Mali: Bank Group Country Assistance Evaluation, 1994-2004

Evaluation Team

This Bank Group country assistance evaluation report was prepared by Mr. H. RAZAFINDRAMANANA, Principal Post-Evaluation Officer, OPEV, Ext. 2294, with the support of a consultant, following a mission to Mali in March 2004.

Objective

The aim of the evaluation is to assess the efficacy of the Bank Group’s assistance in Mali and its impact on the country’s development for the 1994-2004 period. The report will also put forward useful lessons and recommendations to guide the next country strategy paper (CSP).

Main Lessons

• The Bank cannot significantly influence the country’s development, its economic and sector policies as well as institutional framework, if it does not pursue a more selective strategy and in the absence of synergy between its intervention sectors and between the instruments it uses: policy-based support, project lending, grants for studies and institutional support.

• Where the Bank’s strategy is not based on in-depth economic and sector studies, it lacks precision; limiting the Bank’s role in policy dialogue and coordination.

   

• Slippages in project cycle and the resultant changes of contexts and costs can be avoided if greater attention is to be given to preparatory studies, close monitoring and the participation of beneficiary communities.

   

• The inadequacies of the monitoring-evaluation system of CSPs and projects and the lack of development goals and indicators hamper the taking of corrective and timely measures as well as the evaluation of the Bank’s contribution to the country’s development.

• The inadequate management capacities of grassroots beneficiaries and the negligence of their role in taking charge of the results obtained threaten the sustainability of the results.

Main Recommendations

Recommendation(s) to the Bank:

• Make more selective interventions by combining all the available instruments in a complementary and coherent manner to support growth potential areas and the social sectors under the PRSP, in order to ensure an enhanced impact on the country’s development and poverty reduction.

   

• Target niches that are more auspicious for the poor such as rural drinking water, microfinance, women’s promotion and agriculture including livestock rearing.

• Improve project cycle management through better preparation backed by preliminary studies and a closer monitoring facilitated by the impending opening of the Bank country office in Mali.

• Strengthen mechanisms for the monitoring-evaluation of CSPs and projects as well as development indicators in the country and the Bank.

• Systematize portfolio reviews within a participatory framework so that stakeholders can own them.

• Ensure that the issue of sustainability of the project outputs is addressed through support measures such as building the capacities of all the stakeholders and putting in place a post-operation monitoring policy.

• Provide the Bank’s country office in Mali with the wherewithal to undertake a closer monitoring of operations and ensure better participation in coordination meetings by partners operating in the country