Somalia - Report of a joint technical cooperation assessment mission

UNDP United Nations Development Program and lnter:iational Bank for Recoonstruction and Development SOMALIA Report of a Joint Technical Cooperation Assessment Mission October, 1985  TABLE OF CONTENTS Glossary Introduction 1-13 Chapter I BACKGROUND AND GOVERNMENT STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPMENT 14-22 Chapter II CURRENT TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN SOMALIA 23-54 A. Overall Level and Structure of Technical Cooperation Activities 23-40 B. Technical Cooperation In Agriculture 41-57 Chapter III MODALITIES AND PROGRAMMING PROCEDURES 58-121 A. Planning, Programming and Identification of Technical Assistance 59-77 B. Design of Technical Cooperation Projects 78-91 C. Implementation of Technical Cooperation Projects 92-114 D. Monitoring and Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Projects 115-123 Chapter IV AID COORDINATION 124-137 Chapter V CRITICAL NEEDS FOR TECHNICAL COOPERATION 138-147 Chapter VI FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POSSIBLE FUTURE ACTIONS 143-161  ANNEXES Annex I Technical Cooperation Mission for Somalia: Terms of Reference Annex 2 Inventory of Technical Cooperation Projects Annex 3 Guidelines for Completion of the Technical Cooperation Questionnaire Annex 4 Public Investment Program 1984-86, Projects in the Crop Production Sector Annex 5 Study of Agricultural Institutions and Technical Cooperation Requirements - Terms of Reference Annex 6 Suggestions for Strengthening of Plan Preparation Annex 7 Civil Service Reform  GLOSSARY ADB - African Development Bank AFESD - Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency DAC - Development Assistance Committee EDF - European Development Fund EEC - European Economic Community FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) IDA - International Development Association IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development IFC - International Finance Corporation ILO - International Labour Organization ISNAR - International Service for National Agricultural Research MNP - Ministry of National Planning MFA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs MF - Ministry of Finance TD - Technical Department (Ministry of National Planning) PD - Planning Department (Ministry of National Planning) NMEF - National Monitoring and Evaluation Facility (Ministry of National Planning) IMCPI - Interministerial Committee for Public Investment ODA - Overseas Development Association OECD - Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development OPAS - Operational Assistance OPE - Office of Project Execution FRG - Federal Republic of Germany GTZ - Gesellschaft fur Technischen Zusammenarbeit STDA - Swedish International Development Authority SIDAM - Somali Institute for Development Administration and Management TOKTEN - Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals UNDP - United Nations Development Programme UNDTCD - United Nations Department of Technical Cooperation for Development UNESCO - United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFPA - United Nations Fund for Population Activities UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund USAID - United States Agency 'or International Development WFP - World Food Programme WHO - World Health Organization  INTRODUCTION 1. Thi.s eport contains the findings and recommendations of a joiut UNDP/World Bank Technical (ooperarion AssesssichNEYvbii-Ei slited1'Somalia between November 26 and December 4, 14,--t-o -drtake a ~cuupzehnnsive-revfiew of techniEa3I coop-ration from all sources. - -It- respondis to 8 n&iiiee5 f both by the Government and by the donior commity for an examination of the effectiveness of technical assistance in Somalia and for suggestions on how to improve it. 2. The mission consisted of: Mr. Nessim Shallon (Senior Advisor to the Administrator of UNDP as Team Leader), Mr. Bengt Sandberg (Technical Assistance Adviser, Eastern and Southern Africa Region, World Bank), Mr. Willem Nijhof (Senior Loan Officer for Somalia, World Bank), Mrs. Sakiko Fukuda-Parr (Technical Adviser on Agriculture, UNDP) and, Mr. Rajeev Pillay (Evaluator and Consultant, UNDP). 3. The mission's terms of reference are at Annex 1. In brief, the objectives were to consider: (i) the effectiveness and achievements of technical cooperation; li) Government and donor constraints to effective technical cooperation; (iii) the impact of the civil service on the effectiveness of technical cooperation; . X (iv) donor modalities for technical cooperation; (v) the relationship of technical assistance to the Government's Public Investment Programme; (vi) national counterparts and their development; (vii) institution-building under technical assistance; and, (viii) differences in effectiveness of technical assistance for macro-economic issues, sectoral problems, etc. 4. The mission included in its review technical assistance programmes undertaken by both multilateral and bilateral institutions in  -2- the country using the following as a working definition of 'technical cooperation": .9 Technical cooperation is an externally funded process aimed at capacity building and the transfer of skills to Somalia, which involves foreigners and nationals in the planning and carrying out of officially supported development activities. Technical cooperation includes direct support activities in the form of feasibility and other studies. The mission excluded from this definition humanitarian relief and defense activities, concessions for the exploitation of natural resources, construction work, and support services performed by the staff of external aid agencies. 5. The mission recognized that the objectives of technical assistance vary and sometimes conflict. Often its primary function is seen by donors as the effective preparation and implementation of a donor financed investment. Nevertheless, because both the Government and the donors agree to regard the ultimate aim of technical cooperation as the development of national capacity by the permanent transfer of skills and know-how to Somali nationals and institutions, the mission has, to a large extent, gauged the effectiveness of technical assistance on this basis. _I Particular attention was paid to assessing the effectiveness of Government and donor modalities in promoting institutional development. Methodology 6. On the mission's arrival in Mogadishu there was no comprehensive data or information available on the size, nature or effectiveness of current technical assistance activities. An attempt to compile an inventory of such assistance had been on-going for several months under the auspices of the Resident Representatives of the UNDP and the World Bank but the results, which relied largely on questionnaires filled out and submitted by donors, was so incomplete and inconsistent that the mission decided to undertake a second inventory". This exercise, which was carried out by consultants in December 1984 - March 1985, used data obtained from multilateral and bilateral donors on the basis of I/ The terms technical cooperation" and "technical assistance- have been used interchangeably throughout the body of this report. In the eyes of the mission both terms refer to the same process. 2/ There are, of course, many instances w-here development of permanent local capacity would not be required, e.g. the carrying out of a detailed design study of a major technically complicated project. Even in these cases it would be important, however, to strengthen the local capacity to supervise and manage such studies.  -3- questionnaires 3/ and personal interviews and was cross-checked with the appropriate sectoral ministries. An analysis of this information appears in Chapter II of this report. 7. As indicated in paragraph 24 of Chapter II, even this effort produced data which is both incomplete and difficu't to compile and interpret. The mission is conscious of this fact and, while using the material to the maximum extent possible, has therefore been circumspect in the conclusions drawn from it. A much better continuous flow of information about on-going technical assistance activities is clearly required as a part of the improvements in planning and coordination of technical assistance recommended by the mission and the creation of a system to generate information about technical assistance on a continuous basis should be high on the agenda for the UNDP and the World Bank. The mission does not feel, however, that another major effort should be undertaken to fill the gaps or update the inventory-; while such an undertaking might yield additional insights on particular aspects of technical assistance, the magnitude of the task is such that the results are t-nlikely to be worth the cost. 8. Given the paucity of reliable statistical data and the tentative nature of the conclusion that could be drawn from it, the mission concen- trated on collecting information through consultation with a large number of Government officials, donor agency staff both in Somalia and at their headquarters, as well as technical assistance personnel. This was supplemented by a review of relevant literature and project documentation. In addition, members of the mission made several field trips focussing on the agriculture sector. 9. Even in these circumstances, however, the mission is unanimous and comfortable uith the conclusions which it has reached. Only when it was sure of its ground, and after thorough judgemental evaluation of the evidence heard, based on its own m.mbers' long experience in the field of technical assistance, did the mission formulate conclusions and make recommendations. It is noteworthy that during the review process within the World Bank and UNDP, there has been virtually complete agreement with the report's comclusions and recommendations among those familiar with Somalia and with institutional development and technical assistance issues; some regret has been expressed about the unavailability of -hard evidence- or scientific proof- for these conclusions.. 10. The- usiscplUr re ds this report as a step in a process of change and improvement in the way technical cooperation between Somalia and the donor community is carried out. Based og it* view of the situation as it existed in late 1984&eC'urly 1985, the' be- outlined%-uggestions for further action, including the setting up of task forces and the carrying out of sector studies. Gtven-that-thc preeese--ei--technlcal a.sistance is a cooperrtiAv ead-Interactive one, that would, have been- the mission's 3/ The Guidelines for Completion of the Technical Cooperation Questionnaires are at Annex 3.  -4- approach in any case, but the lack of a database also made it the only practical one. The mission expects that further steps, if taken along the lines ind-icated by the mission, would lead to modifications in the patterns of technical assistance, to improved programing of technical cooperation and to increased effectiveness in aid coordination, suggestions for all of which are included in the report. 11. The mission presents its findings within the following framework and has tried to highlight the interplay between, and impact on, the effectiveness of technical cooperation of (i) factors operating at the macro level, i.e., development planning and civil service policy, and those at the -micro' level, i.e., design of specific projects and assignments, choice of experts and counterparts, as well as their interaction, and (ii) the national and international dimensions of technical assistance. a 12. Chapter I cedanLas a brief description of the general setting in Somalia and the overall development policy of the Government, within which technical cooperation has been taking place. Chapter II reviews on-going technical assistance using the data collected in the -inventory to the iactmrrektxent po--sible to quantify its dimensions and characteristics; a brief review of technical cooperation in the agriculture sector follows with a qualitative a m,t of how it works and what its effects are.4/ In Chapter III the M WIM