September, 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: www.worldbank.org.

MALAWI, ZAMBIA Region: This will be a $15 million project to “jump-start” the private sector by setting up a “political risk insurance facility” to support commercial financing “for productive transactions involving enterprises in participating countries and their foreign partners. Contact: Mr. Erastus J. O. Mwencha, Interim Managing Director, African Trade Insurance Agency, Times Towers, Haile Selassie Ave., Nairobi, Kenya, Tel: (254-2) 343-310; fax: (254-2) 343-310, MD@ATI-ACA.COM

MOZAMBIQUE: Consultants will be required for this $18 million project to encourage private investment in mining — from airborne surveys and geological mapping to developing the government’s environmental regulatory framework. Contact: Estevao Rafael, Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, National Directorate of Mines, Praca 25 de Junho, PO Box 2904, Maputo, Mozambique, Tel: (258-1) 422-447; Fax: (258-1) 427-121.

NIGERIA: This $114.3 million project will support a privatization program in infrastructure. Technical assistance and investment advisory and consulting services will be provided to the federal government. The involved sectors include power and telecommunications. Support will go for “capacity building” for the privatization agency, the Bureau of Public Enterprises; and also the Nigerian Communications Commission. Contact: Mr. Nasir el-Rufai, Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Plot No. 2876, Osun Crescent by Ibrahim Babangida Way, Maitama District, PMB 442, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria, Tel: (234-9) 413-4637; Fax: (234-9) 413-4665.

THAILAND: This is a $7 million Motorcycle Upgrade project, which will provide motorcycle testing, minor repairs and tune-ups for polluted vehicles. An “innovative public-private partnership” is promised. Contact: Ms. Nathanon Thavisin, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Bangkok Metropolitan Authority, 173 Thanon Dinso Rd., Bangkok, 10200, Thailand, Tel: (66-2) 222-0823; Fax: (66-2) 222-0823, Nathanon@BMA.GO.TH

TUNISIA: This $4.7 million environmental project will focus on improving management and protection of selected national parks. Contact: Mr. Ahmed Ridha Fekih, Director General, DGF, Ministry of Agriculture, 30 rue Alain Savary, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia, Tel: (216-1) 848-892; Fax: (216-1) 799-457; mag@ministeres.tn

BRAZIL: This is a $14.5 million project that is related to a broader $400 million project to support financial sector reforms. Technical assistance will be provided to the two key financial sector regulatory agencies in Brazil: the Banco Central do Brasil and the Commissao de Valores Mobiliarios. Contact: Helio Jose Ferreira, Banco Central do Brasil, SPS, Quadra 3 - Bloco B, Edif. Sede, Andar 18, 70074-900 Brasilia, DF, Brazil. Also contact: Edison Garcia, Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios, Rua Sete de Setembro, 111, Rio de Janerio RJ CEP 20159-900, Brazil, Tel: (55-21) 327-2031; Fax: (55-21) 327-2040.

MEXICO: This $400 million project is aimed at municipal development in rural areas. The idea is to improve “the decentralized delivery of social infrastructure in rural municipalities, by supporting local small-scale investments and institutional development activities.” The project also will aim at strengthening “three levels of government to coordinate joint investments.” Contact: Nacional Financiera, Insurgentes Sur 1971, Torre 4, Piso 8, Colonia Guadalupe Inn, 01020 Mexico, DF, Mexico, Tel: (52-5) 325-6000.

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