African development support project

The Africa Bureau"s Office of Technical Resources (AFR/TR) will the primary implementing agency. The project will provide technical support at three levels. (1) REDSO"s and field Missions will receive 89 person-years of specialized long-term TA in such areas as women in development, the environment, engineering, food security, pesticides, forestry, energy, and behavioral science. (2) AFR/TR"s three technical divisions -- Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), Health, Population and Nutrition (HPN), and Education and Human Resources (EHR) -- will receive 25 person-years of long-term TA to address specific, high-priority, technical needs. It is expected this will include long-term advisors in agricultural policy analysis, agricultural development strategies, land tenure, agricultural economics, and communications (for AFR/TR/ANR), in education economics and in information (for AFR/TR/EHR), and in health economics (for AFR/TR/HPN). (3) AFR/TR will establish a core technical group, comprised of direct-hire personnel supported by short-term TA, to (a) undertake studies of cross-sectoral and regional issues, disseminate study results, hold conferences, etc; and (b) set up a system for improved information flows among A.I.D./W, REDSO"s, Missions, and host-country agencies. Technical services under these three components will be targeted at a broad range of priority sectors and regions. Expected outputs include the following: (1) 6 analyses of regional and subregional themes, e.g., agricultural policy reform efforts, regional agricultural research, and comparative health care programs; (2) 4 cross-cutting technical analyses of such issues as food security, P.L. 480 disincentives, land tenure reform, etc.; (3) 45 country-specific sectoral analyses and/or strategies; (4) 15 seminars and workshops (country-specific or regional); and (5) 65 project-specific feasibility studies and/or evaluations.