IMPACT OF WORLD BANK ASSISTED PROJECTS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOP THE RURAL COMMUNITIES IN AKWA IBOM STATE WITH FOCUS ON IBESIKPO ASUTAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Majority of the projects and services embarked upon by the successive Nigerian governments in the past to alleviate poverty amongst the citizenry never yielded desired results because of the top-down supply-driven and non-participatory mode of delivering services to communities. The search for service delivery mechanisms that are demand-driven, covering multiple sectors and depending on specific community-determined needs, therefore, became increasingly necessary. (CSDP Final Project Implementation Manual 2011/1).
Some projects then in the portfolio of World Bank partnership with Nigeria were the outcome of this search. Specifically, these projects utilize the Community Driven Development (CDD) approach in design, implementation and evaluation. Of these projects,the three Community-based Poverty-Reduction Project (CPRP), FADAMA II, and the Local Empowerment and Environmental Management Project (LEEMP) operate largely in rural communities and were quite similar in their approaches, even though there were marked differences in both mandate and tools. Both FADAMA II and LEEMP became effective in 2004, but while the former focused on providing productive assets and building social capital through FADAMA user groups, they later were concerned with natural resource management issues and local empowerment. Like the CPRP, it operated an open menu and therefore, supported social infrastructure provisions. (CSDP Final Project Implementation Manual 2011/1)
The CPRP started in 2001 and was due to close in August 2006. However, the achievements of the project led to a supplemental credit of US $25 million which closed by the end of 2008. CPRP is rated very high in both development objectives and implementation performance. Its success may be ascribed to a number of factors; the fact that each of the 12 participating states had an autonomous agency which implemented the project, and also allowed for private sector/civil society participation in oversight functions as members of the Board; better staff motivation as staff were paid private sector salaries, and reasonable protection from political interference as the project was seen as autonomous from the State government.(CSDP Final Project Implementation Manual 2011/1)
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the World Bank (WB) are unanimous on the desirability of the CDD approach in the overall strategy for poverty reduction in the country and would therefore want to continue to use the approach in subsequent partnerships. (CSDP Final Project Implementation Manual 2011/1)
As part of the 2005/2007 Country Partnership Strategy (CPS), the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Bank agreed to harmonize World Bank funded CDD projects in the country. The harmonization process is to ensure that resources are effectively and efficiently targeted in reducing poverty levels in the country. To this end, the Local Empowerment and Environmental Management project (LEEMP) and the Community Based Poverty Reduction Project (CPRP) were merged as a Social CDD approach, while the National Fadama development Project (Fadama II and III) became economic CDD. The CDD harmonization process was anchored on the need to:
(a) Empower communities by giving them more resources and the authority to use them flexibly.
(b) Use resources more efficiently and cost effectively by channeling funds directly to communities, improving targeting and achieving more results on the ground.
(c) Avoid overlap
(d) For National government to mainstream CDD approach into institutional structures at local, State and Federal levels and national budget; and
(e) Build Capacity of local governments to take on the role of facilitating community-driven development is strengthened.
It was envisioned that such harmonization would:-
- make the operations of the individual projects more efficient and effective in avoiding duplication of efforts and adoption of good and proven practices from the three CDD projects; and
- ensure common process at the community level.
After series of interactions and discussions by the stakeholders, the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) was conceived as a response to these desires. Therefore
- Both CPRP and LEEMP transited into the CSDP;
- more states, apart from the 12 and 9 that participated in the CPRP and LEEMP respectfully joined;
- together they form the CDD social.
The Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) is therefore a new intervention that would build on the LEEMP and CPRP structures to effectively target social and environmental infrastructure at the community level, as well as improve LGA responsibility to service delivery. One of the key highlights of the CSDP is that clear-cut supportive roles and responsibilities are provided for the key actors in the project cycle. They include: the Federal level -the Federal Project Steering Committee (FPSC) and the Federal Project Support Unit (FPSU); the State level, State Agency Board, the State Agency (SA); and the Local Government level -the Local Government Review Committee (LGRC) and the LGA Desk Office (LGDO). At the community level are the Community Project Management Committee (CPMC) and several Sub-Committees. (CSDP Project Implementation Manual)
This research work, is therefore focused on the understanding of the impact of micro projects assisted by World Bank through the Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development, towards sustainable develop Akwa Ibom State, focusing on Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. This study is considered apt in view of the envisaged and of the World Bank scheme (CSDP), by June 2020. A critical assessment of the success and failure of this programme is considered very useful.
IMPACT OF WORLD BANK ASSISTED PROJECTS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOP THE RURAL COMMUNITIES IN AKWA IBOM STATE WITH FOCUS ON IBESIKPO ASUTAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
