Focus Media (Kigali)
2 October 2008
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors last week discussed a new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Rwanda, envisaging IDA assistance of US$ 561 million over the period 2009-2012.
The CAS is a document that details the Bank's work plan to assist client countries achieve their development goals. It describes all of the planned operations in the country-lending, analytical work, and technical assistance.
The CAS is framed around two strategic pillars, which are promoting economic transformation and growth and reducing social vulnerability.
The primary objective of the CAS is to help Rwanda make progress in activating new drivers of growth that can be sustained over time. The substantial part of the financial envelope over the period will therefore support the Economic Development Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) on growth and focus on four key outcomes: raising agricultural production in a sustainable way; improving access to and quality of key economic infrastructure services; improving the environment for private sector development; and strengthening management of public resources at central and local levels.
A secondary objective is to ensure that the most vulnerable Rwandans also benefit from growth and to help Rwanda make further progress in building a more stable society. Building on progress to date in reform and development of delivery of basic services, a smaller program will involve support to the Vision 2020 Umurenge (village) initiative; reducing vulnerability of Rwandan children and mothers to high rates of mortality; and promoting peace and social cohesion through demobilization and reintegration. It will seek to contribute to mitigating health and social risks.
Guiding principles for engagement for the new CAS include: alignment with the EDPRS, selectivity for greater impact, government's preferences for engagement with the Bank, and enhanced harmonization with other donors.
Aid policy
The CAS also strives to align with the Rwanda aid policy through established country-led development and policies which clarify the Government's objectives in terms of mobilization and management of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).
The Rwanda aid policy seeks to improve the management of aid through better coordination and harmonization of ODA as called for by the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Further, since Rwanda was selected as a potential pilot for the use of national procurement system, the CAS will put emphasis on promoting greater use of country systems.
The first Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) was presented to Executive Directors in March 1998 to support Rwanda's transition effort from war to peace. The second CAS discussed in December 2002 supported the implementation of Rwanda's first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) with a focus on laying the foundations for growth and sustainable human development.
An interim strategy note (ISN) was discussed in August 2006 and extended the second CAS while the Government completed its second PRSP (now called EDPRS), allowing this new CAS to be directly aligned with the EDPRS.
The third World Bank Group Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Rwanda has been jointly prepared by IDA, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) in an effort to draw greater synergies from the World Bank Group's work and catalyze higher volumes of private resources to support Rwanda's development.
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