TRANSCAMEROON RAILROAD PHASE III

THIS INHOUSE SPECIAL EVALUATION, WHICH COVERS THE PERIOD 4/78 TO 1/80, CONSISTED OF A FIELD TRIP TO THE PROJECT SITE, NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS, AND AN OVERVIEW OF CAMEROONIAN OFFICE DU CHEMIN DE FER TRANSCOMEROUNAIS (OFCT) FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL RECORDS AND REGIFERCAM STATISTICS. THE PROJECT WAS DESIGNED TO RECONSTRUCT THE EDEA-MALOUME SECTION OF TRACK AND TWO STATIONS TO IMPROVE BOTH THE EFFICIENCY OF OPERATIONS AND THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF REGIFERCAM. A NUMBER OF PARALLEL IMPROVEMENTS PREVIOUSLY PLANNED BY REGIFERCAM AND BEING FUNDED INTERNALLY OR WITH CANADIAN GOVERNMENT, IBRD, OR PRIVATE FRENCH ASSISTANCE ARE BEING CARRIED OUT, INCLUDING THE TRAINING OF PERSONNEL, THE RENEWAL OF ROLLING STOCK, SIGNALIZATION, AND THE CONSTRUCTIONG OF NEW REPAIR WORKSHOPS AND STORAGE FACILITIES. THE EVALUATORS FOUND THAT, AFTER INITIAL FOREIGN DONOR DELAYS, PROJECT INPUTS WERE BEING PROVIDED IN A TIMELY MANNER AND WERE BEING CORRECTLY COORDINATED BY OCFT. THE QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION WAS RATED HIGH, AND THE CONTRACTOR WAS SOME SIX MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE IN 12/79, WITH 50% OF THE TOTAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES COMPLETED. NO MAJOR MODIFICATIONS IN PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION WERE RECOMMENDED. THE FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SUPERVISION PROVIDED BY OCFT FOR THIS PROJECT PROVED SO ADVANTAGEOUS THAT THE EVALUATORS RECOMMENDED AID ADOPT THIS DISBURSEMENT SYSTEM FOR MULTIDONOR PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN BY A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR. THE OVERALL CONCLUSION IS THAT, GIVEN THE CONTINUED IMPORTANCE OF THE OVERALL TRANSCAM SYSTEM FOR THE NATIONAL ECONOMIES OF CAMEROON, CHAD, AND THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AND THE CONTINUED ESCALATION OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS, THE COMPLETION OF THE EDEA-MALOUME TRACK REHABILITATION SHOULD BE REALIZED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. FURTHERMORE, IF AN UPCOMING SOCIO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE PROJECT CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS CONSISTENT WITH AID"S CONGRESSIONAL MANDATE AND DEVELOPMENT CONCERNS IN CAMEROON, THEN AID SHOULD CONSIDER MAKING A FINAL CONTRIBUTION TO THIS EFFORT.