Tonga | Projects | World Bank

The project Tonga Post Tsunami Reconstruction has changed to Closed

2013-04-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Post Tsunami Reconstruction has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

This restructuring paper seeks the approval of the Country Director to introduce the following change in the Kingdom of Tonga, Post-Tsunami Reconstruction Project and any necessary accompanying amendments to the projects legal documents. This project restructuring involves adding 'Force Account' as an additional procurement method for civil works and amending the Financing Agreement to allow this. The civil works for this project will be taking place on Niuatoputapu, an isolated island approximately 330 nautical miles from the capital of Nuku'alofa. In accordance with paragraph 3.8 of 'Guidelines: procurement under International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) Loans and International Development Association (IDA) Credits" published by the Bank in May 2004 and revised in October 2006 and May 2010, it is justified to use Force Account where qualified private construction firms are unlikely to bid for these small works contracts at reasonable prices, and as this is an emergency operation, prompt construction is necessary.

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation II has changed to Closed

2013-02-22T05:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation II has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Second Economic Recovery Operation Program is to assist the Government of Tonga (GoT) to implement key aspects of its medium-term reform agenda, while providing a predictable flow of resources in a challenging fiscal environment. The operation is the second in a programmatic series of two development policy operations. The operation will be financed by International Development Association (IDA) resources of US$1.8 million and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is expected to provide associated sector budget support of AUD 5.0 million (US$5.3 million) for the same policy actions and dependent on the Bank's operation being approved. The operation will help the Government of Tonga manage severe economic challenges that have coincided with historic political reforms. It supports a focused program of Government reform priorities in public financial management, fiscal policy, and business environment reforms while providing a vital fiscal buffer in the context of sustained revenue contraction. The series of operations coincide with the term in office of Tonga's first Government to be selected by a majority-elected parliament and provide an opportunity for the Bank to support Tonga at a critical juncture in its development process. The programmatic series of economic recovery operations focuses on three reform areas. Areas of focus reflect Government's concern to support short-term recovery and mitigate continuing impacts of the crisis on the poorest households while maintaining progress against longer-term structural reforms to deal with ongoing fiscal and economic challenges. Areas of focus include: i) strengthening public financial management; ii) strengthening fiscal policy; and iii) promoting structural reforms relating to the business regulatory environment. The first Tonga Economic recovery operation also supported reforms to strengthen social protection. The Second Tonga economic recovery operation will build on the gains achieved to date. In the area of public financial management, priorities reflect the importance of embedding transparency and solid Public Financial Management (PFM) foundations following recent political reforms. Actions in this area include introduction of a treasury single account, publication of in-year budget reports, and the tabling in Parliament of audited Annual Financial Statements of Government. Under fiscal policy, the agenda focuses on strengthening revenue effort to maintain delivery of public services following substantial revenue declines. Actions in this area include policy decisions to introduce small business and natural resource tax regimes and measures to increase transparency of the costs of tax exemptions.

The project Tonga Energy Road Map Implementation Project has changed to Dropped

2013-02-05T05:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Energy Road Map Implementation Project has changed to Dropped. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation II has changed to Active

2012-11-21T05:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation II has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Institutional and Regulatory Framework Strengthening Project has changed to Active

2012-08-15T04:00:00.000Z

The project Institutional and Regulatory Framework Strengthening Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Energy Roadmap Institutional and Regulatory Framework Strengthening Project is to support the strengthening of the institutional and regulatory framework of the Tonga energy roadmap. This project aims mainly at building capacity and enabling environment to establish a foundation of sustainable energy sector in the future, direct economic impacts cannot be measured and its impacts are largely indirect (e.g. scaling up of renewable energy and energy efficiency investments due to the capacity and enabling environment established by the project) and long term. For this reason, the immediate foreseeable impacts represent only illustrations of small initial portion of the real impacts coming along. The assessed financial management risk of the project before the mitigating measures is considered substantial and could be reduced to moderate and existing mitigating measures are implemented and have shown effective impact.

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation II is now in the pipeline.

2012-07-10T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation II is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Institutional and Regulatory Framework Strengthening Project is now in the pipeline.

2012-05-20T04:00:00.000Z

The project Institutional and Regulatory Framework Strengthening Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation has changed to Closed

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Economic Recovery Operation Program will assist the Government of Tonga (GoT) to implement key aspects of its medium-term reform agenda, while providing a predictable flow of resources in a challenging fiscal environment. Tonga's economy is beginning to recover from the series of crises that have buffeted it in recent years, but the incipient recovery is dependent on external support. Tonga is a small, remote economy that is highly vulnerable to external shocks and dependent on a limited number of sources of foreign exchange. In recent years, Tonga has undertaken a number of important public sector and economic reforms, but robust economic growth has remained elusive. Over the last four years, the series of crises that have buffeted the Tongan economy have caused economic contraction, a significant fiscal gap, and rising poverty. The multi-year programmatic series of operations will assist the GoT to appropriately sequence key public sector and economic reforms over a medium-term time horizon, while supporting the GoT's capacity to deliver services in a challenging fiscal environment. The operation carries a high risk on account of the limited institutional capacity of the GoT, the recent nature of Tonga's political reforms, and Tonga's uncertain external environment.

The project Pacific Aviation Investment - Tonga has changed to Active

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000Z

The project Pacific Aviation Investment - Tonga has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Pacific Aviation Investment Project for Kiribati is to improve operational safety and oversight of international air transport infrastructure. There are four components to the project. The first component of the project is international airport infrastructure investments. This component will invest in the aviation infrastructure at Kiribati's international airports, including: (i) replacement of the terminal at Cassidy Airport and improvements to the terminal at Bonriki Airport; (ii) construction of fire tender vehicle shelter and maintenance equipment building at Cassidy Airport; (iii) resealing the road from Cassidy Airport to London to maintain access; (iv) installation of new navigation aids, automatic weather monitoring, safety and security equipment at the Cassidy and Bonriki airports; (v) upgrading of the Cassidy airport runway lights; (vi) provision of air traffic control equipment; (vii) provision of fire safety equipment; and (viii) enhancing the power supply for Cassidy Airport and the surrounding village. The second component of the project is sector reform and training. This component will finance technical assistance to the MCTTD (Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development) and other Line Ministries for: (i) strengthening capabilities with aviation sector management, policy, safety and security oversight; (ii) development and implementation of civil aviation technical regulations and manuals; (iii) training on aviation policy, management and operations; (iv) carrying out of a baseline audit of the safety and security at Cassidy and Bonriki Airports and review progress in the implementation of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Corrective Action Plan by the Recipient; and, (v) carrying out of safety and security oversight audits. The third component of the project is strengthening airport operations and management capacity. The component will finance: (i) technical assistance for the: (a) establishment of an independent public entity for the management of Kiribati's airports; and (b) its operation, and (ii) the management contract for the operations of the Bonriki and Cassidy airports. The fourth component of the project is project support. This component will finance the provision of technical, advisory and administrative support to MCTTD, other Line Ministries and the TFSU (Technical and Fiduciary Services Unit) and provision of office space and equipment, services of financial auditors and annual subscriptions for the operation of the pacific aviation safety network during project implementation.

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation has changed to Active

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Pacific Aviation Investment - Tonga is now in the pipeline.

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000Z

The project Pacific Aviation Investment - Tonga is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Energy Road Map Implementation Project is now in the pipeline.

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Energy Road Map Implementation Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Aviation Infrastructure Investment Project has changed to Dropped

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Aviation Infrastructure Investment Project has changed to Dropped. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Pacific Regional Connectivity Program has changed to Active

2011-08-31T04:00:00.000Z

The project Pacific Regional Connectivity Program has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The objective of the Pacific Regional Connectivity Program is to reduce the cost and increase the availability of international bandwidth for participating countries, and thereby facilitates the development of a wide range of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications to support social and economic development in the Pacific region. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is submarine cable system. This will include: the construction of an 827 km repeatered cable linking Nuku'alofa (Tonga) with Suva (Fiji), and a cable landing station in Tonga. The second component of the project is enabling environment, ($1.0 million) will finance technical assistance for the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) on telecommunications policy, legal and regulatory development, licensing harmonization, and on the legal and regulatory environment for internet and e-transactions, and regulatory capacity building. The third component of the project is project management and administration ($0.4 million) will provide administrative support to the MIC in the areas of project management, procurement, financial management, communications strategy and audit.

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation is now in the pipeline.

2011-07-15T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Economic Recovery Operation is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Aviation Infrastructure Investment Project is now in the pipeline.

2011-06-15T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Aviation Infrastructure Investment Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Post Tsunami Reconstruction is now in the pipeline.

2010-10-05T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Post Tsunami Reconstruction is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Energy Development Policy Operation is now in the pipeline.

2010-06-18T04:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Energy Development Policy Operation is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The objectives of the Energy Sector Development Policy Operation Program are to contribute to reducing Tonga's fiscal deficit and to support the Government's efforts in implementing reforms in the energy sector which will contribute to achieving steady and stable growth in the medium term. The program will provide budget support to reduce the near-term fiscal deficit. It will also reinforce the importance of implementation of energy sector reforms necessary to reduce Tonga's vulnerability to oil price rise and shocks, which otherwise will pose a significant risk to achieving stable growth in the medium term. Like other Pacific Island nations, Tonga is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and to external economic shocks because of its small size combined with a large distance from the nearest large market. The knock-on effects of the global economic crisis, in particular in remittances and tourism revenues, contributed to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contractions of 0.4 percent in FY2008-09 and an estimated 0.5 percent in FY2009-10. As the government recognized the extent to which its tax revenues had been affected by the global economic crisis last year, it took emergency measures to limit recurrent expenditures including imposing lower ceilings on the expenditures in most ministries toward the end of FY2009-2010. It also sought budget support in the form of grants from donors. While the outlook is for growth to recover in FY2010-2011 to around 1.5 to 2 percent, downside risks remain. Containing expenditure to the level set in the budget will be challenging, even with greater attention to expenditure prioritization, given the emergency-nature of the budget cuts already instituted in FY2009-10.

The project Pacific Regional Connectivity Program is now in the pipeline.

2010-05-20T04:00:00.000Z

The project Pacific Regional Connectivity Program is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Tonga Transport Sector Consolidation Project is now in the pipeline.

2008-02-27T05:00:00.000Z

The project Tonga Transport Sector Consolidation Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of Transport Sector Consolidation Project for Tonga is to establish and consolidate the operations of the newly-created Ministry of Transport (MoT) as a unified transport sector- policy, planning and regulatory ministry and to improve the level of compliance of the civil aviation and maritime sub sector entities with international safety and security standards. There are four components to the project. The first component of the project is technical assistance to establish a sustainable transport sector policy, institutional and operational framework for the transport sector as well as provide support for preparation of sustainable investment plans for the aviation, maritime and roads sub-sectors so as to leverage current infrastructure to the maximum extent possible and be appropriate to the scale of activity and local environment. The second component of the project is strategic investments to respond to and meet mandatory (urgent and high priority) safety and security standards required under international agreements, treaties and obligations. The third component of the project is support the Government of Tonga in the early stages of implementing key initiatives towards a more sustainable transport sector and to consolidate the transition to the unified Ministry of Transport. The fourth component of the project is project implementation support within MoT to provide the necessary technical support to both MoT and Tonga Airports Limited (TAL) to implement the project.