Morocco - Public Administration Support Project

 Public administration support project Report No: ; Type: Report/Evaluation Memorandum ; Country: Morocco; Region: Middle East And North Africa; Sector: Public Sector Management Adjustment; Major Sector: Public Sector Management; ProjectID: P005473 Kingdom of Morocco: Public Administration Support Project (Loan 3048-MOR) The Implementation Completion Report (ICR) for the Kingdom of Morocco Public Administration Support Project (Loan 3048-MOR for US$23 million equivalent, approved in FY89 and closed in FY96) was prepared by the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office. The Borrower contribution to the ICR is included in summary form as Appendix B in the ICR. A small undisbursed balance (about 3 percent of the original loan amount) was cancelled. The project objectives were to facilitate implementation of the reform measures of the FY89 Structural Adjustment Loan (SAL) and to initiate efforts to strengthen the Government's administrative capabilities in several areas. These included tax administration, public expenditure programming, public debt management, and macroeconomic and external trade analysis. The project's focus was on technical assistance to improve administrative performance: it was to help strengthen methodologies and procedures to improve macroeconomic management and the flow of information among core ministries, and provide consulting, studies, training, workshop activities, and equipment. Project implementation was delayed by two and a half years; the main reason was a 1990 restructuring of Government ministries involved in the project; in addition, there were initial shortages of local counterpart funds for project activities. As a result, the project did not have the intended early impact on the implementation of the FY89 SAL reform measures. However, in due course, the broader objectives of the project_improved work programs, better administrative practices and concrete empirical outputs of core agencies, especially much improved information management and statistical analyses_were successfully met. Achievements include, among others, improvements in budget preparation and revenue and expenditure administration, better coordination among core ministries, improved access to information and completion of planned studies and training programs. The ICR rates the overall project outcome as satisfactory, the institutional development impact as moderate, and project sustainability as likely because of proven capacity improvement in core agencies. OED agrees with these ratings and rates Bank performance as satisfactory. The most important lesson is that close Bank-Borrower cooperation through all stages of the project helped ensure its successful outcome. This was further facilitated by continuity of staff on both sides, in spite of the 1990 ministerial restructuring. he quality of the ICR is satisfactory. No audit is planned.