Evaluation Team

This report was prepared by H. Razafindramanana, Principal Evaluation Officer, OPEV, with contributions from J. Mouanda Evaluation Officer, M. Sanou, M. Camara and I. Kendel consultants.

Objective

The objective of the evaluation is to draw conclusions about the Bank’s country experience and make recommendations to improve ongoing and future interventions. The report evaluates Bank assistance in the form of loans and non-financial activities. It takes into account projects and programmes approved prior to 1996 and completed after 1996, those approved between 1996 and 2007 (completed or ongoing), as well as economic and sector work (ESW), resource mobilization, and dialogue on aid policies and coordination

Main Lessons

• Effective capacity building positively impacts on project/program implemetation and results.

Main Recommendations

Recommendations to the Bank :

• Increase strategic selectivity within CSP pillars – infrastructure and governance – on the basis of high quality economic and sector analytic work and more targeted policy dialogue.

• Strengthen Bank support for private sector development through active involvement and stronger synergies in improving the business climate, and direct support to the sector

• Strengthen support to good governance through the effective implementation of updated legal texts and instruments.

• Build country capacity to implement Bank-financed operations, including through the preparation of project implementation schedules, rigorous selection of project managers, expansion of training programmes, establishment of accounting and financial management systems, and provision of procedure manuals.

• Strengthen monitoring and evaluation and the Bank’s presence by empowering GAFO more, including through joint missions with Headquarters and Field Office experts, to avoid unduly wide deviation from initial objectives and slippages in projects implementation.

• Improve coordination and synergy of action among the various Bank departments, including the Private Sector Department and the Gabon Field Office, by focusing on a shared vision for Bank assistance in Gabon, an appropriate division of labour, and accountability.