Status of Implementation of World Bank supported Projects in Ghana

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?The disclosure of this information is in line with the World Bank’s Access to Information Policy approved by the Board of Executive Directors in November 2009. This new policy constitutes a major shift in the Bank’s approach to information disclosure, transparency, sharing of knowledge, and accountability. Clients and the general public now have access to a much broader range of information, particularly information about projects under preparation and implementation.
??1.?Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project
Implementation Agency: Ministry of Food and Agriculture,?Contacts Alabi Bortey, [email protected]
Key Dates:?Approval Date?22-Mar-2012, Effectiveness Date??08-Apr-2013, Closing Date???30-Sep-2017
?Amt committed?US$100m??????????????????Amt Disbursed:?US$10.3m
Project Development Objectives
The project development objective (PDO) is: increased access to land, private sector finance, input- and output-markets by smallholder farms from private-public partnerships in commercial agriculture in Accra Plains and SADA zone.
? Components?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Cost (US$m)
1. Strengthening investment promo infrastructure, facilitating secure access to land
and project management.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????11.80
2. Securing PPPs and small-holder linkages in the Accra Plains?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????45.40
3. Securing PPPs and small-holder linkages in the SADA zone??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????64.30
4. Project management and monitoring and evaluation???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????14.30
? Overall Ratings
Progress towards achievement of PDO ?Satisfactory
Overall Implementation Progress (IP)?????Satisfactory
Overall Risk Rating??????????????????? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Moderate
?Implementation Status Overview
All the conditions for effectiveness were fulfilled and the project became effective on April 8, 2013. The USAID Grant co-financing the project was signed on March 13, 2013. The first Implementation Support Mission was carried out from May 13 to 20, 2013. The mission (i) strengthened the institutional set up of the project, (ii) reviewed the Annual Work Plan and Budget for 2013, (iii) designed a time-line for the implementation of project activities, (iv) updated and finalized the Procurement Plan and (v) took the appropriate measures with the Ministry of Finance to ensure the availability of funds for project activities before June 15, 2013.
Key Decisions Regarding Implementation
In order to speed up project implementation on the ground, the mission made key decisions??on forty four agreed actions from the projects?AWPB for 2013??to??be rolled??before the??end of the year. In addition??to??these,??the following key decisions were also taken:
(a) the introduction of the low-hanging fruits concept in order to start financing some activities in and around the project zone;
(b) the effective collaboration of the project with other World Bank funded or donor partners funded projects in order to be effective on the ground, make economies of scale and ensure coherence among partners. As such the??Second Land Administration Project (IDA Credit number 4870-GH) will??cover the cost of financing aerial photography of??4,000 square kilometers in the Nasia-Nabogo Valley in the Northern Region of Ghana as part??of??GCAPs??land??development??activities in the SADA zone.
(c) the mission also invited the IFC team working on Commercial Agriculture to participate in its activities. It was agreed that depending on their needs, GCAP and IFC would direct potential investors to one another; and
(d) the mission reviewed the Project Implementation Manual to ensure its coherence with the safeguard documents.
2.?Ghana Pubic Private Partnership Project
Implementing Agency: Ministry of Finance, Contact: Isaac Oware-Aboagye, email:[email protected]
?Key Dates:?Approval Date????27-Mar-2012, Effectiveness Date???26-Dec-2012, Closing Date???31-Aug-2016
Amt committed?US$30m????Amt Disbursed:?US$3.4m
Project Development Objectives
The objective of this Adaptable Program Lending (APL) Phase I project is to improve the legislative, institutional, financial, fiduciary and technical framework to generate a pipeline of bankable PPP projects. The overall objective of this Adaptable Program Lending (APL) two-phased initiative is to assist the Government of Ghana to increase targeted infrastructure and other social service levels and quality by mobilizing private sector participation through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Leveraging greater volumes of private sector investment in infrastructure provision is a critical Program end-objective. The two-phased APL is designed to promote the creation of a sustainable and cost-effective PPP market in Ghana.
?Component??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Cost (US$m)
1. Institutional, Fiduciary, Legislative and Financial Capacity Building??????????????????????????????????????10.00
2. PPP Pipeline Preparation and Transaction Advisory Support?????????????????????????????????????????????18.50
3. Project Management and Monitoring & Evaluation????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????1.50
?Overall Ratings
Progress towards achievement of PDO?Satisfactory
Overall Implementation Progress (IP)?????Satisfactory
Overall Risk Rating?????????????????????????????????Substantial
?Implementation Status Overview
The project became effective on Dec 26, 2012; thus within the expected timeline (and before the Africa Regional Red Flag). A first supervision mission took place on Feb 2013 and the related Aide Memoire was issued to government on March 4, 2013. It is worthwhile to note that presidential elections took place in Ghana in December 2012 and the results were peaceful. However, this has led to an understandable slowdown in the project over the first 3 months of 2013 as new government officials were being assigned. These circumstances need to be borne in mind when assessing the project of this project since the last ISR , early December 2012.
3.?Ghana Health Insurance Project
Implementing Agency: National Health Insurance Authority,?Contact: Anthony Gingong, email:[email protected]
Key Dates?Approval Date??03-Jul-2007, Effectiveness Date??10-Dec-2007, Original Closing Date???31-Dec-2012, Revised Closing Date??31-March-2014??
Amt committed:?US$15m???Amt Disbursed:?US$12.8m??
Project Development Objectives
The Project Development Objective is to strengthen the financial and operational management of the National Health Insurance Scheme by improving: (i) the policy adaptation and implementation capacity of the National Health Insurance Council in addressing ongoing core policy issues related to contribution collection, risk equalization, and provider payment mechanisms; and (ii) the purchasing function of the District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes, and the billing function of the Providers.
Component??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Cost (US$m)
1. Streamlined Purchasing Policies and Mechanisms?????????????????????????????2.05
2. Strengthening Integrated Claims Management Systems????????????????????8.60
3. Project Management??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????0.00
Overall Ratings
Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Satisfactory
Overall Implementation Progress (IP)????Satisfactory??
Implementation Status Overview
This an update based on the Bank’s supervision mission in February 2013, and a May 2013 pre-appraisal mission of the Health Systems Strengthening Project (HSSP) with a component to continue to support the health insurance system in Ghana. The likelihood of achieving the Project Development Objective is downgraded to Moderately Satisfactory as only two outcome indicators out of four have met their target. The Implementation Progress (IP) is maintained at Satisfactory. The Government has requested for a nine month extension to complete key project activities. There are encouraging results of Health Insurance Project (HIP) implementation with two of the four PDO indicators having met their end of project targets. The two outcome indicators that have met their targets are (i) proportion of total claims submitted by providers to NHIS (District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme or Claims Processing Center) for processing that passed the initial screening; and (ii) proportion of total clean claims that are reimbursed by payers (NHIS) to providers within 60 days of claims receipt. Actions are being taken to ensure that the target on electronic claims (e-claims) management system and the coverage of the poor will be met by end of the extended period. Since the e-claims management system went live on April 1 2013, it has now been rolled out to 20 facilities out of the target 47, and 51697 claims have been submitted, vetted and paid through the system as at May 28, 2013. While this number is increasing as and when additional facilities become operational the target will not be met by the current closing date. It will only be met by the extended project closing in March, 2014. In the case of the indicator on coverage of the poor, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is working closely with the relevant stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Program (LEAP) and the Ministry of Health in a nationwide exercise to increase the number of poor persons enrolled into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The target will be close to being met by the current closing date of June 30, 2013. It will only be met fully by the extended project closing.
The procurement plan was also updated, showing actual dates for completed activities, with only minimal deviation between planned dates and actuals achieved; The capitation pilot was completed and reviewed; accreditation of providers, gate keeper and referral policy training have all been completed under Component A – Streamlined Purchasing Policies and Mechanisms. Under Component B – Strengthening Integrated Claims Management Systems, the Health Dictionary Data (HDD) is completed and efforts are underway for the hosting. The project continues to be relevant as the objective of strengthening the financial and operational management of the Ghana National Health Insurance System is still one of the priorities of Government as these are the issues raised for consideration in the Health Financing Report completed by the World Bank in 2011. As such the Government has requested for continuous support for it. Even though there were delays in project implementation activities, there have not been price escalations and therefore there were no adverse effect on the efficiency of the project. While the country in the recent period has experienced power cuts that could have affected the health facilities’ and District Health Insurance Schemes’ ability to submit electronic claims, measures were put in place to minimize the effects. Inverters were procured for all the facilities and the Claims Processing Center (CPC) to ensure constant power supply. Thus power cuts will not affect their operations and there would be full utilization of the computerized claims management system that is being put in place under the project. Already the beneficiaries have said that claims submission has become faster in the facilities that are already using the e-claims system and it has become paperless making it more efficient.
?Key Decisions Regarding Implementation
Bank Management is considering the nine month extension request positively to provide additional time and allow for completion of key project activities and meet targets.
Source: World Bank Group
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