Announcement of Niger Public Works and Employment Project on February 22, 1991

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE oWorld Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.* Telephone: (202) 477-1234 EBA NEWS RELEASE NO. 91/46 Contact: Richard Kollodge Tel: (202) 473-1792 NIGER: PUBLIC WORKS AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECT Following are details of a project approved by the World Bank's Board: DATE: February 22, 1991 WORLD BANK GROUP SUPPORT: International Development Association (IDA) credit: SDR 14 million ($20.0 million). The IDA credit is for 40 years, including 10 years of grace; it carries no interest but has an annual charge of 0.75 percent on the disbursed balance and a variable charge of up to 0.5 percent (currently zero percent) on the undisbursed balance. TOTAL COST: $33.3 million OTHER FINANCING: Government of Niger, $3.3 million; OPEC Fund and KfW, $10.0 million IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Unite de Coordination du Programme d'Attenuation des Couts Sociaux de l'Ajustement Structural, Ministere du Plan ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1994 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The objectives of the "Public Works and Employment Project" are to: (a) create substantial new employment in urban areas as rapidly as possible using the private sector (thereby stimulating small private contractors and consulting firms); (b) improve, through execution of the works financed by the project, the individual skills of workers who will be employed and the corporate competitiveness of the firms that will carry out works; (c) demonstrate the feasibility of labor-intensive projects and test the procedures that will enable the public sector to commission such projects that are economically viable and socially useful; and (d) review and reformulate existing public works programs to speed up their implementation and overall performance. The project includes: (a) a program of public facility and infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance in urban areas, to be carried out under labor-intensive schemes by local contractors; (b) a package of services related to work organization, management, and labor force training, to be offered on a voluntary basis to local contractors awarded contracts under component (a); (c) a component to supervise and monitor the progress of the project; (d) selective audits of the public works program to identify bottlenecks and to design system improvements; and (e) a training program for the beneficiaries and engineering firms on the preparation of feasibility studies and technical project proposals, a program aimed at increasing grassroots participation in urban infrastructure maintenance, and preparatory work for the establishment of a mutual guarantee company.