| Grant Profile: |
| Project Title: |
Supporting Stabilization through Improved Accountability and Radio Rehabilitation: Rural Sector |
| PCF/LICUS/SPF: |
LICUS |
Status: |
Open |
| File Number: |
53-B
| Region: |
AFR |
| Sector: |
Law and justice and public administration |
Country: |
Central African Republic |
| FY approved: |
2008 |
Grant Theme : |
Public sector governance |
| Keyword(s): |
Media and communications;Public expenditure, financial management and procurement;Security sector reform |
Approved Amount: |
$228,375.00 |
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Grant Recipient:
World Bank / Radio France International |
Grant Purpose:
The primary aim of the proposed activities is to improve Government accountability through further public financial management reforms and improved communication among all segments of the population.
Financial management and good governance in the Central African Republic (CAR) have been supported by a previous World Bank grant on public financial management and governance. The grant helped the government set up a unit to deter corrupt practices as well as a team to steer public financial management reforms, provided technical assistance to the treasury department and to the finalization of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, and financed preliminary work for reforms in the census and audit of domestic arrears, civil servant management and payroll control.
Building on these achievements and in an effort to support ongoing reforms, a subsequent World Bank grant provided further financing for public finance and good governance, including efforts to improve the public procurement and revenue collection systems, a review of the tax and legal systems in the forestry sector, an assessment of the mining sector, and audits of the domestic arrears and the treasury.
The current grant aims to strengthen these reforms by broadening the scope of the public financial management work in the Central African Republic, to include sectors traditionally related to security and the enforcement of the rule of law. The overarching objective is to assist the Central African Republic government in improving the overall resource management practices in the sector anad strengthen transparency and good governance.
As a means to improve State accountability and enhance transparency, the project will strengthen the communication channels between the central government in Bangui and the population throughout the national territory, both from the center to the regions and vice versa, in order to improve disclosure of and access to information and foster improved accountability and governance. More specifically, the project will rehabilitate the country’s primary link between Bangui and the rest of the country – the radio - by strengthening the national radio’s rural presence and its capabilities for national broadcasting.
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Grant Activities:
Component 1: Public Finance Management review of the Security Sector
This component aims to promote good governance and improve public financial management in the security sector. Activities envisaged under Component 1 include:
(1) Public Financial Management Review of the Security Sector
The main objectives of this review are:
(i) To gain as complete an understanding as possible of the current level and structure of security expenditures and recent trends associated with them;
(ii) To assess the extent to which coherent strategies for the security sector guide public expenditure allocations;
(iii) To review processes for determining funding levels (excluding any advice or comments on the level of security expenditures), expenditure allocations, budget execution, and post-execution functions, and assess the extent to which they follow sound public financial management principles;
(iv) To describe the institutional framework for the security sector and ascertain the extent to which it embeds or is conducive to sound public financial management;
(v) To assess the strategic coherence, consistency, and sustainability of security sector expenditures.
(2) Training
In order to ensure concrete gains, the project will finance in-depth training workshops on good practices in the field of financial management. Areas of intervention will include:
(i) Budget tracking;
(ii) Fiscal sustainability;
(iii) Human resource management;
(iv) Public oversight;
(v) Transparency and accountability.
Component 2: Enhanced accountability through improved information flow in rural areas
This component seeks to strengthen State accountability by improving the citizens’ access to information, and strengthening journalistic practices to identify, inform or comment on issues and raise awareness on the need for improved governance, transparency, and trust between the State and the citizens, especially in under-served rural areas. To do so, the project will rehabilitate the country’s primary link between Bangui and the rest of the territory: the radio.
Activities under this component include:
(1) Training for rural correspondents
The training will be divided in two main components: (i) reporting technology and (ii) reporting techniques. The first training will consist of a two-week course on recording techniques, digital networks and audio montage. The second component will be structured around a seven week course on basic journalistic techniques, and coverage of / awareness raising on the need for improved governance and transparency. In addition to the journalists from the national radio, the training will also be open to journalists working for private local radios as well as Radio Ndeke Luka, the country’s main independent radio. The content of the training will also be closely coordinated with UNESCO, BONUCA, and Cooperation Française, to avoid duplication and ensure an optimal use of resources.
(2) Purchase of basic radio equipment for the correspondents
Based on needs, this would include: small transmitters, digital recording systems (Marrantz), cellular technology, computers and other relevant material, as well as network access. Recording and transmission material will also be provided to independent radios and journalists participating in the training.
(3) Installation of a new broadcasting system at the Central level
Based on an assessment to be carried out by the recipient organization, this component would focus on the purchase and installation of a short wave transmitter (TB1000). It would also include training of local staff on maintenance. This new transmitter will enable the national radio to extend its national coverage from 5am to midnight, using already available frequencies.
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