Conformed Copy - C2286 - Preinvestment Project - Development Credit Agreement

Page 1 CONFORMED COPY CREDIT NUMBER 2286 BEN (Preinvestment Project) between REPUBLIC OF BENIN and INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION Dated July 12, 1991 CREDIT NUMBER 2286 BEN DEVELOPMENT CREDIT AGREEMENT AGREEMENT, dated July 12, 1991, between REPUBLIC OF BENIN (the Borrower) and INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (the Association). WHEREAS the Borrower, having satisfied itself as to the feasibility and priority of the Project described in Schedule 2 to this Agreement, has requested the Association to assist in the financing of the Project; WHEREAS the Association has agreed, on the basis, inter alia, of the foregoing, to extend the Credit to the Borrower upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; NOW THEREFORE the parties hereto hereby agree as follows: ARTICLE I General Conditions; Definitions Section 1.01. The "General Conditions Applicable to Development Credit Agreements" of the Association, dated January 1, 1985, with the last sentence of Section 3.02 deleted (the General Conditions) constitute an integral part of this Agreement. Section 1.02. Unless the context otherwise requires, wherever used in this Agreement, the several terms defined in the General Conditions have the respective meanings therein set forth and the following additional terms have the following meanings: Page 2 (a) "MP" means the Borrower's Ministry responsible for planning; (b) "Directorate of Planning" means the Directorate of Planning of MP; (c) "CPCs" means Cellules de Programmation et de Coordination, the Planning Units of the Ministries of the Borrower; (d) "Special Account" means the account referred to in Section 2.02 (b) of this Agreement; and (e) "Francs CFA" and "CFAF" mean Francs de la Communaute Financicre Africaine, the common currency of the Borrower and other members of the West African Monetary Union. ARTICLE II The Credit Section 2.01. The Association agrees to lend to the Borrower, on the terms and conditions set forth or referred to in this Agreement, an amount in various currencies equivalent to four million one hundred thousand Special Drawing Rights (SDR 4,100,000). Section 2.02. (a) The amount of the Credit may be withdrawn from the Credit Account in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1 to this Agreement for expenditures made (or, if the Association shall so agree, to be made) in respect of the reasonable cost of goods and services required for the Project described in Schedule 2 to this Agreement and to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit. (b) The Borrower shall, for the purposes of the Project, open and maintain in CFAF a special deposit account in a commercial bank acceptable to the Association on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Association, including appropriate protection against set-off, seizure or attachment. Deposits into, and payments out of, the Special Account shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 4 to this Agreement. Section 2.03. The Closing Date shall be June 30, 1995 or such later date as the Association shall establish. The Association shall promptly notify the Borrower of such later date. Section 2.04. (a) The Borrower shall pay to the Association a commitment charge on the principal amount of the Credit not withdrawn from time to time at a rate to be set by the Association as of June 30 of each year, but not to exceed the rate of one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) per annum. (b) The commitment charge shall accrue: (i) from the date sixty days after the date of this Agreement (the accrual date) to the respective dates on which amounts shall be withdrawn by the Borrower from the Credit Account or cancelled; and (ii) at the rate set as of the June 30 immediately preceding the accrual date or at such other rates as may be set from time to time thereafter pursuant to paragraph (a) above. The rate set as of June 30 in each year shall be applied from the next payment date in that year specified in Section 2.06 of this Agreement. (c) The commitment charge shall be paid: (i) at such places as the Association shall reasonably request; (ii) without restrictions of any kind imposed by, or in the territory of, the Borrower; and (iii) in the currency specified in this Agreement for the purposes of Section 4.02 of the General Conditions or in such other eligible currency or currencies as may from time to time be designated or selected pursuant to the provisions of that Section. Section 2.05. The Borrower shall pay to the Association a service charge at the rate of three-fourths of one percent (3/4 of 1%) per annum on the principal amount of the Credit withdrawn and outstanding from time to time. Section 2.06. Commitment charges and service charges shall be payable semiannually on May 1 and November 1 in each year. Section 2.07. (a) Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c) below, the Borrower shall repay the principal amount of the Credit in semi-annual installments payable on each May 1 and November 1 commencing November 1, 2001 and ending May 1, 2031. Each installment to and including the installment payable on May 1, 2011 shall be one percent (1%) of such principal amount, and each installment thereafter shall be two Page 3 percent (2%) of such principal amount. (b) Whenever (i) the Borrower's gross national product per capita, as determined by the Association, shall have exceeded $790 in constant 1985 dollars for five consecutive years and (ii) the Bank shall consider the Borrower creditworthy for Bank lending, the Association may, subsequent to the review and approval thereof by the Executive Directors of the Association and after due consideration by them of the development of the Borrower's economy, modify the terms of repayment of installments under paragraph (a) above by requiring the Borrower to repay twice the amount of each such installment not yet due until the principal amount of the Credit shall have been repaid. If so requested by the Borrower, the Association may revise such modification to include, in lieu of some or all of the increase in the amounts of such installments, the payment of interest at an annual rate agreed with the Association on the principal amount of the Credit withdrawn and outstanding from time to time, provided that, in the judgment of the Association, such revision shall not change the grant element obtained under the above-mentioned repayment modification. (c) If, at any time after a modification of terms pursuant to paragraph (b) above, the Association determines that the Borrower's economic condition has deteriorated significantly, the Association may, if so requested by the Borrower, further modify the terms of repayment to conform to the schedule of installments as provided in paragraph (a) above. Section 2.08. The currency of the French Republic is hereby specified for the purposes of Section 4.02 of the General Conditions. ARTICLE III Execution of the Project Section 3.01. The Borrower declares its commitment to the objectives of the Project as set forth in Schedule 2 to this Agreement and, to this end, shall carry out the Project through MP with due diligence and efficiency and in conformity with appropriate administrative, research, financial and investment practices, and shall provide, promptly as needed, the funds, facilities, services and other resources required for the Project. Section 3.02. Except as the Association shall otherwise agree, procurement of the goods, and consultants' services required for the Project and to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit shall be governed by the provisions of Schedule 3 to this Agreement. Section 3.03. (a) For the purposes of the execution of Parts B and C of the Project, the Borrower shall, through MP, not later than October 31 of each year, furnish to the Association, for its review and approval, detailed programs of activities and budgets in respect of the forthcoming year. (b) Except as otherwise agreed with the Association, the Borrower shall carry out preinvestment studies under Part B of the Project only for investment proposals estimated to cost more than $1,000,000 equivalent. (c) The Borrower shall not undertake any preinvestment or sectoral study under Parts B and C of the Project until it has furnished to the Association for its approval the terms of reference for the study and the detailed budget proposed for such study. Section 3.04. The Borrower shall: (a) carry out the training required under Part A of the Project under terms of reference agreed upon with the Association; and (b) by October 31, 1991 furnish to the Association, for its review and comments, a detailed plan of activities to be carried out under said training, including a list of candidates, acceptable to the Association, selected on the basis of their current positions, academic qualifications, previous work experience, and demonstrated capability to benefit from their participation in such training. Section 3.05. The Borrower shall not undertake any investment or make any final investment decision related to the studies carried out under the Project before affording the Association a reasonable opportunity to exchange views with the Borrower on the environmental implications of any such investment. Section 3.06. The Borrower shall exchange views with the Association, from time to time, and in any case not later than March 31, 1992, on the proposed status of the Borrower's Bureau Central des Projets. Page 4 ARTICLE IV Financial Covenants Section 4.01. (a) The Borrower shall maintain or cause to be maintained records and accounts adequate to reflect in accordance with sound accounting practices the operations, resources and expenditures in respect of the Project of the departments or agencies of the Borrower responsible for carrying out the Project or any part thereof. (b) The Borrower shall: (i) have the records and accounts referred to in paragraph (a) of this Section including those for the Special Account for each fiscal year audited, in accordance with appropriate auditing principles consistently applied, by independent auditors acceptable to the Association; (ii) furnish to the Association, as soon as available, but in any case not later than six months after the end of each such year, a certified copy of the report of such audit by said auditors, of such scope and in such detail as the Association shall have reasonably requested; and (iii) furnish to the Association such other information concerning said records, accounts and the audit thereof as the Association shall from time to time reasonably request. (c) For all expenditures with respect to which withdrawals from the Credit Account were made on the basis of statements of expenditure, the Borrower shall: (i) maintain or cause to be maintained, in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section, records and accounts reflecting such expenditures; (ii) retain, until at least one year after the Association has received the audit report for the fiscal year in which the last withdrawal from the Credit Account or payment out of the Special Account was made, all records (contracts, orders, invoices, bills, receipts and other documents) evidencing such expenditures; (iii) enable the Association's representatives to examine such records; and (iv) ensure that such records and accounts are included in the annual audit referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and that the report of such audit contains a separate opinion by said auditors as to whether the statements of expenditure submitted during such fiscal year, together with the procedures and internal controls involved in their preparation, can be relied upon to support the related withdrawals. ARTICLE V Effective Date; Termination Section 5.01. The following events are specified as additional conditions to the effectiveness of the Development Credit Agreement within the meaning of Section 12.01 (b) of the General Conditions: (a) a Project Manager with qualifications and experience satisfactory to the Association has been appointed in the Directorate of Planning on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Association; and (b) the specialist referred to in Section II of Schedule 3 to this Agreement has been selected. Section 5.02. The date ninety (90) days after the date of this Agreement is hereby specified for the purposes of Section 12.04 of the General Conditions. ARTICLE VI Page 5 Representative of the Borrower; Addresses Section 6.01. The Minister responsible for finance of the Borrower is designated as representative of the Borrower for the purposes of Section 11.03 of the General Conditions. Section 6.02. The following addresses are specified for the purposes of Section 11.01 of the General Conditions: For the Borrower: Ministry of Finance P.O. Box 302 Cotonou Republic of Benin Cable address: Telex: MINIFINANCES MIFIN 5009 or Cotonou 5289 For the Association: International Development Association 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 United States of America Cable address: Telex: INDEVAS 248423 (RCA), Washington, D.C. 82987 (FTCC), 64145 (WUI) or 197688 (TRT) IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto, acting through their duly authorized representatives, have caused this Agreement to be signed in their respective names in the District of Columbia, United States of America, as of the day and year first above written. REPUBLIC OF BENIN By /s/ Candide Ahouansou Authorized Representative INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION By /s/ Edward V.K. Jaycox Regional Vice President Africa SCHEDULE 1 Withdrawal of the Proceeds of the Credit 1. The table below sets forth the Categories of items to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit, the allocation of the amounts of the Credit to each Category and the percentage of expenditures for items so to be financed in each Category: Amount of the Credit Allocated % of (Expressed in Expenditures Category SDR Equivalent) to be Financed Page 6 (1) Consultants' services: (a) under Part A.1 380,000 100% of the Project (b) under Parts B 2,850,000 100% and (C) of the Project (2) Training 340,000 100% (3) Office equipment 190,000 100% of foreign expenditures and 90% of local expenditures (4) Unallocated 340,000 TOTAL 4,100,000 2. For the purposes of this Schedule: (a) the term "foreign expenditures" means expenditures in the currency of any country other than that of the Borrower for goods or services supplied from the territory of any country other than that of the Borrower; and (b) the term "local expenditures" means expenditures in the currency of the Borrower or for goods or services supplied from the territory of the Borrower; provided, however, that if the currency of the Borrower is also that of another country from the territory of which goods or services are supplied, expenditures in such currency for such goods or services shall be deemed to be "foreign expenditures". 3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 above, no withdrawals shall be made in respect of payments made for expenditures prior to the date of this Agreement. SCHEDULE 2 Description of the Project The objectives of the Project are to assist the Borrower in: (i) relieving the constraints on investments in Benin caused by the lack of properly prepared projects; (ii) strengthening the institutions of the Borrower responsible for identifying investment proposals and processing them to the execution stage; and (iii) formulating sectoral strategies and priorities. The Project consists of the following Parts, subject to such modifications thereof as the Borrower and the Association may agree upon from time to time to achieve such objectives: Part A: Institutional Strengthening 1. Assisting the Directorate of Planning and the CPCs of the technical ministries to identify, program and process investment proposals and develop and assess sectoral strategies. 2. Short-term technical and managerial training of MP staff and of the Borrower's technical ministries in project identification, preparation, evaluation, programming and monitoring. 3. Provision of office equipment to the Directorate of Planning and to the CPCs of the technical ministries. Part B: Preinvestment Studies The carrying out of preinvestment studies in order to identify, design and justify investment projects in various sectors of the Borrower's economy. Part C: Sectoral Studies The development of appropriate sectoral strategies and the carrying out of sectoral studies in order to define the Borrower's sectoral priorities. Page 7 * * * The Project is expected to be completed by December 31, 1994. SCHEDULE 3 Procurement and Consultants' Services Section I. Procurement of Goods Part A: International Competitive Bidding 1. Except as provided in Part C hereof, goods shall be procured under contracts awarded in accordance with procedures consistent with those set forth in Sections I and II of the "Guidelines for Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits" published by the Bank in May 1985 (the Guidelines). 2. To the extent practicable, goods shall be grouped into bid packages estimated to cost $50,000 equivalent or more. Part B: Preference for Domestic Manufacturers In the procurement of goods in accordance with the procedures described in Part A.1 hereof, goods manufactured in Benin may be granted a margin of preference in accordance with, and subject to, the provisions of paragraph 2.55 and 2.56 of the Guidelines and paragraphs 1 through 4 of Appendix 2 thereto. Part C: Other Procurement Procedures Goods estimated to cost the equivalent of $200,000 or less may be procured under contracts awarded on the basis of competitive bidding, advertised locally, in accordance with procedures satisfactory to the Association. Part D: Review by the Association of Procurement Decisions 1. Review of invitations to bid and of proposed awards and final contracts: (a) With respect to each contract estimated to cost the equivalent of $50,000 or more, the procedures set forth in paragraphs 2 and 4 of Appendix 1 to the Guidelines shall apply. Where payments for such contract are to be made out of the Special Account, such procedures shall be modified to ensure that the two conformed copies of the contract required to be furnished to the Association pursuant to said paragraph 2 (d) shall be furnished to the Association prior to the making of the first payment out of the Special Account in respect of such contract. (b) With respect to contract not governed by the preceding paragraph, the procedures set forth in paragraphs 3 and 4 of Appendix 1 to the Guidelines shall apply. Where payments for such contract are to be made out of the Special Account, such procedures shall be modified to ensure that the two conformed copies of the contract together with the other information required to be furnished to the Association pursuant to said paragraph 3 shall be furnished to the Association as part of the evidence to be furnished pursuant to paragraph 4 of Schedule 4 to this Agreement. (c) The provisions of the preceding subparagraph (b) shall not apply to contracts on account of which the Association has authorized withdrawals on the basis of statements of expenditures. 2. The figure of 15% is hereby specified for purposes of paragraph 4 of Appendix 1 to the Guidelines. Section II. Employment of Consultants In order to assist the Borrower in carrying out the Project, the Borrower shall employ consultants, including a specialist in project screening and formulation to assist the Project Manager, whose qualifications, experience and terms and conditions of employment shall be satisfactory to the Association. Such consultants shall be selected on the basis of the "Guidelines for the Use of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers and by the World Bank as Executing Agency" published by the Bank in August 1981. Page 8 SCHEDULE 4 Special Account 1. For the purposes of this Schedule: (a) the term "eligible Categories" means Categories (1), (2) and (3) set forth in the table in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to this Agreement; (b) the term "eligible expenditures" means expenditures in respect of the reasonable cost of goods and services required for the Project and to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit allocated from time to time to the eligible Categories in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1 to this Agreement; and (c) the term "Authorized Allocation" means an amount equivalent to CFAF 56,000,000 to be withdrawn from the Credit Account and deposited into the Special Account pursuant to paragraph 3 (a) of this Schedule. 2. Payments out of the Special Account shall be made exclusively for eligible expenditures in accordance with the provisions of this Schedule. 3. After the Association has received evidence satisfactory to it that the Special Account has been duly opened, withdrawals of the Authorized Allocation and subsequent withdrawals to replenish the Special Account shall be made as follows: (a) For withdrawals of the Authorized Allocation, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association a request or requests for a deposit or deposits which do not exceed the aggregate amount of the Authorized Allocation. On the basis of such request or requests, the Association shall, on behalf of the Borrower, withdraw from the Credit Account and deposit into the Special Account such amount or amounts as the Borrower shall have requested. (b) (i) For replenishment of the Special Account, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association requests for deposits into the Special Account at such intervals as the Association shall specify. (ii) Prior to or at the time of each such request, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association the documents and other evidence required pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Schedule for the payment or payments in respect of which replenishment is requested. On the basis of each such request, the Association shall, on behalf of the Borrower, withdraw from the Credit Account and deposit into the Special Account such amount as the Borrower shall have requested and as shall have been shown by said documents and other evidence to have been paid out of the Special Account for eligible expenditures. All such deposits shall be withdrawn by the Association from the Credit Account under the respective eligible Categories, and in the respective equivalent amounts, as shall have been justified by said documents and other evidence. 4. For each payment made by the Borrower out of the Special Account, the Borrower shall, at such time as the Association shall reasonably request, furnish to the Association such documents and other evidence showing that such payment was made exclusively for eligible expenditures. 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 3 of this Schedule, the Association shall not be required to make further deposits into the Special Account: (a) if, at any time, the Association shall have determined that all further withdrawals should be made by the Borrower directly from the Credit Account in accordance with the provisions of Article V of the General Conditions and paragraph (a) of Section 2.02 of this Agreement; or (b) once the total unwithdrawn amount of the Credit allocated to the eligible Categories, less the amount of any outstanding special commitment entered into by the Association pursuant to Section 5.02 of the General Conditions with respect to the Project, shall equal the equivalent of twice the amount of the Authorized Allocation. Thereafter, withdrawal from the Credit Account of the remaining unwithdrawn amount of the Credit allocated to the eligible Categories shall follow such procedures as the Association shall specify by notice to the Borrower. Such further withdrawals shall be Page 9 made only after and to the extent that the Association shall have been satisfied that all such amounts remaining on deposit in the Special Account as of the date of such notice will be utilized in making payments for eligible expenditures. 6. (a) If the Association shall have determined at any time that any payment out of the Special Account: (i) was made for an expenditure or in an amount not eligible pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Schedule; or (ii) was not justified by the evidence furnished to the Association, the Borrower shall, promptly upon notice from the Association: (A) provide such additional evidence as the Association may request; or (B) deposit into the Special Account (or, if the Association shall so request, refund to the Association) an amount equal to the amount of such payment or the portion thereof not so eligible or justified. Unless the Association shall otherwise agree, no further deposit by the Association into the Special Account shall be made until the Borrower has provided such evidence or made such deposit or refund, as the case may be. (b) If the Association shall have determined at any time that any amount outstanding in the Special Account will not be required to cover further payments for eligible expenditures, the Borrower shall, promptly upon notice from the Association, refund to the Association such outstanding amount. (c) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Association, refund to the Association all or any portion of the funds on deposit in the Special Account. (d) Refunds to the Association made pursuant to paragraph 6 (a), (b) and (c) of this Schedule shall be credited to the Credit Account for subsequent withdrawal or for cancellation in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Agreement, including the General Conditions.