Arab Republic of Egypt neighborhood urban services project evaluation : phase I report, revised final draft

Special evaluation covers the period 8/83-3/84 and is based on document review and interviews with project staff and local participants. Due largely to capable TA, project implementation has largely been effective. The district subproject (SP) component is well ahead of target with district officials and People"s Council members actively participating; the overall quality of district SP"s, both structurally and in terms of meeting needs, is adequate to good. PVO SP"s are also proceeding well, although there is some uncertainty as to how many and what kind of PVO"s are to be assisted. Training efforts have focused on orienting district and PVO officials to project procedures and on community training in waste removal, but this component has lacked the staff and funding levels needed to develop local organizational skills. Overemphasis on the rapid initiation of SP"s (in response to both U.S. and Egyptian pressures) has put a strain on the TA team; moreover, if this rate of implementation continues, SP funds will be exhausted long before the project completion date. Also, some SP funds have also been diverted by the special funds established subsequent to the project paper; while the special equipment and equipment maintenance funds clearly support project aims, the emergencies, paving, and solid waste funds prioritize governorate, rather than district, needs. Delays in GOE funding of personnel incentives and maintenance have caused morale problems among district officials and early deterioration of some of the first SP"s. However, the project"s major problem is its lack of a clear definition of decentralized capacity, and of a plan on how to achieve it. The result is an institution building strategy that is random rather than planned. While the project has promoted decentralization by leaving decisions to district (and to a lesser degree PVO) officials, these officials see the project primarily as a source of badly needed funding and have little appreciation of its planned focus on strengthening local organizations. Several recommendations, focusing on the project"s need for clarity in its goals and implementation plans, are made.