Madagascar / The World Bank Group’s Board approved the second Governance and Institutional Development Project (PGDI – II) in Madagascar

WASHINGTON, USA, June 4, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors approved today a financing in an amount of US$40 million to the Republic of Madagascar for the second Governance and Institutional Development Project (PGDI – II). This amount will enhance and further deepen previous reforms initiated under the first Governance and Institutional Development Project (PGDI – I), which is scheduled to close in June 2009.

 
 

According to Robert Blake, Country Manager of the World Bank in Madagascar, “the combination between the existing PGDI and the budget support operations has created a lot of synergies; it has enabled the Government to respond to policy changes and upcoming demands in a flexible and constructive manner”.

 
 

The development objective of this second project is to improve the efficiency and transparency of government and selected public services in Madagascar in line with the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP). It would be implemented over a period of four years. The PGDI – II consists of six components:

 
 

• Component 1: Improvement of Public Expenditure Management. The objective of this component is to continue to support in a holistic manner the reform of the public expenditure management system in Madagascar.
  
• Component 2: Strengthening the Efficiency of Government Operations. The objective of this component is to support the change management and institutional development processes in the context of the implementation of the Government’s development strategy, the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP). It builds on activities piloted under the first PGDI and will include leadership training and development for senior government officials to manage and implement far-reaching reforms.
  
• Component 3: Rule of Law and Fight Against Corruption. The objective of the component is to assist Government in promoting transparency, accountability and good governance; and in particular, in reducing corruption.
  
• Component 4: Transparency and Social Accountability. The component aims at fostering increased implication of civil society in State affairs and at improving “social accountability” which are key objectives of the MAP.
  
• Component 5: Monitoring & evaluation. The component will support Government’s efforts to strengthen the monitoring & evaluation system that underpins the MAP. This support will focus on the implementation of a new population census and on the improvement of the operational efficiency of the National Statistics Office (INSTAT).
  

 
 

• Component 6: Program Coordination. The objective of this component is to support the management and implementation of the PGDI II. This will include assistance to the Ministry of Finance to effectively manage donor and government funds committed to financing public expenditure management reforms.
  

“The project design incorporates the lessons learnt under the implementation of first PGDI which has been executed satisfactorily. These lessons include comprehensive training and capacity building activities as an integral part of the various project components” explained Guenter Heidenhof, Task team leader of this project at the World Bank.

 
 

SOURCE : The World Bank