Mauritania: Country Assistance Evaluation, 1994-2004

Evaluation Team

This report was prepared by Mr. H. RAZAFINDRAMANANA, Principal Project Evaluation Officer (Extension: 2294) with support from a consultant following a mission to MAURITANIA in September 2004.

Objective

The objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Bank Group’s assistance to Mauritania and its impact on the country’s development, by focusing on the 1994-2004 period. The evaluation aims at drawing lessons and making useful recommendations for the orientation of the next Country Strategy Paper (CSP).

Main Lessons

• The Bank cannot have any significant influence on the country’s development, its economic and sector policies and institutional framework, if there is no synergy between the intervention sectors and between the instruments it uses: policy-based and project loans, studygrants and institutional support.

• When the Bank’s strategy does not rely on thorough economic and sector studies, it will lack precision and the role of the Bank in policy dialogue and aid coordination is limited.

   

• When an enclave project is financed in an area as important as the mining industry without having regard to developing the links between mining and the rest of the economy, it contributes to reinforcing economic dualism.

   

• The slippages recorded in the project cycle and the resultant changes in context and prices could be avoided if greater attention is paid to the preparatory studies by using a project preparation facility and if the beneficiary populations are more involved

• The shortcomings of the monitoring-evaluation system of the CSPs and the projects and the lack of objectives and development indicators prevent the timely implementation of corrective measures and limit the evaluation of the Bank ‘s contribution to the country’s development

Main Recommendations

Recommendation(s) to the Bank:

• Combine all available instruments in a complementary and coherent manner to support the growth sectors and the social sectors within the framework of the PRSP, in order to have greater impact on the country’s development and on poverty reduction

• Target more the pro-poor areas such clean water in rural areas, microfinance and agriculture including livestock and fisheries

• Assist the country to put in place a transparent and efficient management of oil income for its effective utilisation for poverty reduction in the framework of the PRSP while ensuring the diversification of country’s exports as well as the strengthening of its competitiveness and its institutional development management capacity

   

• Improve the control of the project cycle through better preparation with prior studies and through more frequent monitoring with support from the Dakar Regional Office

   

• Strengthen the monitoring/evaluation mechanism of CSPs and projects as well as development indicators at the country level and in the Bank

• Make portfolio reviews systematic and participatory, so that stakeholders assume ownership.

   

• To ensure a better sustainability of outcomes, support measures such as capacity building for all stakeholders and the formulation of a post-operation monitoring policy should be undertaken

• Provide the Dakar Regional Office with necessary resources and the authority to carry out closer monitoring of operations and ensure better participation in coordination meetings of partners in the field