Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: ICR00001400 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT (State and Peacebuilding Trust Fund TF094746, IDA Grant-H5130 IDA-H9080, IDA Grant D1160, and Africa Catalytic Growth Trust Fund A2392) ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$38.5 MILLION EQUIVALENT TO THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA-BISSAU FOR THE RURAL COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT March 20, 2020 Social Protection & Jobs Global Practice Africa Region CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Exchange Rate Effective September 20, 2019 Currency Unit = West African CFA Franc (CFAF) CFAF 595.26 C = US$1 US$0.0017= CFAF 1 US$1.39= SDR 1 FISCAL YEAR January 1 – December 31 Regional Vice President: Hafez M. H. Ghanem Country Director: Nathan M. Belete Regional Director: Amit Dar Practice Manager: Jehan Arulpragasam Task Team Leader: Philippe Auffret ICR Main Contributor: Matuna Mostafa ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ACGF Africa Catalytic Growth Fund CDD Community-driven development CFAF Central African franc ESMF Environmental and Social Management Framework FIAL Fundo para Iniciativas Ambientais Locais (Local Environment Initiative Fund) FM Financial management IDA International Development Association IMF International Monetary Fund ISR Implementation Status Report IST/AIDS/HIV Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome/Human Immunodeficiency Virus M&E Monitoring and evaluation NGO Non-governmental organization PCU Project Coordination Unit PDO Project Development Objective RCDD Rural Community-Driven Development Project RSR Rapid Social Response SPF State and Peacebuilding Fund UN United Nations WHO World Health Organization TABLE OF CONTENTS DATA SHEET .......................................................................................................................... 1 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................6 I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ....................................................... 7 A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL ......................................................................................................7 B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................... 11 II. OUTCOME .................................................................................................................... 20 A. RELEVANCE OF PDOs ......................................................................................................... 20 B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDOs (EFFICACY) ................................................................................... 21 C. EFFICIENCY ........................................................................................................................ 28 D. JUSTIFICATION OF OVERALL OUTCOME RATING ................................................................. 32 E. OTHER OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS ..................................................................................... 32 III. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME ................................ 36 A. KEY FACTORS DURING PREPARATION ................................................................................ 36 B. KEY FACTORS DURING IMPLEMENTATION.......................................................................... 38 IV. BANK PERFORMANCE ................................................................................................... 40 A. QUALITY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) ......................................................... 40 B. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE.................................................. 41 C. BANK PERFORMANCE ........................................................................................................ 43 D. RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME .................................................................................... 44 V. LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................. 45 ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS ........................................................... 48 ANNEX 2. BANK LENDING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT/SUPERVISION ......................... 57 ANNEX 3. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT ........................................................................... 59 ANNEX 4. EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS ........................................................................................... 61 ANNEX 5. RECIPIENT, CO-FINANCIER AND OTHER PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS ...... 65 ANNEX 6. ADDITIONAL LESSONS LEARNED / RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................... 69 ANNEX 7. LIST OF AUDIT, ASSESSMENT, AND EVALUATION REPORTS ................................... 71 ANNEX 8. SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS OF SATISFACTION SURVEYS AND ASSESSMENTS ...... 73 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) DATA SHEET BASIC INFORMATION Product Information Project ID Project Name P090712 Rural Community-Driven Development Project Country Financing Instrument Guinea-Bissau Investment Project Financing Original EA Category Revised EA Category Partial Assessment (B) Partial Assessment (B) Related Projects Relationship Project Approval Product Line Supplement P117861-Participatory 20-Jul-2009 Recipient Executed Activities Rural Development Project Additional Financing P146746-Rural 07-Feb-2014 IBRD/IDA Community-Driven Development Project Add Fin Additional Financing P151443-Second Add. 10-May-2016 IBRD/IDA Fin. to Rural Community-Driven Development Project Organizations Borrower Implementing Agency Project Coordination Unit, PCU/RURAL COMMUNITY- Ministry of Finance DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Page 1 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO The Project Development Objective is to increase access to priority basic social and economic infrastructures and services in participating communities in at least two regions of Guinea-Bissau. FINANCING Original Amount (US$) Revised Amount (US$) Actual Disbursed (US$) World Bank Financing P090712 IDA-H5130 5,000,000 5,000,000 5,055,377 P090712 IDA-H9080 15,000,000 14,966,842 14,620,545 P090712 TF-A2392 3,500,000 3,489,898 3,489,898 P090712 IDA-D1160 10,000,000 10,000,000 10,214,772 Total 33,500,000 33,456,740 33,380,592 Non-World Bank Financing 0 0 0 Borrower/Recipient 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 Total Project Cost 33,500,000 33,456,739 33,380,591 KEY DATES Project Approval Effectiveness MTR Review Original Closing Actual Closing P090712 24-Sep-2009 07-Jul-2010 14-Jan-2013 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 Page 2 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) RESTRUCTURING AND/OR ADDITIONAL FINANCING Date(s) Amount Disbursed (US$M) Key Revisions 16-Apr-2011 1.01 Change in Results Framework Change in Components and Cost Change in Disbursements Arrangements Change in Procurement 07-Feb-2014 3.15 Additional Financing 06-Nov-2014 16.30 Change in Results Framework Change in Components and Cost Reallocation between Disbursement Categories Change in Disbursements Arrangements Change in Institutional Arrangements Change in Procurement 10-May-2016 19.34 Additional Financing KEY RATINGS Outcome Bank Performance M&E Quality Satisfactory Satisfactory Substantial RATINGS OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN ISRs Actual No. Date ISR Archived DO Rating IP Rating Disbursements (US$M) Moderately 01 25-Feb-2010 Moderately Unsatisfactory .89 Unsatisfactory Moderately 02 05-Nov-2010 Moderately Unsatisfactory .90 Unsatisfactory 03 06-Jun-2011 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 1.43 04 26-Dec-2011 Satisfactory Satisfactory 2.12 05 25-Jun-2012 Satisfactory Satisfactory 2.17 06 25-Dec-2012 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory 2.17 07 24-Jun-2013 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 2.72 08 31-Dec-2013 Satisfactory Satisfactory 3.54 09 22-Jun-2014 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 8.70 Page 3 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 10 24-Dec-2014 Satisfactory Satisfactory 16.84 Moderately 11 02-Jun-2015 Unsatisfactory 17.34 Unsatisfactory 12 30-Oct-2015 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 17.94 13 28-Apr-2016 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 19.74 14 19-Dec-2016 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 19.91 15 29-Jun-2017 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 21.02 16 10-Mar-2018 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 22.87 17 13-Sep-2018 Satisfactory Satisfactory 27.18 18 25-Feb-2019 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 29.10 19 25-Sep-2019 Satisfactory Satisfactory 30.28 SECTORS AND THEMES Sectors Major Sector/Sector (%) Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry 30 Other Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry 30 Education 30 Other Education 30 Social Protection 25 Social Protection 25 Water, Sanitation and Waste Management 15 Water Supply 15 Themes Major Theme/ Theme (Level 2)/ Theme (Level 3) (%) Page 4 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Social Development and Protection 101 Social Inclusion 47 Indigenous People and Ethnic Minorities 8 Other Excluded Groups 31 Participation and Civic Engagement 8 Social Protection 25 Social Safety Nets 25 Fragility, Conflict and Violence 29 Conflict Prevention 13 Post-conflict reconstruction 13 Forced Displacement 3 ADM STAFF Role At Approval At ICR Regional Vice President: Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili Hafez M. H. Ghanem Country Director: Habib M. Fetini Nathan M. Belete Director: Yaw Ansu Amit Dar Practice Manager: Lynne D. Sherburne-Benz Jehan Arulpragasam Task Team Leader(s): Michael Drabble Philippe Auffret ICR Contributing Author: Matuna Mushfeqa Mostafa Page 5 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ABSTRACT 1. In the fragile, poverty stricken and politically volatile context of Guinea-Bissau, the Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712, RCDD Project) responded to the government’s request to promote participatory models of local governance and service delivery and improve the living conditions of poor and vulnerable rural communities. The RCDD Project combined two projects that had the same development objectives, monitoring indicators, and were implemented by the same ministry, but were created as separate projects and financed by two difference sources, including: (i) a $5 million grant from the State and Peacebuilding Fund, called the Participatory Rural Development Project (P117861 – agreement was signed in August 2009); and (ii) a $5 million IDA grant, called the Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712 – agreement signed on September 2009). 2. The project development objective was to increase access to priority basic economic and social infrastructure and services. The Project was restructured twice and received two additional financing and responded to the country’s emerging and emergency needs. The Project received total financing of US$ 38.5 million, and the closing date was extended from a planned 5 years to 10 years and closed on September 20, 2019. The Project components included: (i) Component 1: Capacity Building for Community Development; (ii) Community-based Micro-Projects; (iii) Project Coordination and Monitoring & Evaluation; (iv) Delivery of Education and Health Systems; (v) Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic; and (vi) Pilot Cash Transfer Program. 3. Despite numerous challenges during implementation, including a military coup in 2012 that led to an 8-months suspension of missions and disbursements, the RCDD is one of the few highly successful projects implemented in Guinea-Bissau. Through close monitoring, supervision and technical advice, and flexibility in approach, the Project built the capacity of communities and institutions. This enabled the delivery of priority basic infrastructure to poor rural communities; provision of emergency response services that benefitted the entire country; and a national safety net pilot. Key achievements include: a. Over 200,000 people benefitted directly from the Project. b. Over 104,000 rural people benefited from improved access to water points. c. Over to 84,000 people had improved access from the rehabilitation of 350km of rural roads. d. About 3,800 people benefited from improved hydro-agricultural systems. e. 216 schools were built/rehabilitated, and led to the enrollment of 16,000 students, and an increase in the enrollment of girls. f. In 2014, the Project provided emergency response to the country by paying salary arrears to over 9,000 teachers and health workers which helped to end strikes and social unrest in the lead up to the November 2014 elections. g. From end 2014 to end 2015, the Project implemented emergency measures to stop the spread of the Ebola virus into Guinea-Bissau from neighboring countries. The PCU and rural community committees raised awareness of hygiene practices, Ebola and other contagious diseases, and the WHO was contracted to implement health contingency measures. h. A safety net program was piloted and informed the design and expansion of the new national cash transfers program for poor households with children and include the provision of nutritional interventions. Page 6 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL Country Context 1. Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau’s history has been marked by political instability that has limited economic development and led to high poverty levels. Intermittent periods of political unrest with repeated military interventions and sustained conflict have weakened government institutions and governance. As a consequence, Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the world. In 2009, an estimated 66 percent of the population lived below the poverty line ($2 per day), and 20 percent lived in extreme poverty (less than $1/day).1 Poverty levels were even higher in rural areas, where roughly 80 percent lived below the poverty line. 2. The introduction of a multi-party system of governance in 1994 left the government with few resources, and little presence and focus on rural development substantially weakened the State’s legitimacy at the local level. The key drivers of rural poverty were: (i) a vacuum of local government resulting in a lack of social services and basic infrastructure; and (ii) a lack of growth in the key economic sectors that support the majority of the population.2 Funding for rural development was very limited with public expenditure allocated almost exclusively for the payment of salaries. The lack of government presence outside the capital, Bissau, left the provision of most basic services in rural regions to traditional authorities and informal organizations with limited capacity. 3. At the time of project appraisal, in 2009, living conditions were especially difficult for rural households that typically engaged in manual labor in the agricultural sector. Decades of limited infrastructure development and social service delivery led to poor development outcomes. The net school enrollment ratio was 53.5 percent for boys and 36.3 percent for girls, the adult illiteracy rate was 63.3 percent, the infant mortality was 122 per 1,000, and 95 percent of population had to travel an average of 30 minutes to access drinking water.3 Poor human development indicators and the absence of basic services at the regional level represented key challenges to stimulating rural development. Sectoral and Institutional Context 4. Following independence, local governments were set up as deconcentrated levels of the central government. However, they essentially became party committees, while traditional village authorities lost most of their power and responsibilities or disappeared altogether. In 1996, the government adopted a series of decentralization laws to organize government at local levels; however, the eruption 1 World Bank. 2009. Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Grant in the Amount of SDR 3.3 million (US$5.0 Million Equivalent) to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau for a Rural Community-Driven Development Project RCDD. Report No. 49557-GW, Washington, D.C.: World Bank. 2 IMF. 2007. Guinea-Bissau: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, IMF Country Report No. 07/339. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. 3 World Bank. 2009. Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Grant in the Amount of SDR 3.3 million (US$5.0 Million Equivalent) to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau for a Rural Community-Driven Development Project RCDD. Report No. 49557-GW, Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Page 7 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) of armed conflict soon thereafter thwarted the implementation of these laws. The country is divided into eight administrative regions that are divided into sectors, which are further subdivided into sections where the government often lacks representation and relies on the traditional authorities for local development. Within the sectors, the lowest levels of settlements are villages (tabancas4). At project appraisal, investments in and maintenance of basic social and economic services, such as schools, health centers or roads were limited and entirely dependent on donor funding. Rationale for Bank Assistance 5. The government’s request for World Bank support and technical assistance stemmed from the findings of the International Development Agency (IDA) grant-financed Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Management Project (P049513). This project included a pilot community-driven development (CDD) initiative and revealed strong demand from rural areas for a CDD approach for rural to development. The government subsequently requested the World Bank’s technical assistance to enhance basic infrastructure and service delivery through a CDD approach, with an overarching objective to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions in rural communities. 6. The World Bank possessed the technical knowledge and long-term experience supporting CDD projects to enhance rural service delivery and infrastructure in Africa and post-conflict states, including Angola, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, as well as Guinea-Bissau. The World Bank also had direct knowledge and experience working with rural communities in Guinea-Bissau through its support to projects including the Coastal and Biodiversity Management Project (P083453) and the Emergency Food Security Support Project (P113468). The latter provided direct support for the development of small community- based agriculture projects. 7. The project under review was designed in response to the government’s request to promote participatory models of local governance and service delivery by increasing access to social services and infrastructure. By doing so, the project also sought to restore the presence of the State at the local level after years of internal conflict. Two grants provided initial financing for the project: (i) a $5 million grant from the State and Peacebuilding Fund (SPF), called the Participatory Rural Development Project (P117861); and (ii) a $5 million IDA grant, called the Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712). Because both projects had the same development objectives and monitoring indicators and were implemented by the same ministry, the two projects were treated as one project, and their Results Frameworks were later formally merged (through the first restructuring in April 2011). This unified project is referred to as the Rural Community-Driven Development Project (RCDD Project or the Project) and is the subject of this end of project completion assessment.5 8. The RCDD Project was a key element of the overall World Bank strategy for Guinea-Bissau, and directly supported the three pillars of the Interim Strategy Note for FY09–10:6 (i) increasing access to basic social services, especially in rural areas; and (ii) strengthening economic management and laying 4 A typical tabanca (village) is composed of about 20 households. 5 Due to World Bank IT systems design specifications, the data sheet (pages 1-5) could not be changed to reflect information on both the projects, and only reflects data on the IDA Project (P117861). Thus, the data sheets shows a total allocation of $33.5 million, but for the purposes of this assessment should be $38.5 million to also include the $5 million SPF grant financing. 6 World Bank. 2009. Guinea-Bissau - Interim Strategy Note for FY09–10. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Page 8 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) the foundation for productive sector improvements. The RCDD Project supported the first two pillars by: (i) promoting participatory planning processes at the local and community levels, ensuring the identification and inclusion of the needs of vulnerable groups; and (ii) providing grants to communities to finance micro-projects selected by the communities and enabling them to rehabilitate or establish their priority basic social and economic infrastructure and services. The Project also supported a third pillar—strengthening individual and institutional capacity at the regional and local levels to improve governance—by reinforcing decision-making bodies and empowering stakeholders to lead and participate in development planning. By doing so, the Project strengthened linkages between communities and the State. 9. The Project responded to all four pillars of the Guinea-Bissau Poverty Reduction Strategy 7 Paper, namely: (i) increasing access to social services and basic infrastructure; (ii) improving the living conditions of vulnerable groups;8 (iii) promoting economic growth and job creation; and (iv) strengthening governance, modernizing the public administration, and ensuring macroeconomic stability. The Project responded to the first three pillars by increasing access to social services and infrastructure and creating job opportunities to improve living conditions of vulnerable groups, and to the fourth pillar by building capacity and encouraging dialogue between government and local levels. Project Development Objectives (PDOs) 10. The PDOs of the RCDD Project was to increase access to priority basic social and economic infrastructure and services9 in participating communities in at least two regions of Guinea-Bissau. 11. The grant agreement for the SPF that financed the Participatory Rural Development Project (P117861) was signed and became effective on August 4, 2009, with an original closing date of August 31, 2013. The World Bank Board of Directors approved the grant agreement for the IDA-financed Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) on September 24, 2009, and the financing agreement was signed on October 8, 2009, with an original closing date of December 31, 2014. This IDA-financed project was to become effective on December 1, 2009. However, on January 7, 2010, the decision was made to postpone the effectiveness date to July 7, 2010. This decision was taken to allow the implementing agency to effectively begin implementation of the SPF-funded activities in the regions of Oio and Bafatá, and use the lessons learned to inform the implementation of the IDA-funded activities in the regions of Cacheu and Bimbo. 12. The PDOs remained the same throughout the life of the RCDD Project. On April 16, 2011, however, the activities and outcome indicators of both projects (the Participatory Rural Development Project and the Rural Community-Driven Development Project) were revised through a level-two restructuring. More changes followed, implemented through restructuring and additional financing in 7 IMF. 2007. Guinea-Bissau: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, IMF Country Report No. 07/339. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. Available at https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2007/cr07339.pdf. 8 Vulnerable groups are defined in the report as people who have no means to meet their daily basic needs due to lack of income or resources, or people who are confronted with specific situations that endanger their lives or physical integrity. These groups are identified not just by their limited resources, but also by the geographical areas in which they reside because most of them live in rural areas and outlying urban areas. Particularly, vulnerable groups include women, youth, and children. 9 The PAD defined priority basic social and economic infrastructure to be rural roads, primary schools/classrooms, water points and rice paddies (among others), and basic services comprised health/hygiene awareness and well-equipped classrooms. Page 9 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) later years, as discussed under Section C. Original Components/Activities and Costs Component 1: Capacity Building for Local Development (SPF grant: $1.38 million; IDA grant: $1.37 million) 13. The objectives of Component 1 were to foster institutional capacity development at the regional, administrative sector, and community levels by supporting the formulation of local development plans and carrying out micro-projects; and to enhance synergies between the central and local levels on local development issues through outreach and training. Activities included the development of a communications strategy to raise awareness about the Project and the fundamental principles of community-driven development,10 as well as support for the preparation of local development plans with training and technical assistance from the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) to be established within the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration11, which in 2014, became the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Additional activities included the creation of local committees to oversee the preparation and implementation of micro-projects. The local committees were to be provided with fiduciary training, as the Project initially delegated responsibility to them to manage procurement and financial management activities for the micro-projects. In addition, cross- cutting capacity building activities targeted at the National Steering Committee and other relevant stakeholders were to be implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Component 2: Local Investment Fund (SPF grant: $2.52 million; IDA grant: $2.49 million) 14. The objective of Component 2 was to finance the micro-projects prioritized by local communities12 through a participatory process in their local development plans. In December 2010, the decision was reached to limit the micro-projects to the construction/rehabilitation of primary schools, feeder roads, water points, and hydro-agricultural systems (bolanhas). The micro-projects were to be carried out by the communities with the support of the PCU and implemented by contracted construction firms. The selection of micro-projects was to be based on the quality of the local development plans, community priorities, and some minimum population requirements for the more costly micro-projects. Component 3: Project Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation (SPF grant: $1.10 million; IDA grant: $1.14 million) 15. Component 3 was to finance (i) the creation of a project coordination unit within the implementing institution13; (ii) consultation services, training, operating costs; (iii) the development of management information systems; and finance (iv) costs incurred by the National Steering Committee 10 The CDD principles identified included social inclusion, participation, transparency, accountability, and environmental and social safeguards. 11 In this report, the implementing ministry is referred to by its current name, the Ministry of Economy and Finance. 12 A community was defined in the Project Appraisal Document as a group of villages (tabancas) with an average population of around 3,600 individuals. 13 Initially the implementing agency was called the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, this became the Ministry of Economy and Finance in 2014. Page 10 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) for its oversight and guidance responsibilities for the Project. B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION 16. During implementation, the RCDD Project underwent two level-two restructuring and received two additional financing, as outlined below. Table 1. Key Project Dates and Grant Allocations Event SFP Grant IDA Grant ACGF Grant Total Grant Allocated Financing Agreement August 4, 2009 September 24, 2009 SPF Grant $5 million IDA Grant $5 million Date of Effectiveness August 4, 2009 July 7, 2010 Original Closing August 31, 2013 December 31, 2014 First Restructuring April 16, 2011 April 16, 2011 Effectiveness April 16, 2011 First Additional Financing February 7, 2014 IDA Grant $15 million Effectiveness April 3, 2014 Revised Closing June 30, 2015 December 31, 2017 Second Restructuring September 6, 2014 Effectiveness September 6, 2014 Second Additional May 10, 2016 May 10, 2016 IDA Grant $10 million Financing ACGF Grant $3.5 million Date of Effectiveness July 11, 2016 July 11, 2016 Original Closing ----- June 30, 2017 Revised Closing September 20, 2019 ----- Actual Closing June 30, 2015 September 20, 2019 June 30, 2017 $38.5 million Note: ACGF is the Africa Catalytic Growth Fund. 17. First restructuring (level 2)—approved April 16, 2011 (29.5 percent of grants disbursed). From project effectiveness to late 2010, the performance of the RCDD Project was rated “ Unsatisfactory” or “Moderately Unsatisfactory,” with no financing agreements signed for the implementation of micro- projects. This was because bank networks were underdeveloped in rural regions making it difficult to channel funds to the communities. The average size of rural communities was also far smaller than previously estimated, and they lacked the necessary fiduciary management skills, which the Project did not have the human or financial resources to build. These issues, and significant delays in establishing the PCU and the Steering Committee and finalizing the project implementation manual, stalled the development of Community Development Plans, contracting of construction companies, and the implementation of micro-projects. 18. Noting these challenges, the Minister of Economy and Finance sent an official request to the World Bank on December 2, 2010, to restructure the SPF- and IDA-funded projects, at which point 18 percent of the combined grants had been disbursed. The legal agreements were signed on April 16, 2011. Both the projects were restructured in the same way and shifted fiduciary responsibility for the micro- projects to the PCU within Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Community Committees retained responsibility for the identification, supervision, and implementation of micro-projects (in partnership with the PCU) as well as their maintenance. Although, at first the communities were reluctant to relinquish control of fiduciary management, the promise of implementation of micro-projects following the change in fiduciary responsibilities to the PCU facilitated the transition. The restructuring made the following Page 11 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) changes: • Revisions to component names to better define RCDD Project activities as they related to community development. • Revisions to component activities and budget allocations. • Merging of the Results Frameworks for the SPF-funded and IDA-funded projects into one. • Revisions to outcome and intermediate indicators. The core indicator was dropped and replaced by a more appropriate measure, two outcome indicators were dropped, two revised, and two new ones were adopted.14 The outcome indicator, “People receiving a basic package of health, nutrition, or population services”, was dropped due to the limitations in the health sector, and the Project scope and resources did not extend to developing the relevant institutions and capacity. Therefore, the revisions did not reduce the scope of the PDO but identified more appropriate measures. 19. On December 26, 2011, an attempted coup d’état failed in Guinea-Bissau, but a second military coup on April 12, 2012, was successful. On April 17, 2012, the World Bank placed Guinea-Bissau under Policy OP 7:30 (dealing with de facto governments) and suspended World Bank missions to the country and disbursements to the Project. The ban was lifted eight months later on December 7, 2012. 20. Extension of the SPF grant closing date to June 30, 2015. On July 11, 2013, the closing date of the SPF grant was extended by 22 months from August 31, 2013, to June 30, 2015. The extension was approved under special circumstances to enable the completion of the SPF-financed activities that were delayed by the suspension of activities following the military coup. 21. First additional financing (and level 2 restructuring)—approved February 7, 2014, for an IDA grant of $15 million. The 2012 military coup crippled Guinea-Bissau’s economic and social sectors and adversely affected the export of cashew nuts, which constituted 90 percent of total exports. The ensuing decline in domestic revenues—combined with the withdrawal of international assistance—drove a severe fiscal deterioration. This led to arrears in the payment of teachers and health workers salaries, and a severe shortage of qualified health sector personnel; while the country’s poor pharmaceutical policy and supply resulted in an outbreak of cholera and diarrhea. Consequently, the political situation in the run-up to the planned May 2014 presidential elections was particularly volatile, with teachers on strike and students out of school. The first additional financing was processed within this emergency context to pay salary arrears to teachers and health workers with the aim to prevent further deterioration of critical health and education services15, and stabilizing the social and political situation in the lead up to the national elections. The additional financing included the following changes: • Scaling-up the preparation of Community Development Plans (additional $500,000 allocated to Component 1) and the construction/rehabilitation of community-based micro-projects (additional $4.5 million allocated to Component 2) in two new regions, Quínara and Tombali. 14 The PAD states, “Given the community driven nature of this Project, actual outcome cannot be defined a priori. This list of potential micro-project types….and targets will be refined as project implementation progresses. 15 It is important to note that the scope of Component 4 was limited to a one-off activity to pay salary arrears in order to end the strikes, ensure continuity of education and health services during 2014, and help to reduce social unrest in the lead up to the November 2014 national elections. Page 12 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) • Adding a new Component 4: Delivery of Education and Health Services ($9 million), to finance teacher and health worker salaries for six months from January to June 2014. • Increasing funding to strengthen project management (additional $1 million allocated to Component 3) to implement the scaled-up activities under components 1 and 2, and support new activities related to the payment of salaries (new Component 4). • Revising the Results Framework, with new outcome and intermediate indicators adopted for Component 4; and upward revision of all outcome indicator targets for components 1 and 2. • 3-year extension of the IDA grant closing date, from December 31, 2014, to December 31, 2017 in line with the Project scale-up. 22. Second restructuring (level 2)—approved September 6, 2014 (62 percent of grants disbursed). The RCDD Project was again restructured in late 2014, as an emergency response to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus from Guinea into Guinea-Bissau and to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of Project activities in rural communities. The second restructuring included the following changes: • Addition of Component 5: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic. The scope of the activity was limited to a rapid response for a period of one year, starting October 2014, to stop the spread of Ebola into Guinea-Bissau through awareness raising and capacity building of health workers. • Reallocation of $750,000 from Component 2, with $250,00 allocated to Component 1 for Ebola awareness raising activities, and $500,00 allocated to the new Component 5. • Changes to targets of outcome indicators. In line with the reduction of funds allocated for Component 2, the targets for three outcome indicators were reduced: by 5 percent for the Number of direct project beneficiaries and Cumulative number of students enrolled in classrooms built/rehabilitated by the Project; and by 7 percent for the key indicator Number of beneficiaries from hydro-agricultural systems improved by the Project. • Financing the construction of water points in communities located along the border with Guinea under components 1 and 2. 23. The reduction of the targets was necessitated by the emerging needs and priorities of the country, and not because the Project was unable to deliver the set targets. These reductions did not narrow the scope of the Project or make it less ambitious. Instead, the addition of Component 5: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic added more challenging activities and expanded the Project’s scope. 24. Closing of the SPF grant on June 30, 2015. The SPF grant was closed successfully on June 30, 2015, with 100 percent of the original $5 million grant disbursed. 25. Second additional financing (and level 2 restructuring) for an additional $10 million IDA grant, and $3.5 million grant from the Africa Catalytic Growth Fund (ACGF)—approved May 10, 2016. The April 2012 military coup led to two years of political turmoil, severely reduced economic activity, and further increased poverty and vulnerability in the already fragile state. The election of a new government in mid- 2014—and a renewed commitment to the previous government’s inclusive growth strategy16—provided an opportunity to expand much-needed social and economic infrastructure and services by building on 16As outlined in World Bank. 2015. Guinea-Bissau - Country Economic Memorandum: Terra Ranca! A Fresh Start. Washington, DC: World Bank Group. Page 13 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) the success of the RCDD Project, and to pilot a cash transfers program to establish the building blocks for a broader safety net system in the medium term. This initiative was critical as the country did not have a national social protection strategy, the existing social safety net programs had low coverage, and the only government social assistance program was a very small unconditional cash transfers program for people with disabilities. To this end, the second additional financing supported the following: • Scaling-up up micro-infrastructure projects to (components 1 and 2) to cover all nine regions of Guinea-Bissau (IDA grant: $6.95 million; ACGF grant: $3 million). • Addition of a new Component 6: Pilot Cash Transfer Program. A safety net pilot targeted to poor and vulnerable households (IDA grant: $1.5 million). • Scaling-up Component 3: Project coordination, Monitoring, and Evaluation, with an additional IDA grant of $1.5 million and ACGF grant of $500,000 to align with the scaling-up of micro-projects and to support the new pilot safety nets activities. • Revisions to intermediate indicators to reflect the scaling-up of micro-projects from 250 to 355 by substantially increasing the targets for four of the five outcome indicators, and the adoption of a new intermediate indicator for the cash transfer pilot. • Extension to the project closing date by 21 months (from December 31, 2017, to September 20, 2019). The RCDD Project was thus extended twice for a total of 57 months and closed successfully on September 20, 2019. Other Changes 26. In line with the changes, revisions were also made to implementation and disbursement arrangements, the project implementation manual, financial management, procurement and safeguard plans, and the implementation schedule to accommodate the scaling-up or inclusion of new activities. Project Beneficiaries 27. Initially, the project beneficiaries were to be all residents of the targeted communities in the four selected regions of Oio, Bafatá, Cacheu and Bimbo. Following all the changes, the direct beneficiaries of the Project included: (i) all individuals living in the poor rural communities, in all nine regions of the country, where the micro-projects and the Ebola awareness campaign was implemented; (ii) poor households (387) targeted for the cash transfer payments in Bissau; (iii) teachers and health workers (9,237) who received their salary payments and their families; (iv) all public school students; (v) health workers (346) who benefitted from capacity building on communicable diseases; and (vi) the general public also benefitted from continuous access to health services and the Ebola prevention campaign in 2014. 28. In addition, the Ministry of Economy and Finance benefitted from the technical assistance that built its institutional capacity for financing and supporting community development, fiduciary management, emergency response, and implementation of safety nets. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Works benefitted from the development of infrastructures and standards for schools and roads, and the Ministry of Health benefitted from enhanced capacities of health workers, and improvements to rural health posts and the national hospital. Page 14 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Revised Outcome Indicators and Targets, and Key Expected Outcomes 29. The targets for the original outcome indicators 1, 2, and 4 were not defined in the project appraisal document, as these were selective specific project outcome indicators due to the community- driven nature of this Project. Changes were made to the outcome indicators and targets through the first project restructuring to incorporate more precise and appropriate measures that were more relevant to assess the achievement of the PDO. The two additional financing broadened the scope of the Project and led to increasing the targets of the majority of outcome indicators17. Through these changes the Project scaled-up micro-projects nationally, took on emergency response activities, and piloted a safety net program, which substantially expanded the Project’s scope. The majority of outcome indicator targets were also gradually revised upward to account for the incremental resources allocated to each component. Table 2 below shows the original and revised outcome indicators: Table 2. Original and Revised Outcome Indictors Original PDO Indicators Revised PDO Indicators At Project Approval First Restructuring April 16, 2011 SPF Grant approved August 4, 2009 IDA Grant approved September 24, 2009 1. Number of people in project areas provided with access to Revised improved water sources (core indicator) 1. Number of people in Project areas with access to improved water source (rural) 2. Number of people with access to a basic package of Dropped health, nutrition, or population services (core indicator) 3. Percent of micro-projects attaining at least 50 percent of Dropped their target for increased access to the relevant social/economic infrastructure/service, as defined in the approved micro-project proposal 4. Number of students in project areas enrolled in primary Dropped education 5. Number of people with access to an all-season road Revised 2. Number of people with access to an all-season road built/rehabilitated by the Project New 3. Number of direct project beneficiaries, and percentage female (core indicator) New 4. Cumulative number of students enrolled in classrooms built/rehabilitated by the Project New 5. Number of beneficiaries from hydro-agricultural systems improved by the Project First Additional Financing February 7, 2014 New 6. No interruption of the 2013/14 school year due to the non-payment of current salaries from Project effectiveness until the end of the school year with gradations 17The target for the outcome indicator, Beneficiaries from hydro-agricultural systems improved by the Project, was reduced by 7 percent from 4,079 to 3,800, based on the number of such micro-projects prioritized by the communities and the number of people residing in the targeted communities who would benefit. Page 15 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Revised Components/Activities and Costs 30. Through the restructuring and additional financing, the following cost allocation changes were made to project components (see annex 3 for a more detailed breakdown). Table 3. Original and Revised Component Costs (US$ millions) Revised Revised Costs Costs Revised Costs after Revised Costs After Component Name after 1st after 2nd At 1st Additional 2nd Additional Total Total Approval Restructuring Financing Restructuring Financing Allocation Disbursement 1: Capacity Building 2.75 0.10 0.10 0.40 0.45 0.45 1.52 for Community Development 2: Community-Based 5.01 7.40 8.65 11.60 21.55 21.55 17.76 Micro-Projects 3: Project 2.24 2.50 2.25 3.50 5.50 5.50 8.71 Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation 4: Delivery of N/A N/A 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 8.50 Education and Health Services 5: Prevention of the N/A N/A N/A 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 Ebola Epidemic 6: Pilot Cash Transfer N/A N/A N/A N/A 1.50 1.50 1.50 Program Total 10.00 10.00 20.00 25.00 38.50 38.50 38.49 31. Component 1: Capacity Building for Community Development. The revised component supported capacity building of PCU staff, Community Committees, Regional Advisors, and Facilitators18 to support the preparation of Community Development Plans, as well as to implement and monitor micro-projects through outreach and training. Sectoral Governing Councils, with the support of Regional Advisors, selected the beneficiary communities at the beginning of each year. The first restructuring in April 2011 transferred responsibility for the fiduciary management of micro-projects to the PCU under Component 3. Increased allocations to this component supported: (i) the scaling-up of micro-projects in all regions of the country (Component 2); (ii) enabling Community Committees to implement an information campaign for communities to adopt individual and collective health practices to prevent the spread of Ebola and other communicable diseases in coordination with the WHO (Component 4); and (iii) providing technical assistance to the PCU to develop the manuals and systems for the implementation of the cash transfers program, including surveys (Component 6). 32. Component 2: Community-based Micro-Projects. This component remained much the same; however the name for local development plans wash changed to Community Development Plans to 18The selection and membership of Community Committees, Regional Advisors, Facilitators and Sectoral Governing Councils is discussed under section B Achievement of PDOs (Efficacy). Page 16 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) reflect their community driven nature. The maximum amount funding for each micro-project was $12,000; and communities could implement multiple projects and receive a maximum of $30,000. Implementation of this component was scaled up in three phases and eventually covered all nine regions of Guinea-Bissau. 33. Component 3: Project Coordination and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E). The component was expanded, and the budget increased to support the additional activities undertaken by the PCU. These activities included (i) project coordination, fiduciary management, and M&E activities related to the scaling-up of community-based micro-projects, preparation of social and environmental assessment sheets (components 1 and 2); (ii) payments of salaries to teachers and health workers (Component 4); (iii) activities related to the Ebola prevention campaign (Component 5); and (iv) piloting the cash transfer program (Component 6). This last component financed project management costs (including training), operating costs, development of management information systems, as well as expenses related to the advisory services of the Steering Committee. 34. Component 4: Delivery of Education and Health Services. This component provided bridge financing to pay teacher and health worker salaries for the period January to June 2014. The PCU made the salary payments through direct bank transfers to the individual accounts of the teachers and health workers from May to December 2014. 35. Component 5: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic. The Ministry of Health contracted the WHO to undertake emergency health contingency measures from October 2014 to October 2015, and the PCU and Community Committees raised prevention awareness in the Project communities to stop the spread of the Ebola virus from Guinea and other highly infectious diseases. Component 5 provided financing ($500,000) to the WHO to train 1,000 health workers and purchase the necessary medical equipment and supplies for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of Ebola. 36. Component 6: Pilot Cash Transfer Program. This component piloted a cash transfer program exploring several targeting methodologies (scoring, means-tested, and community-based targeting) and payment mechanisms (banks, mobile money, and cash cards). The pilot intended to make quarterly transfers of CFAF 30,000 (roughly $60) to approximately 2,000 households over two years19 and provide health and nutritional interventions. The component supported the development of (i) a registry of current and potential beneficiaries;20 (ii) a basic management information system, including modules to track payments and prepare reports; and (iii) an information and communication campaign about the cash transfers program. The component also supported program monitoring and evaluation studies, including a baseline impact evaluation to inform program up-scaling in the medium term. Rationale for Changes and their Implication on the Original Theory of Change 37. The changes were responsive to the lack of basic infrastructure and services in rural areas, 19 This transfer amount represents about 10 percent of the 2010 food poverty line, which is CFAF 302 per day. Typically, there are about 10 individuals per household. See World Bank. 2015. Profiling Poverty and Economic Opportunities in Guinea-Bissau. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. 20 The development of the Unified Registry had already begun in 2015 during the implementation of the Rapid Social Response (RSR) multi-donor trust fund. Page 17 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) widespread poverty, as well as the emergency needs of the fragile and vulnerable country. The project redesign implemented through the first restructuring was essential for the implementation of micro- projects, as at the time communities did not possess the necessary fiduciary capacity. By 2014, the PCU was also viewed as the only entity in Guinea-Bissau with the capacity, reputation and administrative infrastructure to implement additional interventions; and the RCDD was noted for being the single most effective project under implementation in Guinea-Bissau. As such, the RCDD Project was restructured several times and used as the platform to respond to emergency situations and for laying the groundwork for a national safety net program 38. The World Bank had the technical knowledge and long-term experience with setting up cash transfer programs and a national social protection strategy, in-depth knowledge of the challenges facing Guinea-Bissau, and effective working relationships with the government. The rationale was to utilize the enhanced capacity of the PCU to shift away from supporting community-driven development to testing feasible options for a sustainable national safety net program, including targeting and payment delivery mechanisms. This decision was a sound one as by April 2016, the objectives of the RCDD Project had either been met or surpassed. Before the pilot, a Rapid Social Response-Multi-Donor Trust Fund21 (RSR) was already under implementation to lay the foundations for a social safety net that could adequately respond to current needs and future shocks. The RSR provided technical assistance to develop the foundations of a beneficiary registry, which the RCDD Project’s second additional financing developed further, as well as financing the purchase of IT equipment and the development of IT systems. The Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901), approved on July 3, 2018, for an IDA grant of $15 million, is further developing the unified social registry to scale-up the cash transfers program, as a phased approach is considered optimal for development impact. Theory of Change (Results Chain) 39. A theory of change was not developed at project appraisal or during implementation. The results chain below has been derived based on the project appraisal document, restructuring papers, and the additional financing papers. As noted earlier, in the fragile and low capacity environment, the provision of health/nutrition services packages was dropped, and the construction/rehabilitation of schools did not guarantee access to education services. Therefore, in the theory of change, the project activities that (i) increased access to priority basic economic and social infrastructure include the micro- projects: feeder roads, water points, schools/classrooms, and hydro-agricultural systems; and (ii) increased access to priority basic services include the activities supported under the new components. Table 4 presents the RCDD Project’s path from planned interventions to intended outcomes. 21The RSR financed $384,500 for the SSN to provide support to specific vulnerable groups (orphans of HIV positive parents and impoverished individuals who are sick) through nongovernmental organizations. Page 18 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Table 4. Theory of Change Activities Outputs Medium-term Outcomes Long-term Outcomes Capacity building of Community Development Plans Improved capacity of communities through the prepared for micro-projects, in a communities to plan and elaboration of their own participatory manner oversee implementation Community Development and maintenance of basic Plans Improved capacity of communities micro-projects to identify and design micro- projects Provision of finances, and Financing of low complexity social Increased number of basic financial management and economic infrastructure and infrastructure (i.e Increased access to and procurement services community schools, feeder priority basic social & training to the PCU to roads, rice mills (bolanhas), economic implement micro- Creating PCU capacity to contract health posts, and water infrastructures projects in communities consulting firms (for the design & points) supervision of micro-project implementation) and constructing firms to build micro-projects Improved capacity of communities to micro-project Payment of salaries for All teachers and health workers Improved access to teachers and health paid salary arrears education and health workers from January to services June 2014 End to teachers and health workers strikes Continuous functioning of schools and health centers Capacity building and Awareness campaign on hygiene Improved awareness of awareness-raising practices for disease prevention Ebola and communicable activities in communities disease prevention Increased access to on hygiene practices for practices priority basic services disease, including Ebola, (i.e. health and prevention Continuation of Project education services, and activities in rural areas safety net program) economic and social** Capacity building by Improved diagnosis of and referral Improved detection and WHO and provision of for cases of communicable diseases treatment of equipment at health communicable diseases, posts for clinical including Ebola*** detection and early reporting of Ebola and other cases of communicable diseases Developing the basic building Improved access to social Design and blocks of a safety net through: (i) safety nets for poor and implementation of a pilot piloting of a cash transfer program vulnerable households SSN program (including targeting and payment through: mechanism); and (ii) development of a social registry of beneficiaries, 1. Successful and (iii) support for the elaboration implementation of a pilot of a safety net strategy cash transfer program for scaling-up in the follow-up Page 19 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Provision of cash transfers and Safety Nets and Basic nutritional support for mothers and Services Project (P163901) infants from poor and vulnerable households 2. Successful implementation of a registry of beneficiaries; 3. Elaboration of a safety net strategy in collaboration with UNICEF and analysis of the pension system including the non- contributory scheme Underlying assumptions included: (i) no governance problems and external shocks, and communities and government have appropriate implementation capacity; (ii) communities are willing to work together in a participatory manner to define their priorities; (iii) the WHO has capacity on the ground to implement the Ebola emergency health contingency measures within a short time frame and challenging conditions; (iv) relevant ministries promptly provide the PCU with lists of teachers and health workers to be paid salaries; and (v) the process for identifying poor and vulnerable households has acceptable levels of inclusion and exclusion error. * Secondary outcomes included: Increased political stability to facilitate the return to democracy after the 2012 coup d’état and decreased social tension during a political transition. ** The Ebola prevention activities enabled RCDD activities and local economies to continue functioning, and thereby increased and ensured continued access to services. *** Communities also reported reduced incidences of communicable diseases and improved access to health services. II. OUTCOME A. RELEVANCE OF PDOs Assessment of Relevance of PDOs and Rating 40. The objectives were highly relevant to Guinea-Bissau’s emerging and emergency needs and remain so to current development priorities. Initially the Project focused on building/improving key economic and social infrastructure to benefit the targeted rural communities. The new components provided emergency access to basic services and developed the foundations of on-going social protection measures. 41. The restructurings aligned with the World Bank’s Interim Strategy Note for the period FY2014– 22 2015 that focused on (i) protecting basic services, (ii) spurring economic recovery, and (iii) the cross- cutting theme of institution building. The PDO was also highly relevant to the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for FY2018–202123, and the changes enhanced the relevance of the PDO to the Bank’s CPF throughout the Project’s life. The RCDD Project supported CPF Focus Area I: Increased access to quality basic services, and its objectives: (i) Increased access to and quality of primary education, (i.e. up-scaling construction/ rehabilitation of classrooms and rural roads and payment of teachers’ salaries); and (ii) Increased access to and quality of maternal and child health services (i.e. improved access to potable clean water, health posts and health services, and improved awareness of hygiene practices). The RCDD Project also supported Focus Area II: Expand economic opportunities and 22 World Bank. 2016. Guinea-Bissau-Turning Challenges into Opportunities for Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth: Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD). Washington, D.C.: World Bank. 23 World Bank. 2017. Guinea-Bissau Country Partnership Framework for the period FY2018–21. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Page 20 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) enhanced resilience, and its objectives: (i) Strengthening social safety nets, namely, the pilot cash transfer program; (ii) Improved logistics for market access, through the scaling-up of rural roads rehabilitation; and (iii) Improved natural resources and disaster risk management, as the construction of hydraulic systems improved rice paddies and the Ebola awareness campaign prevented the disease from entering the country. 42. Importantly the Project responded to Guinea-Bissau’s emergency needs and remained relevant to subsequent national strategies. The Project supported the main objective of the Second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP II – 2011–2105)24, “to significantly reduce poverty in all its dimensions creating greater opportunities for income generation, employment, and improved access to quality basic public services in a state where the rule of law is entrenched”25. The Project also aligned with two of the four policy areas of the human development axis of Guinea-Bissau’s Strategic and Operational Plan for 2015-2020–“Terra Ranka”26, specifically, policy area 2. Health: for projects relative to health infrastructure, medicines, major endemic diseases and the setting up of an effective management and monitoring system; and policy area 3. Social security: for a large–scale reduction of poverty, through the creation of a safety net and real empowerment opportunities for the most vulnerable. The relevance of the PDO is thus rated “High.” B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDOs (EFFICACY) Assessment of Achievement of Each Objective/Outcome 43. The RCDD Project achieved its development objective with the majority of outcome and intermediate indicators meeting or exceeding targets. The Project enabled rural communities— many for the first time—to take the lead in elaborating their own development plans and implement priority basic micro-infrastructure projects. Importantly, the Project began as a standard CDD project, but its flexibility enabled it to evolve and accommodate the emergency needs of the country, as well as build the foundations of a much-needed safety net program for the poor. 44. The PDO statement contains two dimensions against which the performance of the Project can be judged: (a) increasing access to priority basic social and economic infrastructure; and (b) increasing access to priority services. 24 IMF. 2011. Guinea-Bissau: Second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, IMF Country Report No. 11/353. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. Available at https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/planipolis/files/ressources/guinea- bissau_prsp_2011.pdf 25 The Project aligned with all four pillars of PRSP II: (i) Strengthen the rule of law and the institutions of the republic; (ii) Guaranteeing a stable and stimulating macroeconomic environment; (iii) Promote sustainable economic development, priorities included Accelerate the development of basic economic infrastructure and transport infrastructure; and (iv) Raise the level of development of human capital, including improving education and health, access to safe drinking water (especially in rural areas). 26 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2015. Strategic and Operational Plan for 2015-2020–“Terra Ranka, Executive Summary. Report DCD/DAC/RD(2015) 15/RD2. Available at http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=DCD/DAC/RD(2015)15/RD2&docLanguage=En Page 21 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) a. Increasing access to priority basic social and economic infrastructure 45. The progress against the PDO can be measured by assessing the contributions made to key performance indicators and targets, as presented in table 5. Table 5. Outcome Indicators and Targets New /Revised PDO Indicators New/Revised First First Second Second Actual Percentage PDO Indicator Restructuring Additional Restructuring Additional Achievement Change Name (Apr 16, 2011) Financing (Sep 6, 2014) Financing at (AF2 & at First (Feb 7,2014) (May 10, Completion Actual at Restructuring 2016) Sep 20, 2019 Completion) (Apr 16, 2011) Baseline Target Target Target Target Number of direct 0 (N/A) 60,000 76,500 72,000 137,000 204,725 149% project (≥50%) (≥50%) (50%) (50%) (50%) (100%) beneficiaries, and percentage female (core indicator) Number of people N/A 160 29,775 29,775 100,000 104,362 104% in Project areas with access to improved water source (rural) Number of people N/A N/A 11,250 11,250 73,000 84,054 115% with access to an all-season road built/rehabilitated by the Project Cumulative N/A N/A 7,194 6,800 20,000 16,102 81% number of students enrolled in classrooms built/ rehabilitated by the Project Number of N/A N/A 4,079 3,800 3,800 3,786 99.6% beneficiaries from hydro-agricultural systems improved by the Project First Additional Financing IDA Project — February 7, 2014 No interruption of ----- ----- Highly Highly Highly Highly Target met the 2013/14 Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory school year due to the non- payment of current salaries from Project effectiveness until the end of the Page 22 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) school year with gradations 46. By project closing, over 200,000 poor and vulnerable rural people residing in all nine regions (from an original target of four regions) of Guinea-Bissau benefited directly from the Project activities (far exceeding the target of 137,000 people). The outcome measures under this PDO were measured by calculating the number of people residing in the targeted communities, and for the fourth indicator by measuring the number of students enrolled in the schools built/rehabilitated by the Project. Of the total direct beneficiaries, half were females (achieving the target). The micro-projects provided rural poor communities with access to critical basic economic and social infrastructure (as discussed below). A total of 448 micro-projects were initiated, and 427 were completed (against a target of 355 projects)27. Two technical audits were undertaken during implementation (a final audit report was completed in December 2019) that informed micro-project design improvements (see Annex 8). The audits found that two years after the completion of micro-projects, 89 percent were properly maintained by the communities (against a targeted 75 percent). 47. Water points/wells. A total of 350 community water points were built, against a targeted 270, and provided potable water to over 104,000 individuals (above the target of 100,00 people). The construction of the water points generally improved with each successive generation of micro- projects, for example walls were constructed to prevent cattle from getting too close and contaminating the water. A technical audit28 of the 189 water points completed by June 2016 found that 19 were malfunctioning after two or more years, leading to a thorough analysis. Remedial action was taken, and a subsequent technical audit29 in September 2019 found that of the 245 micro- projects completed by June 2019, only an additional four water points were malfunctioning after two or more years (for a total of 23, or 9 percent). 48. Rural feeder roads. The CDD approach led to the rehabilitation of 364km of rural roads (above the target of 230 km) and improved access for over 84,000 people, against a target of 73,000 people. These roads provide critical access to markets, health centers and schools. The 2014 audit 30 found that the first three roads rehabilitated suffered from weather related damage. This led to major design and construction changes to include drainage systems (crowned surfaces and ditch lines) for water removal from the roads, and an additional 20 cm surface layer (wearing course). The July 2016 technical found that the width of the feeder roads were too wide for local needs and costly to maintain.31 Based on the recommendations of the report, the width of the roads was reduced to 3.5–4 meters as the majority of rural roads had very low traffic (on average less than five vehicles per day), slopes were defined to improve water drainage, and overhanging tree branches were required to be pruned. Such measures helped to reduce the cost of road rehabilitation (and the destruction of nearby vegetation) and their maintenance. Importantly, the PCU worked closely with the Direction Générale des Ponts et Chaussées at the Ministere des Travaux Publics32 (the Directorate General of 27 By December 2019, a total of 460 projects had been completed. 28 Assad 2016. 29 Harilala and Da Costa 2019. 30 Harilala 2014. 31 Soh 2016. 32 Soh 2016. Page 23 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Roads and Bridges at the Ministry of Public Works) and established standards that guided future road works implemented by the Project and by the ministry. 49. Primary schools/classrooms. A total of 216 primary schools/classrooms were built/ rehabilitated, representing about 79 percent of the target of 275 schools, with 16,000 primary school students enrolled, against a targeted 20,000 students (80 percent of the target).33 This target was not fully achieved due to the appropriate decision taken in October 2017 to halt the construction of new classrooms pending improvement in the performance of the education sector, including the assignment of teachers and ending of teacher strikes. This was to limit wastage of Project resources, as unused schools would be inefficient and result in their decay without proper use and maintenance. 50. The Project developed designs and standards for the construction of classrooms based on the technical audits conducted in 201634 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The ministry has adopted these standards to construct more appropriate schools based on community needs. Two prototypes were developed for classrooms, one for densely populated areas (capacity 48 or 54 students) and one for rural areas with low population densities (capacity 36 students). The specifications for the office space of school director’s offices and stores were reduced to reflect the normal use of these premises (approximately 12–15 square meters each), the number of latrines was revised to serve an average of 30 students per toilet (and an additional one for the teacher), classroom and canteen structures were simplified and revised, and ceilings were raised incorporating windows to improve ventilation. 51. Hydro-agricultural systems/bolanhas. About 3,800 people benefited from improved hydro- agricultural systems financed by the Project, which improved 635 hectares (ha) of land, against a target of 659 ha (about 96 percent achieved). Achievement of this measure (number of beneficiaries) fell slightly short of target because the communities did not prioritize sufficient number of hydro- agricultural systems in their Community Development Plans. The bolanhas increased and improved land for agricultural production, including rice paddies, and have enabled households in the targeted communities to increase rice production, likely benefitting both their diet and income. Other achievements 52. Capacity Building for Community Development. Sectoral governing councils were made up of representatives from relevant ministries (i.e. health, public works, education), and NGOs and nonprofits active in the sector to coordinate the different interventions. Community Committees members were voted by the communities and included men, women and youth. Traditional authorities were not part of the committees unless they were voted in. Regional Advisors were contracted to (i) continuously train, support, and to supervise Facilitators; (ii) coordinate all project capacity building activities in the region; (iii) ensure quality control of micro-projects and ensure they are fully appraised and properly designed; (iv) produce progress reports; (v) contribute to the strengthening of the Regional Planning Office, Regional Council, and Administrative Sector Council; 33 A decision was made in October 2017 to progressively decrease the construction of new schools/classrooms pending improvement in the performance of the education sector, particularly regarding the availability of teachers and ending of the teachers’ strike. As a result of this decision, 216 classrooms were built against a target of 275. 34 Dupety and Mendes 2016. Page 24 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) and (vii) ensure coordination with other initiatives in the region. Facilitators were recruited and trained to support communities (working in teams comprised of a male technical engineer and a female social worker) during the participatory planning process and the implementation of the micro- projects, including (i) to mobilize communities; (ii) conduct participatory planning with the beneficiary communities; (iii) be the main interface between communities and the RCDD Project; (iv) support the Community Committees to execute their community development plan; (v) support participatory M&E activities; (vi) identify capacity building needs at local level. 53. Over 260,000 rural people—residing in 1,084 tabancas—developed 216 Community Development Plans. Rural communities in all nine regions of Guinea-Bissau35 now have the skills to identify and prioritize their community development needs and monitor the construction/ rehabilitation of basic infrastructure micro-projects in a participatory manner, as well as oversee their maintenance. To build capacity for community development, the Project provided a total of 719 training sessions. Of these, 282 were on infrastructure management, maintenance, and conservation, including 62 training sessions on the management and handling of water points and 25 on the management of school infrastructure; 197 training sessions were on IST/HIV/AIDS, 168 on participatory M&E, and 72 on the monitoring of construction work. 54. The provision of training to lead their development agenda has enhanced the capacity of local communities. Technical assistance and on-the-job has training improved capacity for identifying, supervising implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of basic infrastructure micro- projects, including ensuring compliance with social and environmental safeguards; and knowledge and tools to awareness of individual and community hygiene practices. 55. The 2013 satisfaction survey,36 indicates that nearly all communities expressed great satisfaction with the Project, and this was strongly related to the impact of the micro-projects. The communities reported increased self-esteem and satisfaction following the implementation of the micro-projects. Women expressed great satisfaction with the completion of the water points. Men expressed great satisfaction with the school infrastructure and the rural roads. The villages that could not be connected to the rural roads expressed dissatisfaction. (b) Increasing access to priority services 56. The progress against the second dimension of the PDO can be measured by assessing the achievements of key performance outcome indicators and targets for Component 4, as presented in table 6; and the intermediate indicators adopted to measure the achievements of the Ebola prevention campaign and the cash transfers pilot. 35 Guinea-Bissau is divided into eight regions and the autonomous sector of Bissau, for a total of nine regions. 36 Camara and Fernandes 2014. Page 25 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Table 6. Outcome Indicators and Targets for Priority Basic Services New /Revised PDO Indicators New/Revised PDO Baseline Second Second Actual Percentage Percentage Indicator Name (Feb 7, Restructuring Additional Achievement Change Change at First Additional 2014) (Sep 6, 2014) Financing at (AF2 & Actual (AF2 & Financing (May 10, Completion at Actual at (Feb 7, 2014) 2016) Sep 20, 2019 Completion) Completion) No interruption of the ------ Highly Highly Highly Highly Target met 2013/14 school year due to Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory the non-payment of current salaries from Project effectiveness until the end of the school year with gradations 57. Continued access to education and health services through the payment of workers salaries. The payment of teachers’ salaries in 2014 smoothed continuity of the 2013/14 school year in the lead up to sensitive presidential election at the end of 2014, and the achievement of the related outcome indicator, “No interruption of the 2013/14 school year”. Teachers in Guinea-Bissau were on strike for 26 days in April-May 2014, protesting the irregular/nonpayment of salaries since January 2013. The RCDD Project delivered the payment of overdue salaries (covering the period January to June 2014) to all 9,237 individuals (7,308 teachers and 1,929 health workers), totaling approximately $8.5 million, during May and December 201437, against a targeted 90 percent. Although the original plan was to make payments between January and June 2014, the government’s negotiations with the unions from early 2014, promising payment of arrears and current salaries through the RCDD Project was partly responsible for ending the ongoing teachers strikes.38 58. The Folha Única (single registry), derived from the Public Administration Human Resources Management System (SIGRHAP) database managed by the Ministry of Public Service, provided the lists of teachers and health workers owed salary payments. The PCU removed duplicate and “ghost employee” data creating a single electronic unified registry, which for the first time contained the names of current teachers and health workers and those in the process of being recruited, their identification numbers, and bank account details. Payment protocols were established with the country’s four commercial banks; software was developed for the banks to report on the payments at the individual level (previously, the system only reported on an aggregate basis), and to generate of receipts. This enabled, for the first time, the payment of all salaries through the banking system. 59. Increased awareness and access to services for Ebola prevention. The Project successfully raised awareness about individual and communal hygiene practices and the importance of seeking early medical attention by holding community information sessions and distributing posters and fliers 37 The first additional financing became effective on May 7, 2014, to pay overdue salaries for teachers and health workers by January 2014. 38 The payment of teachers’ salaries was not continued through further additional financing (the reasons are discussed under the section, Risk to Development Outcome) and led to the resumption of strikes from 2015. Page 26 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) in the communities targeted by the Project. The WHO trained 346 health workers, against a target of 1,000, thereby increasing people’s access to better medical services, including for communicable diseases. This intermediate indicator target was not met because many health workers had already received training from UNICEF prior the IDA grant becoming available, and because of delays signing agreements with the appropriate ministries to implement the measures. The additional funds were used to support the Center for Communicable Diseases, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the Ministry of Health maintain 24-hour surveillance for outbreaks, including at the airport. The component also financed payments for doctors on the Rapid Response Team (six doctors and two laboratory technicians) and enhancements to the Simão Mendes National Hospital, including the construction of laundry facilities, a sterilization office, and the purchase of a medium temperature incinerator and two air conditioners for the Ebola virus diagnostic laboratory. 60. Increased access to safety nets. The Project laid the groundwork for a national social safety net system by successfully piloting a cash transfer program in Bissau. A total of 387 poor and vulnerable households with children under five years of age received the cash transfers, against a target of 2,000 (intermediate indicator), and awareness-raising interventions on household and children’s nutrition, including breastfeeding. The intermediate target was not met as the Project had to utilize considerable time and resources to identify a sound targeting methodology, especially as the first two proxy-means test (PMT) formulas developed lacked accuracy and revealed weaknesses in the quality of the household survey data. In the end, the Project contracted three NGOs with experience supporting vulnerable groups in Bissau to develop lists of poor and vulnerable households, the PCU then conducted a household survey that led to a ranking of all households based on a scoring mechanism. This methodology, developed by the project team during workshops with different stakeholders defining the characteristics of poor households for targeting, was simpler to understand for partners than the PMT. These challenges resulted in the delay of cash transfer deliveries by more than a year from March 2017 to April 2018. 61. The cash withdrawals had to be made at bank counters, as the prepaid cards delivered by the payment agency, Banco da África Ocidental (BAO Bank) did not work. Initially, BAO Bank also could not systematically make timely payments to all beneficiaries at its cash counters. This issue has been resolved, and payments are currently made on time. Each household received six quarterly payments of $60 from April 2018 to September 2019, receiving a total of approximately $500 in cash transfers over the two years, representing about 22 percent of food consumption by poor households. The households also received health/nutritional interventions, including information on health and nutrition practices, such as healthy cooking habits and appropriate diet for families with young children, importance of breastfeeding, and child development. 62. The pilot also successfully explored options for and designed a national cash transfer program by implementing several surveys: (i) baseline economic survey (conducted in April-May 2017); (ii) health/education survey (November-December 2017); (iii) first impact evaluation survey following delivery of four cash transfers (May-June 2019); and (iv) baseline economic survey of 2,020 families in the region of Gabu (August-September 2018). These surveys informed the development of a PMT formula to target the poorest households and allowed the PCU to select 1,320 poor and vulnerable households in Gabú. The first unconditional quarterly payments to beneficiaries in Gabú were delivered in August 2019 and were financed by the follow-up Safety Nets Basic Services Project Page 27 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) (P163901). The pilot also tested the impact of varying cash transfer amounts on households: the Gabu beneficiaries received quarterly payments via mobile money of either $16 or $24 per household along with nutritional awareness-raising interventions. Annex 6 provides additional details on the pilot design. The finalization of the social protection strategy however has stalled due to government instability leading up to the November 2019 presidential elections. Justification of Overall Efficacy Rating 63. The overall efficacy is rated Substantial. This rating is based on the Project meeting or exceeding five outcome indicators. The suspension of the construction /rehabilitation of schools was a sound decision to stop wastage of Project funds, pending improvement to the education sector. Thus, the project effectively achieved its objective and increased access to priority basic infrastructure in rural areas. The Project also improved access to priority basic services. Although the outcome indicator for the provision of a package of health/nutritional services was dropped, the Project effectively implemented emergency measures that ensured the continuity of health (and education) services in 2014 and to stop the spread of the Ebola virus in 2015. The Project also designed the building blocks for a national safety net program (which also provides health/nutritional interventions). The program is being expanded through the Safety Nets Basic Services Project (P163901) and provides a sustainable way to support the poor and vulnerable. C. EFFICIENCY 64. The overall efficiency of the Project is evaluated across several dimensions: (a) cost- effectiveness of project activities; (b) project administrative costs; (c) internal economic rate of return of the infrastructure built/rehabilitated; and (d) innovations/actions that led to increased efficiency. Annex 4 provides a more detailed analysis of project efficiency. a. Cost-effectiveness 65. The community-based micro-projects constructed/rehabilitated under the Project were cheaper than alternative approaches, and more sustainable. The RCDD Project addressed important deficits in rural regions and demonstrates that the CDD approach is a cost-effective means of developing basic economic and social infrastructure. Table 7 provides a cost comparison of these types of infrastructure projects based on findings of 2014 and 2016 technical audits39. Table 6. Cost Comparison of Different Types of Micro-Projects Type of micro-project Other Project 2014 RCDD Project 2014 RCDD Project 2016 infrastructure Construction of primary Ministry of Education $181 $153 schools (per square $200 (CFAF 96,000) (CFAF 87,000) (CFAF 91,000) meter) Construction of water UNICEF $14 $11 points $15 (CFAF 7,050) (CFAF 6,722) (CFAF 6,610) 39 These two audits are Harilala (2014) and Mendes and Dupety (2016). Page 28 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Rehabilitation of feeder Ministry of Public Works $6,000 $27,000 roads (per km) Range: $16,000 – $36,000 (CFAF 3,000,000) (CFAF 15,800,000) (Range: CFAF 7,800,000 – 17,200,000) Sources: Harilala 2014; Mendes and Dupety 2016. Note: In 2014, the exchange rate was CFAF 480.27/US$1; in 2016, the exchange rate was CFAF 593.16/US$1. 66. The construction cost of primary schools and water points by the RCDD Project was lower than those constructed by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, and these costs declined further from 2014 to 2016. Although the cost per kilometer for rehabilitating feeder roads increased considerably between the 2014 and the 2016 financial audits, (from $6,000 per km to $27,000 per km, respectively), it remained within the range of costs for projects implemented by the Ministry of Public Works in 2014 (between $16,000 and $36,000). The price increase in road rehabilitation resulted from major improvements made to the design and construction of roads, informed by the technical audits. More detail is provided in annex 4. 67. The community-based approach also supported greater allocative efficiency in public expenditure. The CDD empowered the communities to allocate scarce resources across sectors through participatory decision-making at the local level and the development of Community Development Plans. Broad-based participation and citizen engagement created local ownership, which, combined with other complementary Project activities, such as capacity building, made the micro-projects more sustainable. b. Administrative costs 68. The intermediate indicator, “operating ratio,” was closely monitored during supervision missions to ensure that project implementation cost remained below 20 percent of the overall project budget. Before the first restructuring, delays in project implementation elevated the Project’s operational costs from a targeted 20 percent to 70 percent by May 2011, with the PCU struggling to artificially create communities composed of around 3,000 people—as a group of Tabancas on average comprised of 20 households—as well as to identify people within these communities with sufficient existing capacity for financial and procurement management of micro-projects.40 The transfer of fiduciary responsibility to the PCU helped accelerate the implementation of micro-projects. This resulted in time and cost efficiencies and led to lowering the operational ratio to 44 percent by December 31, 2013, in spite of delays caused by the suspension of disbursements following the 2012 military coup. The operating cost was reduced further with the efficient implementation of the new components and was at 17 percent at project closing. c. Economic rate of return (ERR) 69. An economic analysis41 conducted in August 2016 of the community-based social infrastructure investments concluded that water points have a very high ERR (67 percent). In contrast, feeder roads have a much lower ERR (15 percent) as they were oversized and can lead to high maintenance costs 40 In contrast to other West African countries, where communities initially formed around a water source, Guinea-Bissau does not have well-defined communities. This difference might stem from the fact that Guinea-Bissau is located in a delta where water is widely available, permitting the habitat to be widely spread. 41 Melhado 2016. Page 29 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) (the issue of overdesign has been corrected since 2016).42 Meanwhile, schools have a lower ERR (12 percent) owing to broader challenges within the education sector and a lack of complementary inputs for education (stemming from a scarcity of teachers, textbooks, and supplies). 70. The estimated ERRs of the latest technical audit could not be compared to the expected ERRs assessed at project appraisal, as the economic efficiency analyses was conducted on the construction/ rehabilitation of five types of infrastructure, including markets structures that were not implemented. The only type of micro-project that was evaluated both at project appraisal and before project closure is for water points, where the actual ERR (67 percent) exceeded the estimated ERR (23 percent) at project appraisal by 44 percentage points. 71. The cash transfer program does not lend itself to traditional cost-benefit analysis. Although the costs are known (consisting primarily of cash payments to beneficiaries), the benefits of alleviating immediate hardships (including food insecurity) for the targeted households are not readily quantifiable. On average, approximately $500 was transferred to each household over two years (this represents about 22 percent of annual food consumption of poor households). As overhead implementation costs for the pilot were kept low and the fees paid to payment agencies hovered around 5 percent of the total cash transferred, the ERR from the cash transfer program is likely to be very high. d. Innovations/actions that allowed for increased efficiency 72. Limiting type and design of micro-projects. The wide range of micro-projects included in the project appraisal document would have required the hiring of a large number of engineers and consultants and the development of multiple project manuals and cost estimates, which would have been both costly and time-consuming. The decision to limit micro-projects to the construction/ rehabilitation of four types of infrastructures reduced these costs. Additional measures that increased cost efficiency included an agreement with the Ministry of Education that teachers would be assigned to primary schools before schools were constructed. 73. Technical audits of infrastructure realized cost efficiencies. The three technical audits on the micro-projects (in 2014, 2016, and 2019) informed practical adjustments and led to the development of standards for classrooms and roads, and the suspension of work on schools and roads pending government taking appropriate measures to ensure their proper use. These measures realized cost efficiencies in the construction/ rehabilitation and maintenance of the infrastructures. Additionally, the audit rationalized the need to prioritize roads with existing or potential cut-off points to enable the Ministry of Public Works to maximize impact. 74. Use of technology realized efficiencies. The creation of the electronic unified registry for teachers and health workers, use of banking systems, and the development of simple software to create individual payment receipts and provide information to the PCU (the previous system required banks to report on an aggregate basis) realized time and cost efficiencies for the payment of salaries. 42 Soh 2016. Page 30 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 75. Targeting methodology expedited delivery of cash transfers. The initial targeting methodology included a three-step process involving geographic, means-tested, and community-based targeting. The decision to target beneficiaries using lists of poor and vulnerable households identified by NGOs followed by household economic surveys, expedited the payment of cash transfers in Bissau, and helped to inform the development of the PMT formula. The three-step process was implemented in Gabú, following improvements to household data collection. 76. Restructuring the PCU to align with operational needs reduced project operational costs. The composition of the PCU was closely monitored to align with the needs of the Project and informed by two institutional audits. The 2016 audit informed adjustment of the PCU staffing to align with the changes brought about by the first restructuring, which delegated the fiduciary aspects of micro- projects to the PCU.43 The 2018 audit identified measures that contained operational costs and realized cost efficiencies, including: (i) aligning the composition of the PCU to support essential functions, such as not recruiting full-time IT and M&E consultants, and adjusting the work of environmental and social safeguard specialists to the number and type of micro-projects; (ii) redeploying regional staff according to the Project work plan to extend coverage to the new regions where the micro-projects were being implemented; (iii) restructuring the PCU to shift expertise from community-driven development toward the implementation of the safety net pilot, and (iv) limiting participation in expensive training abroad. 77. Efficient use of vehicles and computers. Cars were provided to the PCU to conduct field visits for the micro-projects. In late 2009, an internal audit identified some inefficient use of vehicles by the PCU. In response, the PCU introduced logbooks to assign vehicles to specific drivers (and for the drivers to maintain a record of the vehicle’s mileage) and eliminated the petty cash system for fuel purchases. Field missions were coordinated by location to optimize the staff time and car/fuel use. Logbooks were also used for the use of computers and increased work efficiency of staff and consultants. 78. Enhancing regional offices improved efficiency. The working conditions in the regional offices were progressively improved through the provision of cell phones, transport, and equipment, such as generators, air conditioners, and computers, which contributed to improving staff efficiency. Assessment of Efficiency and Rating 79. Efficiency is rated as Substantial. This rating is based on the numerous cost efficiencies realized, which by far offset the impact of the many implementation delays and disruptions during the 10 years of implementation, most notably the eight-month suspension of activities following the 2012 military coup. Other delays arose from creating the PCU and the Steering Committee, low fiduciary capacity in rural communities that delayed initial implementation of micro-projects, the absence of a Project Coordinator for six months in early 2015, the poor quality of the Folha Única that delayed payment of teachers and health workers salaries and rolling out the safety net pilot. Although the delays increased the Project’s operating costs (and operating ratio), to 70 percent in May 2017, this was more than offset by the numerous pragmatics, timely, and innovative measures taken by the Project that 43 Ferland 2010. Page 31 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) lowered the operating ratio to 17 percent (below the targeted 20 percent) from February 2018 to project closing. D. JUSTIFICATION OF OVERALL OUTCOME RATING 80. The Overall Outcome rating for the RCDD Project is “Satisfactory.” This rating stems from the ‘High’ Relevance of the RCDD throughout implementation, and ‘Substantial’ levels of Efficacy and Efficiency realized by the Project e.g. the PDO achieving or exceeding the majority of outcome and intermediate indicator targets, despite taking on additional emergency and challenging activities (Ebola prevention activities and cash transfer pilot) and scaling-up the CDD micro-projects. 81. Although the Project’s outcome indicators and targets were significantly revised during the first restructuring, a split evaluation was not conducted for the following reasons. As noted earlier, dropping the provision of health, nutritional or population services during the first restructuring was more than offset by the services provided through the three new components. The second restructuring and two additional financing provided Ebola awareness raising, supported continued access to education and health services, and delivered nutritional interventions as part of the safety net pilot. All of these increased access to health, nutritional and population services, and broadened the scope of the Project. E. OTHER OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS Gender 82. The impact of the Project on women was positive. The 2017 beneficiary satisfaction survey44 reports that through participation in the community development decision-making process the integration of women in community life has improved. Local democracy has also improved, and although women may sometimes be excluded from information/decision-making processes, they are rarely excluded from the infrastructure management processes or from using them. Some of the key benefits to women and girls are listed below. 83. Women participated in leadership positions. Half of the Community Committee members in positions of responsibility were females. The elaboration of the Community Development Plan required communities to be structured in groups along the gender line so that women’s decisions were valued equally. Women have built skills through the training provided by the Project and on the job and have the skills to assess micro-project plans, prioritize and supervise basic infrastructure and service interventions, and collect household data as part of the community-based targeting for cash transfers. In addition, each pair of Facilitators comprised of a male technical engineer and a female social worker, who provided technical and management support that was sensitive to the local culture and gender. 84. Women and girls benefited from the rehabilitation of rural roads. The improved roads have provided females with increased quicker access to health centers, with some communities reporting that this has saved the lives of women with complicated deliveries. The construction/rehabilitation of rural roads and schools increased proximity to education services and increased student enrollment, 44 Le Louarn 2017. Page 32 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) especially of girls. Anecdotal evidence from the beneficiary satisfaction surveys suggests that enrollment in schools enabled girls to understand instructions on the use of medicines benefitting the entire family. The construction of water points in communities saves considerable time for females who are usually responsible for fetching water, and who previously had to walk long distances to access potable water. 85. Female teachers and health workers benefited directly from the payment of salaries , mitigating the risk of them and their families falling into financial hardship or poverty. Female students across the country also benefited from having access to regular education. 86. The Ebola prevention campaign enhanced the capacity of female health workers. Women residing in the targeted communities gained a better understanding of hygiene practices, including identifying symptoms of diseases and the importance of seeking early treatment. The awareness campaign helped to stave off the Ebola epidemic, substantially benefiting women and children (as they are generally disproportionately affected). 87. Women benefited directly from the safety net pilot. Roughly half of the beneficiaries (194) who received a regular quarterly income were women. Support to these women continues through the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901). Although it is too early to assess the impact of the transfers, there is abundant evidence showing that such support provides food security, increases spending on health and education, and helps to build and maintain household assets. Institutional Strengthening 88. The Project’s technical assistance and financing contributed significantly to institution building: 89. Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Ministry had overall responsibility for implementing the Project and benefited from the creation of the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) 45 and its capacity for project and fiduciary management was built through World Bank technical assistance and training, both in-country and abroad, and a computerized accounting system was acquired for financial management. The PCU Coordinator and Procurement Specialist benefited from training in the Comoros, the Administrative and Financial Specialist and the M&E Specialist attended training in Madagascar, and the PCU team visited Mali to study its cash transfer program. The PCU is implementing the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901). As noted earlier, from 2014, the PCU was recognized as one of the best functioning government entities in the country. 90. Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Works. These ministries collaborated on and have adopted the designs and standards for the construction of schools and rural roads, based on Soh’s 2016 45The PCU comprised of a project coordinator, community development director, micro-project implementation director, M&E officer, financial management specialist, accountant, procurement specialist, environmental and social specialists, internal auditor and administrative staff. The PCU recruited additional staff to implement the cash transfer program and analyze its impact, manage the beneficiary database, identify beneficiary needs and monitor the dissemination of information on good nutritional practices. Page 33 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) technical audit46, resulting in the efficient use of public resources that also better meet the needs of rural communities. 91. Ministry of Public Administration. The Project helped modernize the payment of salaries for teachers and health workers by creating an electronic registry with updated information on the staff and their bank accounts and installed software for the banks to report on individual payments. The Ministry is utilizing the registry to maintain the records of civil servants for salary payments. 92. Ministry of Health (through WHO). The Ministry now has a workforce (346 health workers trained by the WHO) that can raise awareness about personal and public hygiene practices, and screen and treat for Ebola and other communicable with the improvements made to health posts and the Simão Mendes National Hospital. 93. Regional Offices. Each regional office is made up of a Regional Director and three pairs of Facilitators and worked directly with local authorities at the sector and district levels on the implementation of the micro-projects as well as the Ebola prevention campaign. These activities have enhanced the government’s presence in regional areas and improved its capacity to support rural populations. 94. National Steering Committee. This replaced the National Technical Team that was set up in July 2007 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as a counterpart to the World Bank team for the preparation of the RCDD Project. The Minister of Economy and Finance chaired the Steering Committee and its membership expanded to include the ministries of education, health, and agriculture, and representatives from civil society (two NGOs) and the private sector. Strengthening Fiduciary and M&E Capacity 95. Fiduciary Capacity. At the start of the Project, the PCU’s fiduciary capacity was assessed to be very low. As noted earlier, capacity was significantly strengthened through on-going training and the acquisition of software, which also enhanced capacity of the PCU, and was a key reason why the RCDD Project was used to implement the additional emergency and social safety net activities. 96. M&E capacity. The Project significantly enhanced the M&E capacity of the PCU and beneficiary communities. The recruitment of an M&E Officer and the purchase of relevant software enabled the PCU to regularly monitor micro-project implementation and payment of cash transfers to safety net beneficiaries and identify and resolve issues quickly. The beneficiary communities also participated in the collection of data and monitored the progress of micro-projects through direct oversight. 97. Social Accountability. A grievance redress mechanism (GRM) was initially set up for the community-based micro-projects. Through community consultations, people were encouraged to express their views and raise issues of concern through the GRM. The mechanism was effective in collecting and addressing complaints related to micro-project implementation, as highlighted by how quickly the illegal logging of rosewood was communicated through the GRM via the Community Committees to the PCU, and the issues were addressed. The GRM was extended to the cash transfer program and includes a dedicated hotline to report complaints. Households used the GRM to report 46 Soh 2016. Page 34 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) issues related to the cash transfers (only 8 complaints were received, 6 related to beneficiaries using the money for personal expenses and not for the household, and 2 complaints were from households who felt that they should have been selected for the cash transfers program. The Project organized individual meetings with these households to address their concerns. Mobilizing Private Sector Financing 98. The mobilization of private sector financing was outside the scope of the Project. Nonetheless, nine communities were able to mobilize additional funds from other sources, such as NGOs, to implement additional micro-projects identified in their Community Development Plans. The introduction of a well-targeted national cash transfers program may also lead to further mobilization of private sector/NGO funding, as many donor agencies and NGOs may want to use the same cash transfer mechanisms (targeting, payment delivery systems, and GRM) developed by the Project. Poverty Reduction 99. The Project is likely to have had a significant impact on poverty, as beneficiary communities in all nine regions have increased access to rural basic infrastructure and services, which are strong correlates of poverty. Poor rural communities now have improved and easier access to health posts, primary education and markets, likely improving health outcomes, increasing school enrollment, and enhancing farmers’ participation in economic activities. The water points provide easier access to potable water and can also improve health outcomes by reducing dehydration and water-borne diseases, and thereby save lives. Lastly, the rehabilitation of rice paddies has improved the environment and likely increased harvests and provided both nutritional and financial benefits to the communities. 100. The Ebola prevention campaign staved off an epidemic and thereby spared the rural poor from the potential loss of income and declining into further monetary poverty. Improved knowledge about hygiene practices to reduce vulnerability to communicable diseases and the importance of seeking early diagnosis and treatment also reduced longer-term medical costs. The payment of salaries provided economic security to the teachers and health workers and their families that otherwise may have fallen into poverty. This also potentially reduced their need to resort to negative coping measures, such as selling assets. 101. Cash transfers have likely reduced monetary poverty among beneficiary households through regular, unconditional cash payments and also helped them to avoid negative coping strategies. Similarly, awareness raising on good nutritional practices will likely reduce stunting and wasting of children with a positive impact on long-term human development. Other Unintended Outcomes and Impacts 102. As discussed previously, the Project led to the development of other long-term benefits, such as the elaboration of national norms and for classrooms and rural roads, creation of a registry of teachers and health workers, payment of teachers and health workers salaries through the banking system, etc. Below are other outcomes and impacts of the Project. Page 35 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 103. The PCU helped to incubate the project implementation unit of other IDA projects. The PCU provided training and support to the project management team at the Ministry of Public Works responsible for implementing the Guinea-Bissau Rural Transport Project (P161923), including preparing the project preparation advance. 104. Creation of a unified registry of teachers and health workers. Building on the registry created, the PCU collaborated with the Ministries of finance, public administration, Education, and health to create a unified registry of teachers and health workers in the Public Administration Human Resources Management System. For the first time, the registry was validated by all the relevant ministries and by the powerful labor unions and is being utilized to maintain civil servants’ records. 105. Creation of a unified social registry and support to critically ill poor patients. A unified social registry was developed building on the cash transfers registry. During December 2015 and September 2016, the unified registry was created by screening patients from the Bissau national hospital with the help of an NGO and hospital social workers. The unified social registry included 1,500 critically ill people, resulting in a registry of 2,725 poor and vulnerable people. The NGO subsequently identified 303 seriously ill patients who were provided the equivalent of around $205 each in cash, medical treatment and/or medicine, including 107 people who received emergency treatment that saved their lives.47 III. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME A. KEY FACTORS DURING PREPARATION 106. The World Bank placed strong emphasis on the lessons learned from the Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Project, and its pilot, the Local Environment Initiative Fund (FIAL);48 Bank-wide experience with the CDD approach in Africa and fragile states; and the Independent Evaluation Group’s 2005 review of the CDD portfolio. The key factors that influenced the RCDD Project design are highlighted below. 107. Appropriateness of background analysis in project design. As an assessment of community size and capacity was not conducted at appraisal, especially for fiduciary management, this led to an initial design that placed significant fiduciary responsibility on communities, which the small rural impoverished communities did not possess at the time. 108. Project preparation. Lessons from the FIAL pilot that positively influenced preparation included: (i) contracting and training of Regional Advisors and Facilitators to support, supervise and monitor implementation of micro-projects at the local level; (ii) creating a list of eligible infrastructure projects; (iii) implementing a strong communication strategy that differentially targeted key stakeholders; and (iv) recognizing the constraints posed by Guinea-Bissau’s rainy season (June to October) for implementation of infrastructure micro-projects. 47This is documented in two reports, Madrigal (2015) and Madrigal (2016). 48The Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Project included a small CDD pilot component, the Local Environment Initiative Fund (in Portuguese, Fundo para Iniciativas Ambientais Locais, FIAL) that financed micro-projects identified and implemented by communities. Page 36 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 109. Selection of intervention areas for community-led micro-projects. An inter-ministerial team identified the four initial intervention regions through a process of elimination, in the following order: (i) the urban conglomerates (Bissau), as they benefited from comparatively high concentration of services, infrastructure, and resources; (ii) the regions that were already in receipt of support from other donors (Gabú, Quínara and Tombali); and finally the regions that were hard to access (Bolama/Bijagos). This led to the selection of Oio, Bafatá, Cacheu, and Biombo for intervention. These regions were among the poorest based on the household data, as was the aim of the targeting. 110. Lessons drawn from the Independent Evaluation Group’s 2005 review of the CDD portfolio. The Team placed a strong emphasis on the lessons learned from Bank-wide experience with the CDD approach for local development that facilitated several pragmatic approaches to micro-project implementation. The lessons incorporated into the design are as follows: a. The CDD approach is a cost-effective way to promote local development, create ownership for improved maintenance of the infrastructure and establish government’s presence in rural areas. b. As this was the first time the rural communities had participated in CDD, the micro-projects needed to be simple to design and build/rehabilitate. Therefore, four of types of micro-projects that would be eligible for financing were identified. The key project documents were standardized for these projects, including application forms, technical designs, and project costs, and simple tools were developed for social screening to ensure monitoring and compliance with safeguards. These measures reduced duplication of effort and expedited the advancement of the Community Development Plans and led to considerable costs savings as similar projects could be bundled into one procurement package. c. To address the lack of sustained government presence in rural regions and a perception of widespread corruption, the design incorporated multi-layered supervision and monitoring. This included close supervision of construction firms by Bureaux d’Etudes; the Bureaux d’Etudes and construction firms works by the PCU; and of micro-projects by Community Committees, Regional Advisors and Facilitators. In addition, external monitoring included three technical audits; monitoring of the technical quality of infrastructure projects and adherence to safeguard policies through the establishment of GRM that was open to the public; and annual external financial audits, as required by the legal agreements. 111. Broadening the Projects’ activities based on Bank-wide experience in social protection. The World Bank utilized its direct positive experience working with the PCU, and in-depth knowledge and broad experience with social protection programs to inform the design of the new components. a. The Project took on the implementation of emergency activities, as the World Bank was confident that the PCU had developed sufficient fiduciary and project management capacity, which the PCU implemented in an effective and efficient manner. b. The World Bank recognized the limited capacity of the government and the readiness of the WHO to implement emergency health contingency activities on the ground. Based on previous experience, the World Bank mobilized the United Nations (UN) Advance procedures as the Page 37 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) disbursement mechanism enabling the Ministry of Health to contract the WHO quickly to implement the Ebola prevention contingency measures. c. To design the country’s first national safety net program, the team utilized the World Bank’s extensive experience to pilot a cash transfer program that would test different targeting methodologies, payment mechanisms, and interventions with a phased approach to scaling-up. Such a well-tested and phased approach is considered good practice to develop country-specific mechanisms and for having the most impact on the wellbeing of the poor and vulnerable. 112. Assessment of risks and mitigation measures. The Project was prepared in a period of significant political instability, slow economic growth, and limited government presence in rural areas. The CDD approach was also new to Guinea-Bissau, and the vast majority of rural people had never participated in or seen development projects in their communities before. Furthermore, the government also lacked experience with CDD. Thus, at appraisal, the overall risk rating for the Project was rated ‘Substantial,’ reflecting serious concerns over capacity and governance, inadequate systems for monitoring micro- projects at the central level, and the threat of political capture. 113. Mitigating measures to address these risks included: (i) a project design that focused on building the capacity of the implementing agency as well as the communities; (ii) putting in place a rigorous M&E system and technical audits to quickly identify and resolve issues related to the implementation of micro- projects, and incorporating internal and external monitoring mechanisms; and (ii) development of simple tools and training on safeguards, with an established GRM, to ensure ongoing community and independent oversight of the micro-projects. Emphasis was also placed on appropriately staffing the PCU and providing them with adequate software and management information systems for fiduciary management. Close monitoring by the World Bank and internal and external auditors to ensure procedures were transparent and aligned with the legal agreements. The original design had placed procurement and financial management with the Community Committees who lacked sufficient capacity. Shifting fiduciary responsibility to the PCU and strengthening its capacity through training and the purchase of FM software substantially reduced this risk. B. KEY FACTORS DURING IMPLEMENTATION Factors subject to the control of government and/or implementing entity 114. Government commitment. The various successive governments and the Ministry of Economy and Finance were all highly supportive of the Project, and publicly promoted the importance of a CDD approach to rural development for both basic infrastructure and social services. Ministry officials regularly traveled to communities to participate in the inauguration of micro-projects, which restored communities’ confidence in the central government. 115. Coordination and engagement. Negotiations during the first project restructuring enhanced relationships between the World Bank team and government counterparts and understanding and ownership of the Project and facilitated sound and timely decisions. The PCU coordinated activities with Page 38 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) all relevant parties, which enabled early detection of management and compliance issues. The PCU staff from headquarters and regional offices traveled frequently to participating communities to ensure coordination. The World Bank and the PCU collaboration with the ministries of health and education facilitated the cleanup of the dataset containing the teachers and health information, and with the National Statistics Institute and NGOs to enabled accurate targeting of beneficiaries for the cash transfers program. Effective collaboration by the Project team throughout implementation ensured the RCDD Project’s success. 116. Leadership and articulation of commitment. As government officials, and especially the Prime Minister, had engaged in dialogue with the trade unions and civil servants from early 2014 and assured them that overdue salaries to teachers and health workers would be paid through the RCDD Project, this helped to reduce the strike days to only 2 days in May 2014, even though payments were made over six months late from the planned date. 117. PCU capacity and focus. The emergency salary payments strained the PCU’s capacity and focus on other Project activities from February to June 2014, as it had to spend considerable time cleaning up and updating the Folha and negotiating with the Ministry of Education and the banks for the automatic payment of salaries. This led to a slowdown of micro-project activities during this time. 118. Compliance with the legal agreement. The Minister of Economy and Finance’s sudden decision not to renew the Project Coordinator’s contract in early 2016 led to a suspension of project activities for six months (a new officer was recruited on June 30, 2016). During this period, there was no authority present to approve contracts, disbursement requests, payments to construction firms, the purchase of essential supplies to complete micro-projects that had been initiated, and implement Ebola prevention activities, including financing supplies for the national hospital in Bissau. 119. Collaboration with UN agencies and NGOs. The PCU worked with the WHO on the Ebola prevention campaign, and with the NGOs on the safety net pilot on targeting, payment delivery, GRM, and M&E, which informed the design and implementation of the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901). The PCU engaged an NGO from December 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016, to create a registry for a future social security system (BDI-SNSS: Initial Database for a National Social Security System a cash- for-health provision scheme, financed by the World Bank). Factors outside the control of government and/or the implementing entity 120. Low rural capacity. As mentioned earlier, the poor levels of literacy and, especially, the lack of sufficient fiduciary capacity in communities delayed the start of micro-projects. 121. Conflict and instability. The 2012 military coup led to a suspension of Project activities for eight months and necessitated the extension of the SPF grant closing date from August 31, 2013, to June 30, 2015, to complete project activities. 122. Inter-ministerial Coordination. The PCU faced several challenges that delayed payment of teachers’ and health workers’ salaries, including: (i) the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health delayed sending the teachers’ and health workers’ details; (ii) the ministries repeatedly changed the names of beneficiaries on the original Folha Única list; (ii) there were challenges with the quality of the Page 39 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) information in the Folha Única and the lists had to be verified to eliminate absentee teachers and fix errors; (iii) the Minister of Education resisted the payment of rural teachers’ salaries through the banking system (as agreed during preparation), instead pushing for payments to be manually made by the ministry’s payment agents. To resolve these issues, the World Bank team hired an international consultant specialized in financial management and a local consultant specialized in the Folha Única to provide daily support to the PCU for the implementation of the salary payments; and the Country Director held discussions with the Prime Minister to overcome the political challenges related to the salary payments, enabling the PCU to make salary payments through the banks from May 2014 IV. BANK PERFORMANCE A. QUALITY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) M&E Design 123. The M&E system was designed to operate at the national level. Oversight for the Project resided with the PCU and comprised the M&E plan, various tools/questionnaires for data collection, and use of a computerized MIS. The original Results Framework was overambitious activities, with too many indicators, and especially for the delivery of health/nutritional package. The first restructuring revised the Results Framework with more appropriate measures and targets. Although, outcome and intermediate indicators were selected for the new Component 4 (payment of salaries), only intermediate indicators were adopted for components 5 and 6. These indicators were appropriate and helped to assess progress towards the achievement of the second dimension of the PDO—increased access to priority basic services. 124. The participatory M&E system was designed to track and assess implementation efficacy, beneficiary satisfaction, and the use and maintenance of investments. This approach empowered beneficiary communities by involving them directly in the data collection and analysis and encouraging them to express their views and make suggestions for improvement. The M&E reporting requirements included: (i) quarterly Project Progress Reports; (ii) three independent technical audits of micro- projects; and (iii) annual independent environmental and social safeguard assessments, and (v) surveys. M&E Implementation 125. The M&E system proved effective in gathering data and monitoring all aspects of the Project. Information was collected at the community level from the preparation of the Community Development Plans and micro-project appraisal documents, and ongoing monitoring of infrastructure implementation. Facilitators gathered information through interviews with community members and direct observation, which were complemented by the technical audits. Additional data was collected on training and capacity-building activities. An M&E Officer was recruited and used the MIS established for the Project to monitor and update the Results Framework, with regular quarterly Project Progress Reports shared with the World Bank, which helped assessment of progress toward achievement of the project objectives. The Project carried out about 20 evaluations: annex 7 lists the audits and evaluations. The Project also funded two beneficiary satisfaction surveys for the micro-projects; a survey of educational services provisions; an assessment of the Ebola activities; and a baseline survey Page 40 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) of beneficiaries of the Safety Nets Basic Services Project (163901) program — annex 8 provides summaries of the key findings of these assessments. All the reports were shared with the National Steering Committee, relevant ministries, the World Bank, and the participating communities. M&E Utilization 126. The data collected by the communities and PCU, and findings of the various assessments were effectively used during supervision planning and decision-making. Ongoing monitoring and audit reports were used to identify the reasons for delays and non-compliance with the Financing Agreements and/or World Bank standards, and to take appropriate corrective measures when necessary. Based on the detailed recommendations of the technical auditors—Harilal, Dupety, and Soh—the designs and standards for these infrastructures were revised, the PCU provided training to sensitize the communities on the management and handling of water points and school infrastructures. The various surveys and assessments informed the design of the national safety net program. Lastly, the PCU commissioned a report49 on how best to integrate the CDD approach with the local administration. The findings of this report were presented at a workshop in November 2016. Justification of Overall Rating of Quality of M&E 127. The overall rating of M&E quality of “Substantial” is attributed to the effective design and ongoing analysis of real-time data and several comprehensive assessments, leading to prompt actions and appropriate measures to resolve issues. B. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE Environmental and Social Safeguards 128. The Project complied with safeguards. The Project’s environmental category was classified “B,” as potential negative environmental impacts from community-based micro-projects were expected to be limited and manageable. The assessment triggered: (i) Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01); (ii) Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04); (iii) Pest Management (OP 4.09); (iv) Physical Cultural Property (OP/BP 4.11); and (v) Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4:12). Effective planning and actions were taken to address the safeguards triggered. During the preparation of the Project, the PCU prepared the Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESMF) and Resettlement Policy Framework, which were disclosed before appraisal. The restructuring and additional financing triggered no new safeguards. The addition of Component 5: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic was assessed to have positive environmental and social impacts and the WHO followed its safeguard policies and Medical Waste Management Protocols to dispose of medical waste; and components 4 and 6 were assessed to provide positive social benefits. 129. The PCU had responsibility for oversight and implementation of safeguards. In late 2010, the PCU recruited an Environmental and Social Safeguard Specialist from the FIAL activity team. The ESMF detailed the environmental and social screening criteria for appraising the micro-projects and included 49 See Brunet (2016). Page 41 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) a checklist to detect potential negative impacts of individual micro-projects, and triggers for appropriate plans and mitigating measures to be taken. Beneficiary communities, with assistance from the Facilitators, completed the ESMF checklist as part of their micro-project application. The Regional Advisors, responsible for the preparation of the micro-projects and the related bidding documents, supervised the Facilitators’ work at the local level to ensure that safeguards policies were applied. This was complemented by audits conducted by the World Bank and independent experts. 130. From commencement of the Project until the end of 2018, safeguards compliance received a rating of “Satisfactory.” In early 2019, a community reported that some feeder roads were being used by poachers for the illegal logging of rosewood trees in violation of environmental safeguards. The Project took immediate action by alerting the authorities and further road rehabilitation projects were suspended pending assurance from authorities that regulations that limited at maximum 15-ton vehicles to operate on these roads would be adhered to (freight trucks weighing more than 70 tons were operating on and damaging the rehabilitated roads). As the related outcome indicator for road rehabilitation had been met and the relevant government assurances were not provided, the Project did not finance further road projects. The safeguards rating was downgraded to “Moderately Unsatisfactory” in February 2019, as the review also found that construction companies had not prepared Environmental and Social Management Plans for the construction of feeder roads, although their completion had been provisionally accepted. This issue was resolved, and the ratings upgraded to “Satisfactory” by September 2019, Fiduciary Compliance Financial management 131. The Project complied with financial management requirements. A Financial Management Specialist and an Accountant were recruited and trained on the World Bank’s fiduciary procedures and rules. An integrated budgeting and accounting system were installed and the PCU opened a Designated Account in a commercial bank that was jointly managed by the PCU and the Treasury Department. The project manuals and external audit requirements were updated, and staff was recruited for the additional responsibilities, including an internal auditor for Component 4. The PCU’s submitted timely and acceptable quarterly Interim Financial Reports and annual financial statements. The external auditor assessed the financial statements for compliance with International Standards on Auditing, while the PCU conducted spot checks of cash transfer payments to beneficiaries. Unqualified financial management audit reports were regularly submitted to the World Bank. 132. The main challenge to financial management was the April 2012 military coup. At that time, the PCU had about $393,000 in the designated accounts, which was used to implement ongoing projects and make some payments due to firms and suppliers. The lifting of the suspension in December 2012 enabled the PCU to pay off arrears and initiate new micro-projects. A second challenge arose in making the salary payments to teachers and health workers, as the PCU was focused on resolving issues with the Folha Única and was unable to implement micro-projects from April to September 2014. In addition, the move from manual to automatic replenishments of the Designated Account caused numerous challenges and the PCU was unable to access IDA funds between mid-March and end-May 2014. As a result, (i) disbursement of the first additional financing was significantly less than planned for Page 42 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Component 1 ($400,000 disbursed against a planned $1 million) and Component 2 ($1.59 million disbursed against a planned $8.65 million); (ii) substantially more funds were required for Component 3 to manage the additional activities ($4.36 million disbursed against a planned $2.25 million); (iii) and the payment of salaries (Component 4) was $500,000 less than the planned $9 million following improvements to the Folha Única. Annex 3 provides a breakdown of allocations and disbursements by component. Procurement 133. The Project complied with the World Bank’s procurement requirements. However, the Project’s procurement rating oscillated between “marginally satisfactory” and “unsatisfactory” from the start of implementation till late 2016. Despite the provision of extensive training, the performance of the first procurement officer remained below acceptable standards; therefore, his contract was not renewed in mid-2013. The Project recruited an experienced procurement specialist in January 2014 and teamed him up with a high-level PCU staff, and the World Bank provided training and close support that enhanced his capacity. These measures gradually improved and expedited procurement activities. A “post-clearance” review, carried out between July 2014 to June 2015, found that, in general, records were complete and kept in good order and appropriate procurement processes had been followed. The Procurement the rating was raised to “satisfactory” in December 2016 and remained so till project closing, reflecting appropriate documentation and transparent processes, and timely implementation of procurement activities. C. BANK PERFORMANCE Quality at Entry 134. The World Bank’s preparation of the Project focused on critical gaps and opportunities for intervention amid widespread poverty in the country, when the government lacked the capacity and resources to effectively support rural development, particularly for basic and critical infrastructure and services. The World Bank utilized lessons learned from the FIAL pilot and the Independent Evaluation Group’s review of the World Bank’s community-driven development portfolio (2005). These facilitated the development of several pragmatic implementation measures that saved time and costs and reduced duplication of effort for the development of Community Development Plans and the implementation of the micro-projects. However, the findings of the small FIAL pilot led to an initial over ambitious design under the belief that rural communities were sufficiently large with sufficient fiduciary capacity to manage their own development agenda. The emergency nature of the Ebola response also did not provide sufficient time for prior analysis about training that had already been provided to health workers on the ground. The target for the intermediate indicator was thus unachievable; however, the remaining funds were effectively used to improve health posts and hospitals and support important Ebola screening functions. Quality of Supervision 135. Throughout implementation, the World Bank team was proactive and worked closely with the PCU, communities, Steering Committee, and other government agencies to identify and resolve issues. Page 43 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) There were two Task Team Leaders (TTLs) for the Project with the second TTL effectively leading the project from mid-2009. Adequate resources were used, including dedicated technical staff with expertise in financial management, procurement, safeguards, registries, and safety nets programs to provide incremental training, and regular support and complex technical advice to the PCU. The Bank’s support was particularly important during the suspension of project activities following the 2012 coup. 136. The team monitored project activities through regular virtual (Skype) conferences and Project sites were visited regularly to conduct physical inspections with the participation of appropriate sectoral and technical experts. The Team participated in two missions per year and produced detailed aide- memoires and Implementation Status Reports (ISRs), which were clear, candid, outlined important issues, and contained relevant information and actionable items that helped to advance Project activities. The team also provided evidence-based advice based on the numerous technical audits, assessments, surveys, and research activities, enabling timely adjustments. The World Bank’ close support and technical advice was critical in testing options for a national safety net program, including the targeting methodology, transfer amount, and payment delivery mechanisms. The supervision of the RCDD Project focused on maximizing development impact, based on experience and evidence, to make continuous adjustments and improvements. Justification of Overall Rating of Bank Performance 137. The overall World Bank performance is “Satisfactory.” The World Bank’s performance in the initial design of the Project would have benefited from profiling and assessing the capacity of communities prior to designing the Project. Importantly, the World Bank took early and decisive steps to appropriately reorient responsibilities while ensuring communities took the lead in their own development agenda. The Bank’s technical assistance helped to build the capacity of the PCU, community committees, Facilitators, etc, to successfully implement the rural infrastructure projects, address national emergency activities and pilot a safety net program. The auditing and monitoring procedures allowed for the identification of issues, and the World Bank provided sound and timely advice, including innovative solutions, such as restructuring the composition of the PCU or redeploying staff to align with Project needs. D. RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME 138. The infrastructure assets built/rehabilitated under the RCDD Project have been transferred to the respective communities that have also received training on their maintenance (particularly for water points). Schools are maintained by the school administration financed by the Ministry of Education. A road maintenance fund, Fundo de Conservação Rodoviária, established in 2009 at the national level finances the maintenance of the feeder roads — as the revenues generated by this fund fall short of the needs, the Rural Transport Project (P161923) also plans to provide technical assistance to the Directorate General of Transport Infrastructure and the Road Maintenance Fund on the fund’s governance. In addition, nine communities have used their Community Development Plans to access financing from other agencies to implement new micro-projects. 139. Several activities initiated by the RCDD Project will continue under other World Bank projects. Page 44 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Implementation of basic micro-infrastructure projects and provision of services to help rural communities are being continued and scaled-up under the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901) financed by an IDA grant of $15 million approved in July 2018. This new project seeks to provide poor communities and households with greater access to basic service infrastructure and social safety nets. Component 1: Community-based micro-projects, continues support to other disadvantaged rural communities in Guinea-Bissau to build/rehabilitate basic rural infrastructure through a CDD approach. Component 2: Cash transfer program and Component 3: Safety net development of the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project, will gradually scale-up cash transfers to all nine regions and supports the government to build the tools and mechanisms for a well-targeted, effective, and efficient national safety net program. 140. The IDA-funded $15 million Rural Transport Project (P161923) is designed to build synergies with the RCDD Project, with the objective of improving the rural communities’ physical access to markets and social services in the regions of Cacheu and Oio. The transport project will complement the RCDD Project by financing the construction of several wells and schools in these regions. Other synergies with the RCDD include the rehabilitation and maintenance of about 110 km of unpaved feeder roads to prevent road closures during the rainy season and allow all-weather road pass-ability. The project will also provide technical assistance to the Direcção Geral das Infraestruturas de Transporte, within the Ministry of Public Works, to build the capacity of the directorate for the administration and financial management of road projects; programming and management of road maintenance; finance road safety campaigns in villages and schools located along the roads slated for improvement; and support the development of a national plan for transport and logistics. 141. The scope of the emergency measures for the payment of teachers’ and health workers salaries (2014) and to contain the Ebola epidemic (2014–2015) were time limited and without a broader agenda. Nevertheless, the Ebola awareness campaign has improved hygiene practices, built the capacity of health workers, and improved health posts and Simão Mendes National in Bissau have longer-term and sustainable benefits. In regard to the education sector, it was planned that the second additional financing would continue the payment of teacher salaries for the period January to June 2015. In anticipation, the government hired a significant number of new teachers (rising from about 7,500 in 2014/15 to 10,000 in 2015/16), decreased the number of hours worked from 32 to 24, and raised wages; these decisions only made the fiscal situation even less sustainable. In addition, the IMF Credit Facility Agreement with the government went off track partly due to the failure of the financial sector to improve transparency and accountability, a key requirement of the RCDD Project agreement. For these reasons, and the financial banks refusing to provide receipts for payment delivery, the World Bank did not include the payment of teacher salaries in the second additional financing. Since then, the Ministry of Education has reverted back to manual payments. V. LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Governance and transparency in a fragile environment 142. Looking beyond the government to stimulate local development. In the context of the fragile state, it was useful to look beyond the government by delegating decision-making responsibility (for projects and funds) directly to the local communities to empower them to voice and prioritize their Page 45 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) development needs. This approach aligns with the findings of Paul Collier and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reported in the World Bank’s World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security and Development.50 143. High-level commitment is essential for managing sensitive political issues. Without formal agreements, earlier informal agreements between ministries and stakeholders failed. The Prime Minister had to engage in dialogue with the trade unions and civil workers to end the teacher/health worker strikes, and with the Minister of Education for the payment of salaries through the banks. 144. Use of local structures facilitated closer monitoring and maintenance of basic infrastructures. The success of the Project relied heavily on working with Facilitators and Regional Advisors from the target communities, as well as traditional authorities from existing community structures that were called on to form Community Committees to organize micro-project activities. This approach enabled close monitoring of important basic infrastructure projects and facilitated ownership for their maintenance and sustainability. 145. CDD approach empowered communities, re-established critical link with the central government and reinforced government institutions. Participation in the CDD program and the participatory development of Community Development Plans has given communities voice and the tools to determine their development priorities in collaboration with the government. This has also restored some trust in and established links with the central government agencies. Building capacity and institutions in a fragile environment 146. Flexibility to accommodate community needs and priorities is essential. Recognizing limited rural capacity and the need to address the country’s emergency needs and longer-term poverty alleviation strategy, the Project was restructured numerous times. Regular smaller adjustments were made throughout implementation, including limiting the type of infrastructure projects, in developing the targeting methodology for the cash transfer program, taking the additional step and creating the civil servant’s registry. Flexibility allowed the Project to deliver important basic infrastructure and emergency services in a dynamic and fragile environment and build institutions. 147. Close monitoring and supervision. In the fragile and low capacity environment, the World Bank provided close monitoring and supervision through regular missions and virtual conferences, flexible and timely support, and direct interventions, as needed, that ensured the Project’s success. 148. Incremental capacity building is important in a fragile context. The PCU’s capacity was developed incrementally to facilitate their understanding and to accommodate the additional responsibilities and activities. This ranged from building the PCU’s fiduciary capacity in the beginning, to formal hands-on and on-the-job training, and recruitment of expertise. Such measures led to decisions being made to leverage the PCU’s capacity to implement the county’s emerging priorities. The PCU is now implementing the cash transfers program under the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901), allowing important prior knowledge and experience to be utilized in the new project in an environment where all the counterparts have changed. 50 World Bank. 2010. World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security and Development. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Page 46 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) . 149. The CDD approach proved to deliver more cost-effective basic social infrastructure. As demonstrated by comparison of schools, water points and roads built/rehabilitated by communities through the RCCD Project cost considerably less than those contracted out by other organizations. The communities took ownership of the micro-projects they implemented and constructed/ rehabilitated basic social infrastructure in a more cost-effective manner and have committed to their maintenance. Annex 4 includes further details. 150. Phased rollout informed challenges and appropriate adjustments to be made before scaling-up. The CDD was first piloted in the fragile country through the FIAL, and the RCDD Project piloted a cash transfer program and the micro-projects through phased implementation. Experience from and assessments of the pilots and earlier phases informed improvements and led to better development outcomes, (i.e. rehabilitation of roads were suspended pending assurance of their proper use.) Collaboration 151. Collaborating with organizations with comparative advantages expedited activities and led to greater impact. The agreement with the WHO facilitated prompt emergency health contingency measures to be implemented, with its comparative advantage on the prevention and treatment of communicable diseases. Collaboration with NGOs facilitated the targeting of cash beneficiaries, and the creation of a unified social registry, based on their experience of working with the poorest households. The Project supported synergies with other IDA-financed projects, such as the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901), including partnering with UNICEF on the national social protection strategy, and the Rural Transport Project (P161923). Technology 152. Use of technology in the fragile environment ensured the Project’s success. Apart from facilitating regular on the ground monitoring and reporting, virtual meetings enabled close supervision that was especially important during the suspension of missions after the military coup. 153. Technology ensured transparency. The unified social registry enhanced maintenance of staff records and use of bank systems, accompanied by receipts, and ensured faster, safer, and more transparent delivery of salary payments. The Unified Social Registry enables faster and more accurate targeting of beneficiaries (along with the PMT module), and the reconciliation of cash transfer payments. Page 47 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS A. RESULTS INDICATORS A.1 PDO Indicators Objective/Outcome: Increase access to priority basic social and economic infrastructures and services Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Direct project beneficiaries Number 0.00 60000.00 137000.00 204725.00 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Female beneficiaries Percentage 0.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Number of people in rural Number 1.00 160.00 100000.00 104362.00 areas provided with access to Improved Water Sources under 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 the project Page 48 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Students enrolled in classrooms Number 0.00 7194.00 20000.00 16102.00 built/rehabilitated by the Project 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion People with access to an all- Number 0.00 11250.00 73000.00 84054.00 season road build/rehabilitated by the Project 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Beneficiaries from hydro- Number 0.00 4079.00 3800.00 3786.00 agricultural systems improved by the Project 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Page 49 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion No interruption of the 2013/14 Text Non available Highly Satisfactory Highly Satisfactory Highly Satisfactory or 2014/15 school year due to the non payment of current 07-May-2014 30-Jun-2015 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 salaries from Project effectiveness until the end of the 2014/15 school year with gradations Comments (achievements against targets): A.2 Intermediate Results Indicators Component: Component 1: Capacity-Building for Community Development Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Community-Development Number 0.00 120.00 180.00 216.00 Plans completed 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Page 50 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Tabancas with a Community- Number 0.00 120.00 850.00 1084.00 Development Plans completed 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Population with a Community- Number 0.00 60000.00 200000.00 216787.00 Development Plans completed 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Component: Component 5: Prevention of the Ebola epidemic Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Number of community health Number 0.00 1000.00 1000.00 346.00 agents who receive training on Ebola prevention 31-Aug-2014 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Page 51 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Comments (achievements against targets): Component: Component 2: Community-Based Micro-Projects Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Community-based sub-projects Number 0.00 120.00 355.00 448.00 initiated 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Community-based sub-projects Number 0.00 120.00 355.00 427.00 completed 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Community-based sub-projects Percentage 0.10 75.00 75.00 89.00 Page 52 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) functional and properly 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 maintained two years after completion Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Improved community water Number 0.00 0.00 270.00 350.00 points constructed or rehabilitated under the project 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Roads rehabilitated, Rural Kilometers 0.00 0.00 230.00 363.00 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Page 53 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Additional classrooms built or Number 0.00 0.00 275.00 216.00 rehabilitated at the primary level resulting from project 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 interventions Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Land benefiting from hydro- Hectare(Ha) 0.00 0.00 659.00 635.00 agricultural systems improved by the Project 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Component: Component 3: Project Coordination and Monitoring & Evaluation Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Operating ratio Percentage 0.10 20.00 20.00 17.00 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Page 54 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Technical audit of community- Number 0.00 1.00 3.00 3.00 based sub-projects completed 04-Aug-2009 31-Dec-2014 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Component: Component 4: Delivery of education and health services Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Percentage of teachers on the Percentage 0.00 90.00 90.00 100.00 Folha Única whose salary has been paid by the Project 12-Feb-2014 30-Jun-2015 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Percentage of health workers Percentage 0.00 90.00 90.00 100.00 on the Folha Única whose salary has been paid by the 12-Feb-2014 30-Jun-2015 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Project Page 55 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Comments (achievements against targets): Component: Component 6: Pilot cash transfer program Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Beneficiaries of Safety Nets Number 0.00 2000.00 2000.00 387.00 programs (number) 11-Jul-2016 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Beneficiaries of Safety Nets Number 0.00 1000.00 1000.00 194.00 programs - Female (number) 11-Jul-2016 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Beneficiaries of Safety Nets Number 0.00 2000.00 2000.00 387.00 programs - Unconditional cash transfers (number) 11-Jul-2016 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 20-Sep-2019 Comments (achievements against targets): Page 56 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 2. BANK LENDING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT/SUPERVISION A. TASK TEAM MEMBERS Name Role Preparation Supervision/ICR Philippe Auffret Task Team Leader(s) Mountaga Ndiaye Procurement Specialist(s) Fatou Mbacke Dieng Financial Management Specialist Gernot Brodnig Social Specialist Cheick Traore Procurement Team Isabella Micali Drossos Counsel Anta Tall Diallo Procurement Team Seynabou Thiaw Seye Procurement Team Ndeye Magatte Fatim Seck Procurement Team Medou Lo Environmental Specialist Mamata Tiendrebeogo Procurement Team Nikolai Alexei Sviedrys Wittich Procurement Team Sylvie Munchep Ndze Procurement Team Mohamed El Hafedh Hendah Procurement Team Lydie Anne Billey Team Member B. STAFF TIME AND COST Staff Time and Cost Stage of Project Cycle No. of staff weeks US$ (including travel and consultant costs) Preparation FY05 1.550 6,472.80 Page 57 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) FY06 5.112 21,230.79 FY07 6.186 26,220.67 FY08 22.240 138,615.47 FY09 26.436 126,288.20 FY10 2.771 13,788.04 Total 64.30 332,615.97 Supervision/ICR FY10 7.928 78,357.74 FY11 8.610 75,956.30 FY12 3.835 42,581.54 FY13 3.610 33,633.50 FY14 6.797 60,970.69 FY15 14.163 78,325.83 FY16 8.710 60,024.54 FY17 8.877 62,040.41 FY18 6.950 55,271.79 FY19 16.667 196,966.15 FY20 6.085 52,546.73 Total 92.23 796,675.22 Page 58 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 3. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT Table A3. Total Funds Allocated (US$ millions) Original First First Additional Second Second Additional Allocation Restructuri Financing Restructuri Financing s ng February 7, 2014 ng May 10, 2016 2013 April 16, September 2011) 6, 2014 Differen Original Revised Addition Total Total Additional Total ce = Allocation Allocations al With Revised Financing Allocate Total Total Componen Financing Addition Allocations Allocations d Disburs Disburse t Name Allocatio al (c) IDA ACGF ed d – Total ns Financin =Sum Grant Grant Allocate (IDA g (c+d+e) =US$10 =US$3,50 d SPF IDA SPF IDA grant Allocatio m m Gran Gran Grant Gran =US$15m n (d) (e) t t * t (a) ) (b) =Sum (a+b) Componen t 1: Capacity Building for 1.38 1.37 0.05 0.05 +0.05 0.10 0.40 + 0.05 0.00 0.45 1.52 1.07 Community Developme nt Componen t 2: Community 2.52 2.49 3.70 3.70 +4.95 8.65 11.60 + 6.95 3.00 21.55 17.76 -3.79 -Based Micro- Projects Componen t 3: Project Coordinati on and 1.10 1.14 1.25 1.25 +1.00 2.25 3.50 +1.50 0.50 5.50 8.71 3.21 Monitoring & Evaluation Componen t 4: Delivery of Education ---- ---- ---- ---- 9.00 9.00 9.00 0.00 0.00 9.00 8.50 -0.50 and Health Services (new component Page 59 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ) Componen t 5: Prevention ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0.00 0.50 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.50 0.00 of the Ebola Epidemic Componen t 6: Pilot Cash ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 1.00 0.00 +1.50 0.00 1.50 1.50 0.00 Transfer Program 10.00 3.50 Total 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 38.50** 38.49 -0.01 13.50 *The SPF grant closed on June 30, 2015, at which point $4.73 million (or 95%) of the $5 million grant had been disbursed. **The sum is a total of the first restructuring (April 2011) Revised Allocations for IDA Project and first additional financing (April 2014); as well as the total amount disbursed (100 percent). Page 60 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 4. EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS 1. The project achieved its goal of financing and supporting rural communities to implement micro- projects elaborated in their Community Development Plans, thereby providing them access to basic community infrastructure. 2. Importantly, the Rural Community-Driven Development (RCDD) Project paved the way to increase the presence of the State at the local level under the new Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901). It also empowered citizens to set their development priorities, creating a first bridge between poor and disenfranchised communities and the State. 3. The overall efficiency of the project can be evaluated across four main dimensions: (i) cost- effectiveness of the project’s activities; (ii) project administrative costs; (iii) economic internal rate of return of these activities; and (iv) innovations that led to increased efficiency. Cost-effectiveness 4. The development of community-based basic social infrastructures supported under Component 2 addressed important deficits in basic community infrastructure (primary schools, water points, feeder roads, and hydro-agricultural systems). The achievements of the micro-projects provide evidence that the CDD approach is a cost-effective means of constructing such basic infrastructure. 5. According to a technical audit conducted in September 2016, the primary schools built under the RCDD Project cost less than those built through other approaches. In 2014, the unit cost of schools constructed under the Project averaged $181 (CFAF 87,000) per square meter (m2) in 2014 compared to $200 (CFAF 96,000) per m2 reported by the Ministry of Education for the same type of schools in 2014. In 2016, RCDD Project costs were $153 per m2 (CFAF 91,000).51 Table A4.1 Guinea-Bissau: Cost of Classroom Construction (in CFAF) 98,000 Average cost per square meter 96,000 94,000 92,000 (in CFAF) 90,000 88,000 86,000 84,000 82,000 Ministry of RCDD (2014) RDCC (2016) Education source: 2014 and 2016 RCDD technical audits 51 In 2014, the exchange rate was: CFAF 480.27/US$1; in 2016, the exchange rate was CFAF 593.16/US$1 Page 61 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 6. The per unit cost of water points constructed by the RCDD was assessed at $14 (CFAF 6,722) in 2014, below the established benchmark of water points constructed by UNICEF of $15 (CFAF 7,050). The Project realized even lower average costs by 2016, at $11 (CFAC 6,100). Similar trends were found in the construction of classrooms, with costs decreasing over time, underscoring the Project’s increasing cost- effectiveness. Table A4.2 Guinea-Bissau: Cost of Water Point Construction (in CFAF) 71,000 70,000 Average cost per unit (in CFAF) 69,000 68,000 67,000 66,000 65,000 64,000 63,000 UNICEF RCDD (2014) RDCC (2016) source: 2014 and 2016 RCDD technical audits 7. Although the cost per kilometer for the construction/rehabilitation of feeder roads increased considerably between the 2014 and the 2016 financial audits, from $6,000 (CFAF 3,000,000) to $27,000 (CFAF 15,800,000) respectively, it remained comparable to the range of cost per kilometer of roads constructed by the Ministry of Public Works. The cost of construction increased first as the 2104 audit52 found major weather damages to the first three rehabilitated roads, with punctual interventions made to address the issues. Continued monitoring of the roads found that the interventions were not enough. After 2014, all roads that were rehabilitated included drainage systems (crowned surfaces and ditch lines) for water removal from the roads, and an additional 20 cm surface layer (wearing course); all of which raised the price of road rehabilitation from the $6,000 to $27,000 per km. The technical auditor had also expected this increase in 2014 because of an observed substantial increase in the prices of building material leading to the higher construction prices. 52 Harilala 2014. Page 62 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Figure A4.3 Guinea-Bissau: Cost of Construction of Feeder Roads (millions of CFAC) 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Ministry of Public Works RCDD (2014) RCDD (2016) source: 2014 and 2016 RCDD technical audits 8. The community-based approach also supported greater allocative efficiency in public expenditure. Community-driven development empowered communities to allocate scarce resources across sectors through the promotion of participatory decision-making at the local level and the elaboration of Community Development Plans. Broad-based participation and citizen engagement created local ownership, which, combined with other complementary activities that the Project supported (such as capacity building), made micro-projects more sustainable. Overall, the projects built by the RCDD Project were cheaper than those built by alternative approaches. Innovations leading to increased efficiency 9. The PCU led a focused approach in implementing the micro-project component. Based on the information gathered from the field during the PCU-led capacity-building activities with the beneficiary communities, it identified four main types of micro-projects that were chosen by the communities and focused on their implementation. This focus helped the PCU to quickly learn about these micro-projects to improve their quality over time, and about the suppliers’ market to find cost-efficient solutions. 10. Regarding the roads constructed by the project, the PCU worked with a technical auditor to re- dimension the road design to make them less costly and more durable. Under the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901), roads linking communities to schools and health centers will be prioritized to increase all of the micro-projects’ economic rates of return. 11. The cash transfer component is working with a new crossover design to reduce the ratio of control group families to beneficiaries. The World Bank team and the PCU worked on a new design for the second phase of the cash transfer component in which the intervention will have a control group-to-beneficiary ratio of 1:5 (compared to the first phase when it was 1:1). This will reduce the dropout ratio for the project and increase the chances of an efficient impact evaluation by increasing the statistical power of the Page 63 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) analyses. 12. The pilot also delivers nutrition awareness interventions using a community-based approach. In contrast to the first phase—when the accompanying measures were managed by the PCU and an NGO active in the area—the second phase will deliver these measures through key actors from the targeted communities. Doing so will reduce the cost of contracting an NGO to deliver the accompanying measures, and also ensure increased efficiency in information delivery, as uptake is anticipated to be higher if presented by a familiar person from the beneficiaries’ communities. Project administrative costs 13. The intermediate indicator—operating ratio—was closely monitored to ensure that project implementation cost remained below 20 percent of the overall project budget. At project closing, the operating ratio was at 17 percent.53 Economic rate of return (ERR) 14. An economic analysis of the community-based social infrastructure investments conducted in August 2016 for the RCDD Project concluded that: (i) water points have a very high ERR (67 percent); (ii) feeder roads have a much lower ERR (15 percent) as they are oversized, which leads to high costs of maintenance; while (iii) schools have a lower ERR (12 percent) due to broader challenges with the education sector, due to the lack of complementary inputs for education stemming from the absence of teachers and unavailability of school texts and supplies. 15. The estimated ERRs of the latest technical audit could not be compared to the expected ERRs assessed at project appraisal. This is because the project appraisal document identified five examples of micro-projects for which it carried out economic efficiency analyses and reported expected ERRs. However, the communities identified different micro-projects in their Community Development Plans, which required economic analyses to be conducted on a different set of micro-projects before project closure. The only type of micro-project that was evaluated at both project appraisal and at closure is water points, where the actual ERR (67 percent) exceeded the estimated ERR (23 percent) at project appraisal by 44 percentage points. 16. The cash transfer program does not lend itself to traditional cost-benefit analysis. Although the costs are known (consisting primarily of cash payments to beneficiaries), the benefits of alleviating immediate hardships within the targeted vulnerable households (including immediate food insecurity) are not readily quantifiable. At approximately $500 transferred to each household per year, the cash transfers represent about 22 percent of annual food consumption by poor households. As the overhead implementation costs were kept low—and the fees paid to payment agencies hovered around 5 percent of the total amount of cash transferred—the ERR from the cash transfer program is likely to be high. 53The payments of teacher and health worker salaries in 2014 increased disbursements ($9 million), which lowered the operating ratio. Page 64 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 5. RECIPIENT, CO-FINANCIER AND OTHER PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS (This section presents a translated summary of Recipient’s completion report, Relatorio De Fecho Dos Projetos De Desenvolvimento Rural Participativo), September 2019.) OUTCOMES 1. The Project has demonstrated good relevance in its design, its consideration of the economic and social context, and remains consistent and relevant with national strategies and policies for rural development and poverty alleviation. In addition, the Project has achieved very good results. The number of project beneficiaries is 204,725 people, 50 percent of whom are women. 2. The Project supported institutional capacity building at regional and community levels to prepare Community Development Plans and implement infrastructure micro-projects in a participatory manner. With the support of Community Committees, Regional Advisors, and Facilitators, a total of 216 Community Development Plans were prepared in the 7 administrative regions by 260,000 people residing in 1,084 tabancas. 3. A total of 719 training sessions were carried out in the different areas, including: 282 in management, maintenance and conservation of infrastructures; 168 in participatory monitoring and evaluation; and 72 in the monitoring construction works. Following the addition of Component 5: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic, STI/HIV/AIDS training/sensitization was also carried out. 4. During implementation, a total of 448 micro-projects were initiated and 427 completed, with 89% of them assessed to be functional and properly maintained two-years after completion. In total, 216 classrooms (49 school complexes) were built/rehabilitated with 16,102 students enrolled; 350 water points were constructed/rehabilitated providing improved access to water to 104,362 people; 635ha of land was improved by the rehabilitation of bolanhas (hydro-agricultural systems) benefitting 3,786 people; and 344.5km of rural tracks were rehabilitated providing 84,058 people access to all-season roads. By December 2019, a total of 460 micro-projects were completed, and a total of 364km of rural roads were rehabilitated. 5. Three technical audits were conducted assess infrastructure quality and to inform improvements to their design. The infrastructures built by the projects were of good quality; however, recommended improvements, that included: a. Redesigning classroom prototypes for densely populated and sparsely populated areas, reducing the size of the school directors' offices, modifying structures to ensure increased natural lighting in classrooms and introducing dry latrines. b. Narrowing the size of rural roads, and adjusting gradients for water drainage. c. Constructing walls to protect water points to prevent cattle from getting too close and contaminating the water. d. Incorporating incineration plants for the management of waste at health centers. 6. Following these technical reviews, the PCU worked with the Directorate General of Roads and Bridges at the Ministry of Public Works and developed national standards for the construction of rural Page 65 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) roads, and with the Ministry of Education on classroom standards that take into account the number of students the schools would serve. 7. The Project paid six months' of salaries to 7,060 teachers and 1,924 health workers from January to June 2014. This emergency support ended the ongoing strikes for the rest of the academic year. The PCU created a single electronic unified registry with the names of permanent, casual and contract teachers and health workers, their identification numbers and bank details. Arrangements with the four commercial banks enabled the payment of all salaries through banks.. 8. Joint activities with other organizations helped to keep the Ebola epidemic from spreading into the country, which included: (i) setting up a Rapid Response Team for 24-hour surveillance trained by MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières); (ii) payment of subsidies to the 4 teams of 7 health technicians for screening at the Osvaldo Vieira National Airport; (iii) construction of a laundry, a sterilization office and a medium temperature incinerator at the Simão Mendes National Hospital; and (iv) purchase of two air conditioning devices for the Ebola virus diagnostic laboratory at the National Hospital. 9. The Project laid the foundations for a social protection system. From April 2018 to September 2019, 387 poor and vulnerable households with children under five years of age received 6 quarterly cash transfer payments of $60; awareness-raising interventions were conducted on household and children’s nutrition, including breastfeeding; a database of the safety net beneficiaries has been developed that includes 1,500 critically ill people, resulting in a registry of 2,725 poor and vulnerable people; and an impact evaluation survey was conducted in May-June 2019. PROJECT PREPARATION AND IMPLEMENTATION 10. From inception until the end of 2010, the Project faced implementation delays. The PCU staff should have been in place from 4 August 2009 but started working from February 1, 2010; the Project Operations Manual was not ready within three months of the project's implementation, i.e. before November 4, 2009; and the National Steering Committee was not established as required by December 4, 2009. The Project’s performance was rated unsatisfactory until the end of 2010 mainly due to Project design problems, most notably the lack of capacity within rural communities for fiduciary management of micro-projects. 11. The first restructuring in April 2011 helped to accelerate Project implementation. The restructuring process built good relationships between the World Bank team and government counterparts, strengthened the PCU’s understanding and ownership of the Project, and the delegation of fiduciary responsibility to the PCU sped up finalization of contracts and implementation of project activities. 12. The April 12, 2012 military coup led to the World Bank suspending disbursements until December 2012. Subsequently, the PCU informed communities and regional authorities of the World Bank's decision to suspend disbursements, and raised awareness among communities to preserve existing infrastructure and to establish an infrastructure maintenance fund. IMPLEMENTATION Page 66 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 13. Strengths: a. The PCU was able to distance itself from the influence of political power and maintaining its objectives by adjusting its procedures to the circumstances imposed guided by the needs expressed by the communities in their Community Development Plans. b. The experiences acquired by the PCU during implementation constitutes a significant set of knowledge for the implementation of infrastructure micro-projects. c. The level of disbursements was very satisfactory. d. The presence of regional decentralized units provided good national coverage, which led to a high implementation rate, even in very isolated areas. e. The constant involvement of local structures/entities and communities in all stages of preparation/realization of the work and a good relationship with them served as a basis for the success of the whole process. f. The transparency of the Project that prevailed from the beginning to the end allowed the beneficiaries to have more confidence in the achievement of the Project’s objectives. g. National and local authorities have shown confidence in the Project. h. Beneficiaries maintained committed to the implementation and maintenance of the infrastructure micro-projects. 14. Weaknesses: a. Prior unfulfilled promises by different state and non-state entities initially made it difficult to carry out the micro-projects, especially as the community itself had to choose the projects. b. Ownership of the outputs by the beneficiary communities to some extent undermined the sustainability of the infrastructures built/rehabilitated, due to the availability of local or public funding. c. Low percentage of the communities' contribution (7% of the cost of infrastructure) to the implementation of micro-projects. d. In regards to the rehabilitation of rural tracks and school complexes, it was difficult and embarrassing to make the population understand why the Project made commitments in 2017 to the construction/rehabilitation of rural tracks and school complexes and could no longer comply, which were suspended for some time due to misuse of rural tracks by poachers and the teachers’ strike. e. Successive changes in government appointments and governance structures at regional and sectoral levels greatly interfered with understanding, communication and collaboration with stakeholders on the different aspects of the projects. f. Supervision of micro-projects was at times challenging, as supervisors were assigned to several projects at the same time. In addition, contracted construction companies sometimes failed to meet deadlines for the works awarded and there were no penalties for non-compliance; communication between companies and regional units was poor; and submission of reports were delayed. This made it difficult for the PCU to monitor the progress of the works in due time. g. Despite the agreements with the sector ministries to coordinate activities, coordination suffered from the slowness of the administrative process, and the lack of communication between the central decision-making services and their devolved services. Page 67 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) POSITIVE PROJECT IMPACTS 21. Social. a. The construction/rehabilitation of infrastructures (schools, water fountains, rural tracks and bolanhas) responded to the needs and priorities of the communities. b. The integration of women in community life has improved with their participation in the debate and decision-making process on the development of their communities and the micro- projects. c. Access to education has improved through the construction/rehabilitation of classrooms. a. The rural tracks have improved access, including to health services for isolated communities. Pregnant women can now be taken to the nearest health centers, thus reducing the frequent deaths of mother and/or child. Safety has also improved facilitating the movement of children and the elderly through the rehabilitated and improved rural roads in their communities. d. Improvement of hygiene conditions (latrines, wells and boreholes of schools with drinking fountains, etc.). e. Local democracy is improving thanks to the participation of the population in the choice of micro-projects. f. Good governance has been implemented through the introduction of management and accounting techniques and through a better flow of information. g. Relations between communities and administrative partners have improved (some communities submitted their Community Development Plans to other donors for funding). 22. Economic impacts b. The Project provided access to education for a significant number of students. Children attend the tabanca school and parents no longer need to send them to schools further away (before, the nearest schools were sometimes as far away as the Senegal border). c. The Project improved the conditions under which education is provided, moving from simple tents or precarious schools to classrooms with high quality standards. The classrooms now have wide windows, are open to sunlight, have solid and durable walls, a school canteen, desks, and a black board in good condition, and provide greater security for the students. The water fountains not only provide water for the school, but also for the community itself. The separate toilets for pupils and teachers, with the possibility of running water provide the necessary sanitation and hygiene for a good education. Access to education services has improved substantially in Project intervention communities. d. The construction of rural tracks has facilitated the movement of goods and people, improved access to markets and public services, and improved trade in various products and their sale on and off the tabancas. e. Rural homes now have easier access to water sources, which means shorter working times for women who are the main water carriers, and relief from the overburden of strenuous work. Good quality drinking water has had positive impacts on the health of the community, especially children, with a reduction in diarrhea, as reported by women. f. The construction or rehabilitation of wells and boreholes allow better production of livestock (drinking fountains) and crops. g. The construction of water points in schools encourages parents to cultivate school gardens whose production can diversify and improve the students' diet. Page 68 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) h. Rehabilitation of the bolanhas has allowed an increase in rice production, and will reduce dependence on the harvesting of cashew, the country's main export, production of which has been deficient in these communities. The rehabilitation of the bolanhas thus improves the degree of autonomy of these communities. Negative environmental impacts a. The design of dry latrines with pits that are not watertight can pollute groundwater. The audits reviewing the water supply in the downstream tabancas. b. Lack of rainwater drainage accentuates erosion in the foundations of school buildings. c. Water stagnation due to sanitation and poor or insufficient drainage for some rural roads can lead to the proliferation of mosquitoes, which significantly increases the risk of malaria. 23. These negative impacts were reviewed and addressed, with: latrines with fully enclosed pits that can be easily drained and maintained (possibly with alternating double pits); and rural roads to be rehabilitated first required sufficiently accurate topographic surveys to be undertaken to allow for the elaboration of drainage plans to eliminate accumulation of standing water. PERFORMANCE 24. Improvements, both in terms of project management and conceptual and technical issues, helped to speed up the execution of works and improve the functionality of infrastructure. It is largely because of these improvements that the Projects succeeded in increasing the number of micro-projects completed annually. 25. Ministry of Economy and Finance. As the implementing agency of the Project, the Ministry always carried out its mission as defined in the legal agreements. In terms of performance and project management, both financial and technical audits always complied with financing agreements and the Project Operations Manual. 26. World Bank has been a full-fledged technical partner and enabled the good performance of the Project. The various recommendations it made during supervision missions and periodic reviews (financial, environmental and procurement) contributed significantly to the quality of the Project's interventions. 27. The project performance was considered "satisfactory" at final appraisal, which influenced the World Bank to approve a new project under the management of the RCDD team — the Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (P163901), approved for an IDA grant of USD15 million by the World Bank Board of Directors on July 3, 2018. ANNEX 6. ADDITIONAL LESSONS LEARNED / RECOMMENDATIONS Page 69 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) Building capacity and institutions in a fragile environment 1. Importance of integrated training for micro-infrastructure projects. The 2014 technical audits identified issues with the maintenance of completed infrastructure projects. Including training on maintaining community structure as part of the overall development training provided to the Community Committees would have been more efficient, which was included later. 2. Gender approach. The Project put in place strategies to encourage the participation of women. These included the recruitment of female community Facilitators and inclusion of female Community Committee members for the micro-projects. Setting of quotas to ensure half of the cash transfer recipients were women empowered them within their households with a regular source of income. Commitment and collaboration 3. Coordination among development partners mitigated implementation challenges and adverse impacts on the ground, and helped to get the Project back on schedule. The Project worked with the WHO as it a comparative advantage in the prevention and treatment of communicable diseases, to implement Ebola prevention measures. The payments of teacher and health worker salaries benefited from a EU- financed program to strengthen public administration. Also, the collaboration with three NGOs expedited better identification of poor households in Bissau for the cash transfer program. Responsiveness to emerging needs 4. Seizing opportunities to work on strategies with the government. The various activities of the project enabled the World Bank team to drive and facilitate work on key government strategies, including on the national social protection strategy in collaboration with UNICEF. The technical audits and workshop presentation by Harilal, Soh, and Dupety enabled the Project to support the government to define the norms and develop national standards for the construction of rural roads and school/classroom infrastructures. Similarly, the Project established a social registry and protocols for electronic payment of salaries through the banking system, thereby modernizing the payment system. 5. Importance of reacting fast to emergency needs enabled Project success. By implementing measures to stop the spread of the Ebola virus and make payment of teachers and health workers salaries, the Project was able to continue implementation, which otherwise may have stalled from a potential epidemic and political deterioration and social unrest. Additional practical steps that ensured Project success 6. Need for close monitoring of road infrastructure projects. A local fully-dedicated Safeguards Specialist was hired to maintain oversight of infrastructure projects and ensure compliance but failed to report that construction companies contracted for the rehabilitation of roads had not developed Environmental and Social Management Plans. For large roadworks contracts, close and regular monitoring of safeguards compliance is essential, including by an independent technical auditor. Page 70 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 7. LIST OF AUDIT, ASSESSMENT, AND EVALUATION REPORTS 1. Rapport d’Audit institutionnel de l’Unité de Coordination du Projet by Marcel Ferland (May 2010) [Title in English: Institutional Audit Report of the Project Coordination Unit] 2. Audit technique by Serge Rajao Harilala (March 2014) [Title in English: Technical Audit] 3. Etude de satisfaction des bénéficiaires de PDDC by Samba Tenem Camara and Raul Mendes Fernandes (October 2014) [Title in English: RCDD Beneficiary Satisfaction Study] 4. Evaluation de ciblage des projets de développent dirigés par les communautés by Raul Mendes Fernandes (December 2013) [Title in English: Targeting Evaluation of Community-led Development Projects] 5. Informe intermédio de seguimiento: Resumen de objectivos alcanzados a traves de la implementacion del contrato con AIDA by Victor Madrigal (May 30, 2015) [Title in English: Intermediate Monitoring Report: Summary of Objectives Achieved Through the Implementation of the Contract with AIDA] 6. “Final Report: Contract 7177452 Between The World Bank and the AIDA Association” by Victor Madrigal (September 30, 2016) 7. Relatório sobre o estudo de manutenção dos pontos de água reabilitados pelos PDDC, by Fátima Kássimo Assad (June 2016) [Title in English: Report on the Study of Maintenance of Water Points Rehabilitated by the RCDD (Rural Community-Driven Development) Project] 8. Informe de seguimiento: Guinea-Bissau Social Safety Net System Support—Rapid Social Response (RSR) Program (TF019187) by María Rúa López (June 2016) [Title in English: Follow-up Report: Guinea-Bissau Social Safety Net System Support—Rapid Social Response (RSR) Program (TF019187)] 9. “Estimation of the Economic Rate of Return of World Bank-funded Micro-Projects in Guinea-Bissau” by Sofia Melhado (August 2016) 10. Aide-mémoire de la mission 24 au 31 juillet 2016 d’appui à la mise en Œuvre du volet pistes rurales du Projet de Développement Communautaire (PDDC) by Alphonse Soh (August 2016) [Title in English: Aide-Mémoire of the July 24-31 2016 Mission to Support the Implementation of the Rural Roads Component of the Rural Community-Driven Development Project (RCDD)] 11. Administration territoriale et perspectives de décentralisation en Guinée-Bissau by Francoise Brunet (June 2016) [Title in English: Territorial Administration and Decentralization Prospects in Guinea-Bissau] 12. “Pension System in Guinea-Bissau: Key Challenges and Prospects for the Future”by Melis Guven and Philippe Auffret (November 2016) 13. Evaluation communautaire et audit technique du PDDC by Daniel Dupety and Raoul Mendes (November 2016) Page 71 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) [Title in English: Community Evaluation and Technical Audit of the RCDD Project] 14. Enquête de prestations de services éducatifs by Adrien Le Louarn (July 2017) [Title in English: Survey of Educational Services Provision] 15. Rapport provisoire de l’evaluation de satisfaction des bénéficiaires des micro-projets PDDC by Adrien Le Louarn (July 2017) [Title in English: Beneficiary Satisfaction Assessment of RCDD Micro-Projects] 16. “Note on a Definition of Households” by María Rúa (September 27, 2017) 17. Various working documents on Proxy Means Test and community-based ranking including: • “Note Relative to the Implementation of the Proxy Means Test based on Data from the Region of Gabú” by Ahmed Bahiaoui (December 2018) 18. “Poverty Targeting: Opinion and Measurements” by Ahmed Bahiaoui (August 2018) 19. “Baseline Economic and Social Indicators for the Bissau Cash Transfer Intervention” by Ahmed Bahiaoui (May 2019) 20. Audit environnemental et social by Guisse Berouba (August 2019) [Title in English: Environmental and Social Audit] 21. Audit technique du PDCC période janvier 2017–septembre 2019 by Serge Rajao Harilala and Domingos Da Costa (December 2019) [Title in English: RCDD Technical Audit for January 2017-September 2019] Page 72 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) ANNEX 8. SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS OF SATISFACTION SURVEYS AND ASSESSMENTS I. Summary of key findings of the report Etude de satisfaction des bénéficiaires de PDDC (by Samba Tenem Camara and Raul Mendes Fernandes, October 2014). [Title in English: RCDD Beneficiary Satisfaction Study] 1. Since 2009, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau has benefited from the Rural Community-Driven Development Project (RCDD) (P090712), funded by the World Bank. The objective of this Project is to improve access to basic social and economic infrastructure and services to isolated rural communities in several parts of Guinea-Bissau. The Project finances community development micro-projects and provides the necessary technical support for their realization. As of May 17, 2016, 291 community micro-projects had been initiated while 241 others had been finalized. These micro-projects fall into four main categories: (i) water points, (ii) schools, (iii) irrigation schemes, and (iv) rural access roads. 2. The beneficiary satisfaction assessment had three major goals: • Listening: Collect observations (satisfaction, dissatisfaction, remarks, suggestions) freely expressed by the community about the micro-projects carried out. • Observation: Observe to what extent, with what level of success and by which means the beneficiary communities have adopted the micro-projects. • Evaluation: Recognizing beneficiaries' satisfaction as one of the criteria the evaluation of the success of the program and determine whether this criterion is met. 3. The sites visited were: 10 schools, 15 water points, three rural roads, and two rice fields. The survey was built on two complementary parts; the primary part was qualitative, and the secondary part quantitative. 4. General trends: • Great satisfaction was expressed with respect to the RCDD. Communities unanimously expressed satisfaction with the micro-projects and noted that they effectively targeted the needs of the community. The benefits were clearly perceived by the community, as time, effort, and money were saved. • The health status of the population and access to education was improved. • Once the democratic moment facilitated by the RCDD had passed, local authorities tended to interfere with the modalities desired by the RCDD. 5. The "community", as envisaged and brought together by the RCDD during the first phase, is not necessarily a united entity on the ground. Several divisions surfaced, including divisions within several tabancas (villages), gender, ethnic groups, and other social divisions. Furthermore, traditional powers (Chiefs of tabancas in particular) exert great authority over the infrastructures constructed/rehabilitated. This can interfere with the activities of the Community Management Committees created by the RCDD. Other difficulties include committee members not being paid, and members not being replaced when they are indisposed. Page 73 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 6. In some cases, the main sources of community dissatisfaction arose from the costs incurred for infrastructure management/maintenance; (i) water points run a higher risk of being damaged during the cashew harvest season and they are characterized by large varying costs of repair based on the type of damages sustained; (ii) schools impose more predictable costs on recipient communities than other types of infrastructure; (ii) in regards to rural roads, the difficulty in meeting maintenance costs arises from the difference between "short-term" maintenance costs (light work), and "medium/long-term" maintenance costs. Communities can do light work themselves while a lot more medium/long-term maintenance is required after a few years of use; and (iv) rice fields require extensive community work, which should be compensated, in theory, by the sale of rice. This type of infrastructure normally leads to direct economic gains to beneficiaries, which should facilitate the financing for their maintenance. 7. Observations by type of project: • Water points: Communities rehabilitating/constructing water points through the RCDD have generally been very satisfied with the identification of their needs. Water points are seen as vital infrastructure in these communities, as they help improve hygiene and health, save time, and are an asset for economic activity. Of the 13 water points surveyed, four were found to be out of order at the time of visits (some for months and even years). Unsupervised use by children sometimes damages the pump (especially the pump arm), and the hygiene around the well is sometimes not optimal. These damages result in unpredictable access to water and create unbearable financial burdens for the communities. • Roads: The first-generation tracks rehabilitated suffer from serious technical defects, which have been corrected for subsequent generations. As quality improves, some issues with defects in design and maintenance persist. The community of Pandim expressed only partial satisfaction, as due to lack of maintenance the road has become progressively less usable during the rainy season and is at risk of being unusable in the winter. According to the community, technical malfunctions in the construction of the track, especially at a bridge whose structure is too weak, prevents trucks from passing. Importantly, the community complains of having to bear, without sufficient means, the cost of maintenance of the majority portion of the road. • Schools: RCDD schools are not just a way to access education for the children but are also a practical place for socialization: children learn to live together, organize, manage the water supply, maintain the rooms, etc. The schools are generally of good construction quality; however, animals can compromise the hygiene conditions of the water points in schools that are intended primarily for students. It is difficult to mobilize the communities to contribute to the repair of these water points. • Rice fields: Beneficiaries' satisfaction seems to be the lowest for the rice paddies rehabilitated by the Project. The rise of saline water combined with technical and maintenance defects leads to unproductive rice fields. Technical defects include the fragility of structures and the lack of height, and the failure to take terrain slope into account. Furthermore, the maintenance of dams requires building expertise and specialized materials that the communities do not possess. Page 74 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) II. Key findings of the report Rapport provisoire de l’evaluation de satisfaction des bénéficiaires des micro-projets PDDC (by Adrien Le Louarn, July 2017). [Title in English: Beneficiary Satisfaction Assessment of the RCDD Micro-Projects]. 8. Qualitative and quantitative data based on the information collected on the ground during the survey were analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the same data were compared for the purpose of testing the reliability of responses. The Rural Community-Driven Project has been implemented four years and has been able to address the priority needs of beneficiary communities. 9. The assessment focused on investments in beneficiary communities in the following areas: school construction and rehabilitation, water point construction and rehabilitation, rice field (bolanha) rehabilitation and rural road rehabilitation. This assessment found that beneficiary populations appreciated the investment in the micro-projects. 10. Prior to the intervention of the micro-projects, roads linking some communities were almost impassable making access difficult, forcing herders to travel long distances looking for water for their animals. Bolanhas were underused due to problems with salinity, women were forced to travel long distances to collect water for domestic use, and during school breaks children went looking for portable water to drink, even skipping classes. 11. All the above-mentioned difficulties faced by the communities were resolved, thanks to the intervention of the Project: • The rehabilitation of rural roads has increased the flow of people and goods, bringing local markets closer to their products. Access to water improved the health of animals and ensures a better selling price, increasing the income and business of the herders or cattle breeders. • In communities where bolanha rehabilitation was carried out there was an increase in productive capacity, which contributes to the guarantee of food security. • Schools built or rehabilitated have become more attractive to parents, carers and students and increased enrollment and attendance. • In general, the beneficiaries thought that the intervention of the projects facilitated access to schools, substantially reduced the sacrifice communities made to acquire water, increased employment and income generation for families. 12. The people of the localities visited recommended the following: • In some of the communities where schools were built, they requested more classrooms and in others they expressed support for the construction of teacher residences. • Women asked for more water points with and without a drinking fountain for household use in communities, as well as water points in schools. Likewise, cattle herders expressed the need to increase the number of drinking points in order to be able to secure water for more cattle in the area. • The community of Mina in the Xitole sector called for the construction of three small aqueducts by the community road to facilitate circulation in the rainy season. III. Findings of the Implementation Support Mission, December 1-12, 2014—Annex 10: Note on Payments for Education and Health Services Page 75 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) A. Successes: • Payment of the salaries were made to approximately 9,237 persons (7,308 teachers and 1,929 health workers) corresponding to a total monthly salary of CFAF 716 million (€1.2 million), and a total amount of CFAF 4.2 billion (approximately $9.4 million). • For the first time, joint work by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Civil Service, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health led to the creation of a single list (Folha Única), validated by all, including the trade unions. • For the first time, teachers under recruitment (2,159 persons) and contract teachers (1,826 persons) were included in the Public Administration Human Resources Management System (SIGRHAP). • Contract agents and civil servants under recruitment at the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health now follow the same human resource management circuit as other civil servants. • For the first time, all beneficiaries have opened an individual bank account on which payments are made (which has led to a "cleanup" of databases and elimination of "ghost" beneficiaries); • For the first time, all payments were made through the banking system. • The banks record the payments (which they previously did not do) and the PCU receives receipts for the payments (the Ministry of Finance did not previously receive any payment reconciliations). • A protocol for payments and payment justifications has been created with the country’s four commercial banks. • Reduction in the number of strike days. B. Difficulties encountered: • Delays in sending the single list (Folha Única) to the PCU, which was sent in 12 files over a month. • Poor quality of the teachers' pay slips provided by the Ministry of Education. • Errors in the electronic payment files sent by the Ministry of Finance, resulting in a large number of complaints (about 1,000). • The expenditure justification and disbursement request mechanism used by RCDD was manual and therefore slow, resulting in liquidity problems. • An accumulation of payment errors identified but not corrected in time by the Ministry of the Civil Service. • Lack of correction by the Department of Finance of errors identified in previous payments. • Difficulties encountered by banks in justifying payments. • Differences between the SIGRHAP database and the banks' databases concerning bank account numbers and identity documents. • Physical threat to Ministry of the Civil Service staff due to late payments. C. Recommendations: In order to make payments without delay, the Ministry should send the single list before December 31, Page 76 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) 2014 and pay attention to the following points: • Recruitment Mechanism. Accelerate the recruitment process of contract teachers and new teachers for the 2014/15 school year. • Cooperation of interested parties. Stimulate the quality of dialog between stakeholders and especially the Ministry of Education. • SIGRHAP pay slips. The Ministry of Finance should prepare the pay slips in one list, without dividing it into sub-groups. • Data quality. The SIGRAH team and the banks should collaborate to (i) update the bank accounts in the SIGRHAP database, and (ii) update the identity card numbers in the bank databases. • Correction of errors and claims. Error corrections should be (a) a major concern of the HRMIS team and carried out on a regular basis, (b) directly corrected in the system in the HRMIS database, and (c) potential claims should be sent back electronically (never in paper version) for payment. • Disbursements. The justification of expenditures and disbursement requests used by RCDD must be electronic in order to speed up disbursements and eliminate liquidity problems. IV.a. Ebola prevention campaign — Findings of the Implementation Support Mission, December 1-12, 2014—Annex 11: Implementation of the Contingency Plan for the Prevention and Response to Ebola Epidemic in Guinea-Bissau, by Humberto Cossa. 13. Background. Guinea-Bissau is at high risk of the Ebola virus due to its close geographical proximity to the epicenter of the epidemic in West Africa. To prevent the spread of and respond to the Ebola epidemic, the government requested support from the Bank. In response, the Bank restructured the Rural Community-Driven Development (RCDD) Project to reallocate $750,000 to finance the implementation of a portion of the Contingency Plan, which is also supported by other development partners including UNICEF, AfDB, and bilateral agencies. The aims of the restructuring were twofold: (i) to allocate additional resources to component 1 of the project (Capacity Building for Community Development) to finance an information campaign on Ebola in collaboration with WHO; and (ii) to add a new component 5 (Prevention of the Ebola epidemic) to support WHO to help Guinea-Bissau prevent the spread of the EVD. The support to WHO was done through a direct contract of WHO by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) on the basis of a standard Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by the Bank. The MOU between the MOPH and WHO was signed on September 26, 2014, and it is valid for a year, from September 30, 2014 to September 30, 2015. 14. The activities under the MOU include training of health staff at all levels; epidemiological surveillance; capacity building of key stakeholders; and procurement of goods and medicines for: a) the establishment of Ebola Treatment Centers; b) strengthening of infection control and prevention; c) safe collection and transportation of blood samples; and d) improved medical waste management. From December 1-6, 2014, the Bank conducted a review of the status of implementation of the MOU between the MOPH and WHO as well as participated in a meeting of the Technical Committee on Ebola prevention created by the MOPH. 15. Status of Implementation of the WHO–MOPH MOU. The Bank disbursed $500,000 to the WHO just after the signing of the MOU. However, the funds reached the beneficiary institutions in the MOPH only in November 2014. According to the WHO, the delay was caused by a previous unsettled fiduciary Page 77 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) matter between WHO and the MOPH which deterred the WHO from disbursing directly to the MOPH account. This caused major delays in implementation of the planned activities and created distrust between the MOPH, the PCU and WHO. 16. Main findings. a. Often the MOPH put pressure on the PCU to finance some activities deemed urgent such as the screening teams at the airport, the creation and training of rapid response teams and other activities, on top of the information campaign that the PCU was to finance. b. To the end of November 2014, only two training activities were carried out by WHO: a) training of health staff of the Simão Mendes National Hospital; and b) partial training of Regional Health Teams and Leaders of sanitary areas (Aires Sanitaire). c. The areas of concern in respect to WHO’s implementation include: (i) The significant delay in the procurement, the responsibility of WHO under the MOU, and the quality of commodities, equipment and medicines, including personal protective equipment for health staff, laboratory supplies for blood sample collection and transportation, and waste disposal equipment and incinerators. According to WHO officials in Guinea-Bissau, the delay in the procurement and delivery of the commodities was due to high demand for these materials from countries in the region and affected countries in Europe, and the insufficient supply by manufacturers. In addition, WHO reported that the procurement of the commodities for Guinea-Bissau was carried out as part of a large procurement undertaken for all high-risk countries that added some complexity to the process. Reportedly, there were also restrictions in air transportation as a result of cancellation of some flights from Europe to Bissau. Nonetheless, WHO sustain that the commodities are in transit to Guinea-Bissau and a part of the commodities is expected to arrive in the country before Christmas 2014. (ii) The completion of training of health staff and community health workers, this was also supported by UNICEF. Urgent measures should be taken to complete the training of staff at regional levels, especially those who will work in Ebola Treatment Centers, strengthen the training and preparedness of rapid response teams, ensure that epidemiological surveillance activities are implemented, and improve and maintain a social communication campaign that reaches the grass root levels. d. In the event of an Ebola outbreak, the lack of these critical commodities may severely hamper the ability of the public health sector to manage suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola in a safe and effective manner. While other partners (UN agencies, AfDB, Portugal, and others) also support the health contingency plan including the procurement of similar equipment and commodities, it is important to keep in mind that in the event of an outbreak, these supplies can run-out quickly if no enough stocks are piled-up. e. It is important to ensure that specifications of the equipment procured are adequate, especially the personal protective equipment and blood sample transportation materials. Page 78 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) f. Lessons from the Ebola epidemic in neighboring countries suggest that community knowledge and participation the Ebola prevention is crucial to reduce the spread of the epidemic. Guinea- Bissau should take full advantage of this experience to strengthen community information and communication for behavior change to help rapidly contain the spread of Ebola should it occurs. IV.b. Ebola prevention campaign — Findings of the Implementation Support Mission, December 1- 12, 2014 —Annex 11: Implementation of the Contingency Plan for the Prevention and Response to Ebola Epidemic in Guinea-Bissau, by Humberto Cossa. Summary of activities implemented 17. Trainings: A number of trainings were provided to health staff from the national level to the regions identified with the highest risk for Ebola such as Gabú, Tombali, Quinnara, Bijagos, Bissau and Bolama. Regional health teams, leaders, para-military staff and health/social assistants also received a series of trainings. Various documents and guidelines such as case investigation forms, among others, were also printed and distributed within the country to aid in the strengthening of surveillance and ensuring that Guinea-Bissau maintains a zero-case of Ebola status. A total of $29,806.74 out of the allocated $116,400 was utilized (25.6 percent). 18. Epidemiological surveillance: Epidemiological surveillance was reinforced, communication was ensured and supported and there was provision of fuel and payment of allowances for the screening teams at the points of entry. A total $67,100 out of the allocated $313,860 helped the country to know in which geographical area a first case may emerge and a fully operational Rapid Response Team was prepared for immediate deployment. The lack of functional ETCs in the beginning led to placing surveillance at the main official entry points to better control population movement. Teams were also deployed at regional level to strengthen the active surveillance. During the reporting period, at least 8 confirmed Ebola cases in Guinea Conakry were thought to have left Guinea to come to Guinea-Bissau. Cross-border surveillance collaboration allowed this information to be shared and in at least one case, the contact was identified in Guinea-Bissau where the follow-up was completed over the required 21 days. Cross-border collaboration with local health authorities on both sides of the border has been very successful. 19. Capacity building of stakeholders: Short orientation sessions were provided at the health centers catchment areas for traditional and religious leaders, and support was further extended to the screening teams at the points of entry. A total of $12,391 (12 percent) out of allocated $101,500 was utilized. The inability to utilize much of the funds allocated was mainly because other partners had already funded most of the activities related to capacity building. Therefore, in order to reduce duplication of efforts, funds initially allocated for this activity were transferred for epidemiological surveillance by the screening teams at the points of entry. 20. Communication Campaigns: Communication activities planned did not take off and $26,000 of the funds for this activity was utilized to support screening at the points of entry. 21. New/other activities: Infection prevention and control activities, such as supporting two outreach Page 79 of 80 The World Bank Rural Community-Driven Development Project (P090712) surveillance teams in the two bordering towns with Guinea Conakry, i.e. Tombali and Gabú, were supported and $74,577 was utilized. 22. Center of operations for Ebola prevention and response: The Institute of Public Health (INASA) has been chosen as Center of Operations for Ebola management and lead for all operations, and support was provided for its functionality. For sustainable prevention and preparedness for response to an eventual Ebola outbreak, the MOH created in March a center of operations at the INASA for prevention and preparedness for a potential Ebola outbreak. The Ministry of Health has asked for the revision of the planned budget in order to fit in this new model of preparedness and pre-response model. A total of $99,401,75 was utilized for this purpose. Conclusion 23. The WHO expresses its utmost gratitude to the World Bank for availing funds to the government and people of Guinea-Bissau for Ebola preparedness. These funds have largely gone a long way in strengthening the health systems in the country and ensuring that no Ebola case(s) are recorded and also to shift from the preparedness to pre-response model. However, more funds are needed for strengthening of coordination, epidemiological surveillance, community engagement and strengthening multi-disciplinary rapid response teams within the country according to Phase 3 newly activities that should be emphasized for the global response to the Ebola epidemic in the West African countries. Page 80 of 80