| Grant Profile: |
| Project Title: |
Participatory Rural Development Grant (PRD) |
| PCF/LICUS/SPF: |
SPF |
Status: |
Open |
| File Number: |
| Region: |
AFR |
| Sector: |
Health and other social services |
Country: |
Guinea-Bissau |
| FY approved: |
2009 |
Grant Theme : |
Rural development |
| Keyword(s): |
Community-driven development |
Approved Amount: |
$5,000,000.00 |
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Grant Recipient:
Ministry of Economy and Regional Integration |
Grant Purpose:
The objective of the project is to enable participating rural communities in two regions of Guinea-Bissau (Oio and Bafata) to plan, implement, use and maintain priority basic social and economic infrastructures and services. To achieve this, rural communities will be assisted to identify, implement and manage their priority investments through a transparent and participatory process. The project will also contribute to the current efforts of the government to improve local governance and will test mechanisms to effectively involve both government and citizens in decision making at the local level. The ultimate beneficiaries of the project are members of poor rural communities who will be participating and directly benefiting from the micro-projects.
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Grant Activities:
Component 1: Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Development
This component will support capacity development of institutions at regional, administrative sector and community level, to prepare Local Development Plan (LDP) and carry out micro-projects in a participatory and transparent manner. Special emphasis will be given to establishing consultation and communication mechanisms in view of increasing skills and competencies of local institutions and local government in particular the area of planning methodologies. The building of government capacity will be stimulated through their participation in capacity development activities as well as through their participation in the local planning decision making processes.
Capacity building activities for all stakeholders will include interalia: (a) the development and implementation of a communication strategy; (b) the strengthening of local institutions; (c) the development and training of key staff and stakeholders on participatory planning; and (d) the promotion of dialogue and consultation among local stakeholders and institutions, with a view to supporting a culture of transparency and accountability and giving a voice to all categories of citizens.
Improving the flow and exchange of information among actors of local development will be one of the key activities of the component. The project will finance the preparation of a communication strategy and annual communication action plans. The strategy will focus on key principles of Community Driven Development (CDD) such as social inclusion, participation, transparency, accountability, environment and social safeguards etc. Good communication and outreach to all stakeholders from the start of the project will be essential for ensuring strong commitment and ownership.
The PRD will reinforce the functioning of existing spaces of consultation and decision-making at regional and administrative sector levels through the engagement of the different stakeholders. It will assist stakeholders in reviewing and improving the composition and functioning of decision making bodies. Exchange visits will be organized among administrative sectors and regions, as well as annual workshops to exchange best practices and to share experience. Training session will also be organized for the Planning Delegates of Ministry of Economy and Regional Integration (MERI) at regional level and for other ministries’ staff at the regional and local level. The community representative groups, such as the Comités de Gestão Comunitario and Grupos Promotores, will benefit from short training programs to support them in their responsibilities and obligations towards the communities during the implementation of the LDPs.
Training sessions on participatory methodologies and tools will be organized in particular for the Planning Delegates and the deconcentrated services of ministries. These sessions will aim at increasing their skills in situation assessment and decision-making in the preparation of local development plans The component will also finance Regional Advisers (one per region) and Facilitators (6 per region) who will support communities in their planning processes and production of their LDPs and in the implementation of micro-projects.
The various steps of the investment cycle, from the selection of beneficiary communities to the implementation of micro-projects, will follow mandatory requirements of information sharing and accountability: communications activities, mandatory open community meetings at various stages of the process, regular meetings to present progress of implementation of the micro-projects, etc. Emphasis will be placed on giving a voice to vulnerable groups, particularly women and youth, which traditionally do not have the same opportunities to present their views and have their own interests taken into account. The communication strategy will include tools targeting these groups, and their representation on all the local decision making bodies will be guaranteed and monitored, and will be a condition for approval of the micro-projects.
Component 2: Local Investment Fund
This component will improve basic social and economic infrastructures and services in the two regions covered by the project. The component will finance micro-projects identified by the communities themselves through a participatory process, and included as part of their participatory LDPs. Beneficiary communities will be selected every year by the Conselhos Directivos Sectoriais with participation from Regional Advisor and Regional Planning Delegate, within the sectors of the two targeted regions according to pre-established criteria. These criteria and processes will abide by the principles of simplicity, transparency and accountability. Records will be maintained for both selected and non-selected communities. An implementation manual defining these will be prepared upon PRD approval. It is expected that most micro-projects will cost less than $20,000, allowing a community to implement several micro-projects during the life of the project.
Component 3: Project Coordination and Monitoring & Evaluation
This component will finance a Project Coordination Unit (PCU) within MERI, which will be responsible for all operational and fiduciary management of the PRD, and for monitoring and evaluation of PRD activities.
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