03-31T04:00:00.000Z

The project Economic Governance and Reform Grant 2 is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Central African Republic: EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund Preparation is now in the pipeline.

2009-03-10T04:00:00.000Z

The project Central African Republic: EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund Preparation is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Education For All - Fast Track Initiative Education Sector Development Project for Central African Republic grant will contribute to the implementation of first phase of the Government's national education strategy (2008-2011), and aims to improve access to better quality primary education. There are three components to the project, the first component being access (school construction, rehabilitation, and furniture). This component will build 568 and rehabilitate 417 classrooms. Taking into account expected increases in the number of primary school pupils (from 527,035 in the school year 2007-08 to 612,806 in 2011-12) the increase in classrooms will help reduce the pupil: classroom ratio from an expected 116 (in 2008-09) to 111 (in 2011-2012). Without the additional classrooms that are provided by the project, the pupil: classroom ratio will be expected to rise to 129 by 2011 according to projections. The second component is the quality (teacher training and textbooks). To increase the number of trained teachers, this component will: a) train community teachers to meet minimum qualification criteria. Taking into account training capacity in the country, the first cohort of 365 teachers will complete their training, which includes a year of apprenticeship in 2010-2011; and b) construct and rehabilitate pre-service and in-service teacher institutes. Finally, the third component is the management and efficiency. This component aims to address both immediate management challenges associated with the implementation, as well as create the basis for future phases of the program.

The project Supporting Stabilization Through Improved Accountability is now in the pipeline.

2009-02-27T05:00:00.000Z

The project Supporting Stabilization Through Improved Accountability is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project CAR - Emergency Power Response Project has changed to Active

2009-02-19T05:00:00.000Z

The project CAR - Emergency Power Response Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

US$8 million Emergency Grant to Rehabilitate Power Supply in Central African Republic

2009-02-18T22:02:15.000Z

Contacts
In Washington: Rachel McColgan-Arnold (202) 458 5299
rmccolgan@worldbank.org

In Bangui : Jelena Pantelic (236) 61 65 77

Jpantelic@worldbank.org

EdmondDingamhoudou (236) 61 65 77

edingamhoudou@worldbank.org

Washington, D.C, February 18, 2009 – The World Bank yesterday approved a grant of US$8 million to support the Government of the Central African Republic to rehabilitate the country’s power infrastructure, balancing supply and demand in the capital Bangui, and helping the power utility to improve its financial and operational sustainability. During the recent energy crisis in June 2008, over half of the electricity supply was lost for several weeks, affecting Bangui’s water supply, which relies on electric power for pumping water around the city. Hospitals were also affected by the lack of power. The project will reduce the risk of such a crisis reoccurring in one of Africa’s poorest countries.

The goal of the project is to partially restore reliable power supply to Enerca (the electricity utility) customers in Bangui, including essential service providers such as the water company and hospitals, and to improve the financial and operational performance of the sector. In particular, the project will rehabilitate the Boali 1 and 2 hydropower facilities, a part of a much larger hydro-energetic power complex, thereby increasing reliable power supply. Boali 3, with a dam and structures prepared to house turbines, would present the last phase of this complex and investors for its reconstruction are now being sought, with some bilaterals and multilaterals showing interest. Meanwhile, the alternative is an increased reliance on small captive diesel generators which is much more costly. It is also not affordable to the country, most individual customers and is damaging to the environment.

Task Team Leader, Moez Cherif, underscored the emergency nature of the project: “If no urgent measures are taken, the electricity crisis experienced last summer could recur in an even more severe form leading to high socioeconomic cost or even a humanitarian crisis in Bangui. Enerca lacks funds to perform vital maintenance and rehabilitation of its dilapidated infrastructure, and reengagement from the donor community is critical.”

The project has four key components: (i) the rehabilitation of existing hydropower stations; (ii) the introduction of more efficient lighting, by the distribution of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) in order to reduce energy usage for lighting purposes by up to 10%; (iii) the introduction of pre-payment meters to improve revenue collection; and (iv) loss reductions through the replacement of old distribution lines with PVC insulated ones, which make it harder to steal power.

Country Director, Ms. Mary Barton-Dock, “Our assistance is supplementing resources from Agence France de Developpement, the other donor responding to this pressing situation. We see this project as responding to the emergency situation in a way that lays the foundation for reform and future sustainability of the power sector in CAR.”

This project will be closely coordinated with AFD (the French aid agency), which is already financing the partial rehabilitation of power generation in CAR. The estimated total cost of this project is US$8 million. It will be entirely financed by IDA and will be implemented for three years. The grant is expected to close on June 30, 2012.

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

For more information about the World Bank in CAR visit: www.worldbank.org/car

Central African Republic - Emergency Power Response

2009-02-17T23:34:41.000Z

WASHINGTON, February 17, 2009 - The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IDA Grant: US$8 million equivalent

TERMS: NA

Project Description: The grant will on an emergency basis, support the Government of Central African Republic to rehabilitate the power infrastructure, bringing supply and demand into a reasonable relationship in the capital Bangui and helping the power utility to improve its financial and operational sustainability.

Media Contact

Rachel McColgan-Arnold

(202) 458-5299

rmccolgan@worldbank.org

For project documents, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P114111

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

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

The project Licus grant in support of CDD activities has changed to Closed

2009-01-25T05:00:00.000Z

The project Licus grant in support of CDD activities has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project is now in the pipeline.

2009-01-07T05:00:00.000Z

The project Support to Vulnerable Groups Community Development Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project CAR - Emergency Power Response Project is now in the pipeline.

2009-01-06T05:00:00.000Z

The project CAR - Emergency Power Response Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project CAR - LICUS Project has changed to Closed

2009-01-01T05:00:00.000Z

The project CAR - LICUS Project has changed to Closed. 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

Central African Republic: CEMAC Regional Institutions Support Project

2008-12-04T20:19:50.000Z

WASHINGTON, December 4, 2008- The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IDA Credit: US$50 million

TERMS: Maturity = 40 years; Grace = 10 years

Project Description: The CEMAC (Commission de la Communaute' Economique et Mone'taire de l 'Afrique Centrale) Regional Institutions Support Project aims to strengthen Central African regional institutions so that they can fulfill their mandates to encourage an expanded, better governed regional market, and a more transparent, better regulated and more competitive financial system. This will facilitate the reutilization of oil revenues for investment in Central Africa.

Media Contact

Rachel McColgan-Arnold

(202) 458-5299

rmccolgan@worldbank.org

For more information on the Central African Republic, please visit:

http://afr.worldbank.org/car/

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

The project Education Sector Support Project is now in the pipeline.

2008-10-24T04:00:00.000Z

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

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 CAR Food Response Project has changed to Active

2008-08-15T04:00:00.000Z

The project CAR Food Response Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

Central African Republic: World Bank Grant to Mitigate Food Crisis

2008-08-14T21:57:09.000Z

Media Contacts

In Washington: Rachel McColgan-Arnold

(202) 458 5299

rmccolgan@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, August 14, 2008 –A US$7 million grant was approved today by the World Bank to finance activities to mitigate the impact of rising food prices in the Central African Republic as a result of rising global food prices. In a country where two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line, and where food prices have risen by an average of 25 percent in the first third of this year alone, this project will provide critical assistance to alleviate some of the pressure from the escalation of food prices.

The Food Response Project has two main components, each of $3.25 million. The first will support the Government’s strategy to maintain and enhance food security by increasing food access for primary and pre-school students through school feeding programs. The second component will enhance rural producers’ access to agricultural technology and advice in order to support production.

Working in partnership with the World Food Program’s (WFP) Support for Education for All and Health program, the school feeding program will provide meals to about 150,000 kindergarten and primary school students in one year in six targeted jurisdictions and one trial jurisdiction, selected based on the prevalence of food insecurity. Renato Nardello, the project’s Team Leader, highlighted the projected outcomes: “We expect to see an immediate improvement in the school performance and attendance rate of those students, in the targeted schools, who will be receiving two meals daily. The project has deliberately focused on those public schools with low enrollment and attendance rates and those in rural areas. ”

A variety of interventions are planned under component two, including providing improved planting material, small animals and tools, organizing technical training to bolster productivity on a sustainable basis and improving the marketing value of production by ensuring that once the harvest is not lost once reaped. Mr. Nardello added that “the fruits of this project will mainly be seen in the 2009 and 2010, when we expect 20,000 and 50,000 producers to receive better seeds and tools. In a country where more than 60 percent of the population lives in rural areas and relies on agriculture as the main source of livelihood, this will be a significant boost to the agriculture sector and will make crops easier to grow for the producer and more available in the marketplace for the consumer.”

As to the project’s sustainability, he added, that “Our main objective, clearly, is to respond to the crisis and to mitigate its immediate negative effects. This is particularly important n a fragile state context and our urgent focus must be to address and to halt the slide into a deeper food security crisis, which could destabilize the political and economic recovery which is underway. The project, however, does have in place a capacity building program to ensure that these short-term efforts yield long-term sustainability and that NGOs and other agencies have the tools to build on these efforts.”

Building on lessons learned, the need to ensure the project is kept simple and realistic has been a key consideration in the design of the project and identification of implementing partners. “We are partnering with those organizations and agencies, such as WFP and agencies identified with the Government which have demonstrated their ability and commitment to bring this project to fruition – we all want to see this move swiftly and effectively to address the crisis”, said Mary Barton-Dock, the Bank’s Country Director for the CAR, adding that, “This emergency support complements longer-term agriculture related investments.”

The project is funded through the Global Food Crisis Response Program (GFRP) approved less than three months ago, which provides $1.2 billion of rapid financing facility to address immediate needs arising from the food crisis, and which includes $200 million in grants from IBRD surplus targeted at the vulnerable in IDA countries with priority to the most fragile states. To date, more than US$100 million has been committed globally out of the Global Food Crisis Response Program.

The GFRP is one facet of the World Bank’s New Deal on Global Food Policy, endorsed by 150 countries, and embraces short, medium and long-term responses: including safety nets such as school feeding, food for work, and conditional cash transfers; increased agricultural production; a better understanding of the impact of bio-fuels; and action on the trade front to reduce distorting subsidies and trade barriers.

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For more information, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/car

The project CAR Emergency Food Response Project is now in the pipeline.

2008-07-29T04:00:00.000Z

The project CAR Emergency Food Response Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant has changed to Closed

2008-07-11T04:00:00.000Z

The project Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant (EMGRG) support the implementation of the Central African Republic (CAR's) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. This grant focuses on two main policy areas: (i) strengthening public finance management; and (ii) improving public sector and economic governance. This operation directly supports two pillars of the PRSP: (i) promoting good governance and the rule of law (second pillar); and (ii) rebuilding and diversifying the economy (third pillar). In addition, it will assist the Government in attaining some of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) completion point triggers and will provide much needed external resources to ensure timely payment of public sector salaries and external debt service.

The project LICUS III is now in the pipeline.

2008-06-06T04:00:00.000Z

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

The Central African Republic Obtains US$7.9 Million Grant to Improve Emergency Management and Governance Reform

2008-05-27T21:00:00.000Z

Contacts

In Washington: Aby Toure (202) 473-8302

akonate@worldbank.org;

In Bangui: Jelena Pantelic (236) 61 65 77

Jpantelic@worldbank.org

Edmond Dingamhoudou (236) 61 65 77

edingamhoudou@worldbank.org

WASHINGTONMay 27, 2008 – The World Bank has approved a grant of US$7.9 million for the Emergency Management and Governance Reform program (EMGRG). The objective is to support the implementation of the Central African Republic (CAR) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper by deepening public financial management reforms and strengthening the government’s governance effort aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the public sector, forestry and oil sector.

In addition, the EMGRG will assist the Government in attaining some of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Completion Point triggers and will provide much needed external resources to ensure timely payment of public sector salaries and external debt service

In terms of benefits, “the reforms supported by this grant will contribute to improve the efficiency and transparency of government operations and improve public sector and economic governance and it is expected particularly to establish more transparent accounting system and timely and reliable budget reporting; and to improve the visibility of the government’s governance efforts”, said World Bank Director for CAR, Mary Barton-Dock.

According to the World Bank Country Economist, Luc Razafimandimby, “this grant is aligned with the objectives of the Joint Interim Strategy Note, which outlines support by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for an 18 month period, covering FY07-08”.

The Joint Interim Strategy Note supports the Government in its effort to spur economic recovery and help strengthen public sector governance spanning public finance management, both from the expenditure and revenue perspectives; economic governance in key sectors such as management of natural resources; public administration; and public sector governance.

The project will be implemented for one year and the grant is expected to close on May 31, 2009.

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

For more information about the World Bank in CAR visit: www.worldbank.org/car

For more information about this project visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=349999&menuPK=350031&Projectid=P106458

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

Central African Republic: Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant

2008-05-27T20:52:40.000Z

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2008- The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IDA Grant: USD$7.9 Million

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: A one tranche development policy operation, the Economic Management and Governance Reform Grant (EMGRG) supports the implementation of the

Central African Republic ’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The proposed grant focuses on two main policy areas: (i) strengthening public finance management; and (ii) improving public sector and economic governance.

For more information, please call Aby Toure at (202) 473-8302 or e-mail here at akonate@worldbank.org

For project information, please visit Country 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

The project CAR: LICUS II Project has changed to Closed

2008-05-07T04:00:00.000Z

The project CAR: LICUS II Project has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

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

The project Central African Republic - LICUS Trust Fund Grant for Interim Support to HIV/AIDS Treatment has changed to Closed

2007-12-17T05:00:00.000Z

The project Central African Republic - LICUS Trust Fund Grant for Interim Support to HIV/AIDS Treatment has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database