Announcement of Liberia to Upgrade Poor Urban Areas in Monrovia with IDA Credit of Ten Million US Dollars on April 5, 1982

.. . FO.R IMMEDJAf E RELEASE . &\Norld Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 IDA NEWS RELEASE NO. 82/50 Contact: Pamela Brennan Apr i 1 5 , 1982 (202) 477-5344 LIBERIA TO UPGRADE POOR URBAN AREAS IN MONROVIA WITH IDA CREDIT CF $10 MILLION Liberia will improve sanitation, water supply, and land entitlement programs for some 100,000 people in some of the poorest districts of Monrovia with the help of an ·SDR 8.9 mill ion ($10 million) credit from the International Development As- sociation (IDA). Recognizing that at the present growth rate, the city will double its population in ten years, the government will undertake the $13 million project to improve urban services to the poor in several areas of Monrovia. This is the first urban develop- ment project in the country to receive a credit from IDA, the World Bank's affiliate for concessionary lending. Improved sanitation, centrally located toilet and shower facilities, and water • standpipes will be provided in areas where inadequate sewerage has been a severe health hazard. The project will build a market, a health center, several community centers, and offer improved school facilities. It will also include a new system of refuse collection. The government's land adjudication program will be provided with field and office equipment, technical assistance, vehicles, and operating funds for land surveys and titling in the project areas. The second stage of the program, to be completed in 1985, will continue the procedure for the entire city. A management study will review the operations of the Monrovia City Corporation, the implem~nting organization for the project; with special emphasis on organizational structure, management, revenue accounting systems and a·staff development program. One of the main objectives is to help the corporation establish a tax collection operation. The project will also finance a study on water and sewerage tariffs and another on the preparation of a second .urban development project. The IDA credit is for 50 years, including 10 years of grace; it carries no interest but bears a small annual service charge of 3/4 of 1 percent. NOTE: IDA credits are denominated in SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) which a re valued on the basis of a 11 basket 11 of currenc!es. The U.S. dollar equivalent of the SDR amount of the IDA credit reflects the exchange rates existing at the time of negotiation of the credit • • lM NO. 1121 (5-76) T E C HN I CAL DA T A PROJECT: COUNTRY: . Monrovia Urban Development Liberia • TOTAL COST: $13.3 mi 11 ion I DA FI NANC I NG : SDR 8.9 million ($10 mill ion)~ on standard IDA terms OTHER FINANCING: Government of Liberia, $3.3 million IMPLEMENTIN~ ORGANIZATION: Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) City Hall, Tubman Bvd. Monrovia, Liberia ATTENTION: Mr. P. Johnson, Project Director PROJECT DESCRIPTION: It consists of: (a) upgrading, including improved water supply, sanitation, roads, drainage, refuse co'llection, security lighting, and community facilities for ·several poor districts in Monrovia;(b)lan.d adjudication, including technical assistance, vehicles, field and office equipment, and. operating costs for land surveys, and titling in the project area und~r an adjudication program eventually involving'the entire city; and {d)institutiona1 development, including ·technical assistance and studt"es to strengthen municipal management ·and broaden the · municipal fncome base. PROCU.REMENT: Goods and services wil 1 be procured in accordance with Bank/ IDA guidelines. Contracts for civil works including community facilities and refuse vehicles ($7.3 mill ion) will be procured on the basis of International competitive bidding. Civil works contracts for the three settlements will be tendered together, but grouped so that bids may be submitted for each separately or for the total package. Contracts for goods and services costing less than $250,000 each and for aerial photography and mapping (about $2 million) will be awarded In accordance with local procurement proc,~dures satisfactory to IDA. CONSULTANTS: Consultants wi11 be employed to carry out all detailed design and engineering and to supervise construction. Private contractors will be utilized for civil works construction. In the institutional development component, consultants will be required to train Liberian counterparts; 83 man-months will be included in the project for studies and technical assistance . ECONOMIC RATE OF RETURN: ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 12% 1985 - 0 - •