Togo low income shelter technical assistance, 693-0213 : mid-project evaluation, April, 1980

Evaluation covers the period 3/79-4/80; no methodology is specified. Despite its transfer from the Ministry of Public Works to the Ministry in Charge of Parastatal Societies, AGETU (l"Agence d"Equipement des Terrains Urbains), one of the two GOT implementing agencies, has been able to hire two professionals to serve as counterparts to the Planning and Development Collaborative International (PADCO) technical assistance (TA) team. The other GOT implementing agency, DGUH (Direction Generale de l"Urbanisme et de l"Habitat), though, has had severe problems hiring counterpart personnel due to a 1979 GOT freeze on hiring civil servants. DGUH should be able to solve its problems by 6/80. Meanwhile, PADCO and AGETU are maintaining close coordination with DGUH. In preparation for a $15 million Housing Guaranty project paper, the PADCO team and its AGETU counterparts have conducted several studies, including sector studies of available socioeconomic services; a physical and socioeconomic survey of the Be area of Lome; work on socioeconomic data requirements for sites and services in Lama-Kara; and a survey identifying informal sector building trades entrepreneurs and materials suppliers in Be. Also, the staff prepared an Integrated Improvement Project for the Urban Poor proposal, which calls for a septic tank fund and a revolving small enterprise loan fund. Achievement of the planned outputs assumes the availability of funds for GOT housing agencies -- which is expected to be a problem during the remainder of 1980. Funding for 1981 must be assured. Currently, seven GOT agencies are active in the housing field, without any official effort to coordinate them. Other areas needing attention include AGETU"s/DGUH"s current inability to manage and maintain installed infrastructure and the GOT"s need of TA in developing a policy to increase tax revenues to finance shelter programs.