Mauritania - Development Management Project

 Development management project Report No: ; Type: Report/Evaluation Memorandum ; Country: Mauritania; Region: Africa; Sector: Public Sector Management Adjustment; Major Sector: Public Sector Management; ProjectID: P001848 December 5, 1995 Mauritania: Development Management Project (Credit 1865- MAU) The Implementation Completion Report (ICR) for the Mauritania Development Management project (Cr. 1865- MAU, in the amount of US$10 million equivalent and approved in FY88) was prepared by the Africa Regional Office, with Appendix B contributed by the Borrower. The credit was closed on the original closing date of December 31, 1994, at which time the undisbursed balance of US$0.9 million equivalent was canceled. France cofinanced the project in the amount of US$0.4 million. The aim of this technical assistance project was to support the implementation of the Government's Economic and Financial Recovery Program by strengthening weak institutions and building administrative capacity for economic management and public service. Project components included: (i) improving management capabilities within the Presidency; (ii) strengthening the Ministry of Economy and Finance, particularly in expenditure management and fiscal administration; (iii) reforming the civil service; (iv) supporting decentralization; and (v) preparing additional reforms. None of the project's major objectives was fully achieved. Steps were taken in a number of areas, including public procurement and customs reform, but concrete results were few. Civil service reform failed to take place, and this had a direct and negative impact on decentralization and the strengthening of the Ministries of Finance and Planning (created after credit effectiveness). Only marginal improvements took place in the operations of the Presidency. Shifts among expenditure categories resulted in nearly one-third of disbursements going for equipment—mainly vehicles and office supplies—with a negligible impact. The ICR rates the project's outcome as unsatisfactory, institutional development (ID) impact as partial, and sustainability as uncertain. The Operations Evaluation Department agrees with the rating for project outcome, but rates ID as negligible, because it led to no improvement in the functioning of the Government, and sustainability as unlikely. Bank performance is also rated as unsatisfactory. The major lessons are that the Bank cannot be an important agent for institutional change without a presence on a day-to-day basis, with imperfect information about the institutional environment, and with short, far apart supervision missions; that continued Government commitment to the change agenda and close attention by the Bank and the Borrower to its implementation are critical for success; and that progress cannot be measured without clearly defined performance indicators. The ICR is of satisfactory quality. Based on experience, it recommends that future administrative reforms in Mauritania be supported through investment or adjustment projects, rather than through freestanding technical assistance. No audit is planned.