India Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project

On August 6, the World Bank Board of Directors will be discussing the India Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project. This project is worth a total of $375 million, of which $250 million is provided by the World Bank, and $125 by the borrowing country.

The project development objective is to enhance resilience to floods and increase agricultural production and productivity in the targeted districts in the Kosi River Basin, and to improve the Government of Bihar’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency.
This is to be achieved through the following components:

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Tunisia Road Transport Corridors – Update

On June 29 we reported about the Tunisia Road Transport Corridors. This project, worth a total of $231 million, has now been approved by the World Bank Board of Directors.

The Project Development Objectives are (i) to reduce transportation cost and time and improve road safety on select road corridors between lagging regions in Tunisia and more developed areas and (ii) strengthen the Ministry of Equipment’s capacity in road asset management.
This is to be achieved through the following two components: Continue reading

World Bank to spend up to $2.1 billion to rebuild Nigeria’s northeast

Article published by Reuters on July 21, 2015.

(Updates with World Bank comment)

By Julia Payne

ABUJA, July 21 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s presidency said on Tuesday the World Bank had pledged to spend up to $2.1 billion to rebuild the northeast of the country that has been devastated by Boko Haram militants.

President Muhammadu Buhari met with representatives of the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Health Organization during a trip to Washington.

A World Bank spokeswoman said that during the meeting, the bank said the sum of $2.1 billion could be lent to Nigeria from its development agency and that support could also come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Continue reading

Morocco – Large Scale Irrigation Modernization Project

On July 8, the World Bank Board of Directors approved the Morocco Large Scale Irrigation Modernization Project, worth a total of $187.5 million, of which $150 million is provided by the World Bank.

The development objectives of the Large Scale Irrigation Modernization Project for Morocco are: (i) for the Doukkala Regional Agricultural Development Office (ORMVA), the Gharb ORMVA, the Haouz ORMVA, and the Tadla ORMVA, to provide improved water service to farmers; and (ii) for targeted farmers in the project area, to have better access to improved irrigation technologies.

The project comprises of three components. Continue reading

eConsultant2: Training materials related to Integrated Urban Water Management

Formulation of financial and economic analysis training materials related to Integrated Urban Water Management

The selection is to contract the work for the development of training materials based on an in-depth assessment of financial and economic analysis tools and options related to Integrated Urban Water Management.

Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) is a holistic mode of strategic planning. It seeks to develop efficient, flexible urban water systems by adopting an integrated view of all components of the urban water cycle (water supply, sanitation, storm water management), in the context of the urban environment and the wider watershed (land use planning, urban planning and development, water users, environmental services). Continue reading

Reforming the Bank’s Procurement Framework

Today, on July 21, 2015, the World Bank Board of Directors will be discussing, and hopefully approving, the proposed new set of procurement rules and procedures. To give you the context, please find below an interview with the World Bank Chief Procurement Officer, Mr. Chris Browne.

In 2012, the World Bank started a review of the procurement rules and procedures that regulate how borrowing governments can use Bank money for buying goods, services, works, and for hiring consultants. The goal – to reform procurement in Bank operations to better support clients to achieve value for money and to produce sustainable development, while upholding the highest fiduciary and integrity standards. The review process included two global multi-stakeholder consultations. The Bank engaged with more than 4,000 stakeholders from governments, the private sector and civil society to develop a procurement framework that is fit for purpose for development.

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eConsultant2: Market research on Solar Home Systems in Ethiopia

The study should provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market for solar home systems (SHS) of up to 100Wp in Ethiopia. This is expected to include detailed assessment of:

  • Market segmentation (e.g. by income level, size of home, region, domestic /commercial/institutional use) and size.
  • Consumer preferences including consideration of system size, features, product range, design, functionality, retail channels etc.
  • Consumer willingness to pay including consideration of both upfront and consumer finance / microfinance based approaches.

The intention is that this study will be used to inform the business activities of Lighting Africas private sector partners in the SHS space in Ethiopia. Continue reading

eConsultant2: International STC to support Lao PDR Nam Ou River Basin Profile Development and Training

IFC seeks to recruit a short term international consultant to support their Environmental and Social Hydropower Advisory Services Program in Lao PDR. The assignment aims to provide capacity building and training through the development and production of a river basin profile for the Nam Ou River Basin. The production of the river basin profile will be undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Offices (PONRE), District Natural Resources and Environment Offices (DONRE) in the provinces of Phongsaly, Oudomxay and Luang Prabang and IFC (constituting the Core Team) as well as other relevant stakeholders where required.

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eConsultant2: Lessons from Linking SMEs to Lead Firms in Agribusiness

The Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice of the World Bank Group (WBG) assists governments and the private sector in exploring and enabling market opportunities in agribusiness. One of the key areas of focus of T&C is to support the growth of small and medium enterprises, from serving local and domestic markets to entering and upgrading in global value chains (GVCs). This is done by building marketing competence, facilitating market linkages, extending access to early-stage finance and appropriate technologies, and building managerial capacity. This work often entails supporting the development of aggregators or intermediaries. A key example for the agribusiness sector is infoDevs pilot program on the use of local intermediaries to effectively deliver financial and technical assistance that enable the growth of agro-processing SMEs. These intermediaries are referred to as Agribusiness Innovation Centers (AICs). Continue reading