Regional economic recovery

For short-term financial viability, a $30 million loan will enable CABEI to resume immediate priority disbursement of 33 loans for public development projects (mainly infrastructure) worth some $74 million; project disbursements for this activity will be tied to progress of CABEI member countries in meeting their financial obligations to CABEI. In addition, TA from the project and from UN entities will help CABEI"s Portfolio Rehabilitation Unit (RECAP) and Project Supervision Unit (SUPRO) specify and implement a plan, currently under review, to rehabilitate CABEI"s private sector portfolio. At the institutional level, resident experts will help CABEI implement Price Waterhouse (PW) recommendations to create new organizational, financial, and administrative entities and improved procedures. In the project"s major TA intervention, CABEI will engage a firm to design and implement a computerized management information system. The project will also help CABEI implement PW recommendations to appraise its personnel and training systems, prepare a long-term training plan, and conduct a job classification and salary survey. Finally, a 3-year program of TA and training by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) will help CABEI incorporate environmental planning and analysis into its program. To help CABEI shift its focus to the productive private sector, the project will provide capital for agribusiness sub-lending through intermediate credit institutions (ICI"s) in the region; some 11,000 such loans, 60% of them for extra-regional exports, are targeted. Long- and short-term TA and a small fund for the training of CABEI personnel will support this effort (including helping CABEI provide TA and training to participating ICI"s) and will facilitate implementation of CABEI"s new, decentralized sub-lending strategy.