The President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, recognized three Bank-financed projects for their excellence during the inaugural Presidential Awards ceremony which took place on Tuesday, November 11 at the African Development Bank headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The awards underscore the African Development Bank's commitment to improving the quality and sustainability of growth in Africa, as set out in its Ten Year Strategy 2013-2022.
In order to successfully implement its operational priorities and mandate, the Bank has made considerable progress in strengthening its corporate effectiveness and efficiency as well as its delivery of results. The Bank is also determined to further improve its performance to enable the institution to continue to meet the needs of a continent that is poised for take-off.
For this reason, the Bank has introduced the Presidential Awards to promote a culture of excellence in the Bank's operations and among staff, sharing best practices within the organization and communicating results.
Criteria
Innovation - The extent to which the project is using new approaches in problem solving.
Impact on beneficiaries - Evidence that the project has had a positive impact on the lives of people. Additional marks if there is evidence of gender mainstreaming.
Results Based Monitoring & Evaluation System - Evidence of robust functioning M&E system with SMART indicators.
Sustainability and Ownership - Systems and resources are in place to ensure long term sustainability including the participation of beneficiaries in project.
Lessons learnt - Evidence that lessons learnt have contributed to improvements in project implementation or replicated elsewhere.
Award-winning projects
Out of 12 nominated projects three winners were selected:
First prize for Nairobi-Thika Highway improvement project (Kenya)
This project stood out for its high impact on end beneficiaries. By constructing 45 km of eight-lane highway and nine related interchanges between Nairobi Central Business District and Thika Town, journey speeds rose from 8km/hour to 45km/h. This benefited 100,000 residences in Kasarani, Kiambu and Thika by reducing their commuting time from 3 hours to just 30 minutes. More than 3,600 unskilled and semi-skilled personnel and 600 technical staff and engineers were employed, with strong multiplier effects along the road corridor. Sustainability has been addressed through a credible road fund. Finally, this project was co-financed with China, which demonstrates how the African Development Bank is leveraging its 50 years of infrastructure knowledge experience with new development partners to increase the impact for Africa.
Second prize for Nsele-Lufimi and Kwango-Kenge Road Rehabilitation project (DRC)
This project is a good example of how the African Development Bank is engaging in fragile states. Within the Partnership Programme for Transition and Recovery of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Bank rehabilitated 310 km national and feeder roads, which led directly to increased agricultural production in Kenge and Kikwit provinces, 300% for corn, 48% for cassava, 35% for squash and 15% for rice, respectively. No fewer than 23,000 people living in the project impact site also benefited through training on environmental, health and road safety. The project also stood out by emphasizing specific lessons learnt, including the challenges on counterpart funding for fragile states and making state land to build maintenance bases as a means to strengthen sustainability.
Third prize for Ain Beni Mathar Themosolar Plant Project (Morocco)
This innovative project demonstrates how the African Development Bank supports Middle Income Countries and green growth. With strong commitment from the Moroccan Government, the Bank helped build this gas and solar thermal powerplant and increase power capacity by 470 MW and reducing CO2 emissions by 33,500 tons. Local road and bridge construction around the project site benefited 1,128 rural households, which facilitated access to social services, increased school attendance and promoted local commerce. The project also provided valuable lessons learnt on quality at entry and procurement, which are currently being integrated in the Ouarzazate solar power plant project that the Bank is currently implementing.
The goal of the awards is to: identify and reward excellence in operations that deserve broader recognition in the Bank and in the development community; reward task managers for innovation and excellence in Bank operations; and disseminate best practice and promote learning across Bank Departments.
