January, 2001: Rainmaking

By Greg Rushford
Published in the Rushford Report

The World Bank has identified the following new prospects for international practitioners and consultants. The bank requests that further information about individual projects be obtained directly from the borrowing country’s implementing agency. Firms should contact the World Bank “preferably by fax,” at (202) 522-3318, according to the World Bank Business Affairs Adviser, Procurement Policy and Coordination Unit. The World Bank also has a Public Information Center at 1776 G St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20433 (pic@worldbank.org), where country economic reports, environmental assessments, and project information documents (called PIDs) are available. Other World Bank documents are available on the Internet at: http://www.worldbank.org.

EAST TIMOR: This will be a $7.5 million project to aid small enterprises by establishing lines of credit to agri-business and other private-sector job-creation schemes, and also training in basic business skills. Consulting services may be required, but the implementing agency has yet to be determined.

INDIA: This $250 million project will support credits and loans to promote fiscal reform and public sector restructuring in Uttar Pradesh. The project will aim at “improving the quality of service delivery by reorienting the role of government, reforming the civil service, reducing corruption through improved transparency,” and other deregulation initiatives. Contact: Mr. Pankaj Agarwala, Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Externally Aided Projects, Yojana Bhawan, Lucknow 226 00, India, Pankaj@up.nic.in; upfin@up.nic.in.

MACEDONIA: Two projects: The first, for $5 million, will focus on preserving architectural and artistic treasures of the Lake Ohrid Region to increase “cultural tourism” potential. Contact: Ms. Ana Efremova, Ministry of Culture and Project Coordination Unit, Illindenska bb, 91000 Skopji, the FYR Macedonia, Tel: (389-91) 128-042; aefremova@yahoo.com. The second project, at $35 million (consultants will be required) will provide budgetary support for civil service reforms to be adopted by the government. Contact: Vanco Kargov, Undersecretary, Ministry of Finance, Dame Gruev 14, 91000 Skopje, the FYR Macedonia, Tel: (389-91) 117-288; Fax: (389-91) 116-313.

YEMEN: This will be a $20 million project, for which consulting services will be required, to establish a “sustainable foundation for large-scale improvement to rural accessibility in areas severely effected by poverty with good prospects for rural development.” Contact: H.E. Abdullah H. Al Dafi-i., Minister, Ministry of Construction, Housing and Urban Planning, Sana’a, Yemen, Tel: (967-1) 264-070; Fax: (967-1) 264-144.

BRAZIL: This will be a $35 million program that aims to “expand and consolidate protected areas in the Amazon region.” The program will be phased in over four years, with two ore phases of three years after that. Contact: Ministerio do Meio Ambiente (MMA), Esplanada dos Ministerios BL., B, Andar 5, 70053-900, Brasilia, DF, Brazil, Tel: (57-61) 317-1000.

MEXICO: This will be a $40 million rural microfinance “learning and innovation” loan, the object of which will be to “improve the access of communities in the marginal areas to sustainable, formal and semiformal financial services.” Consulting services and the implementing agency have yet to be determined.

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