Tunisia - Support for Improved Implementation of AfDB Projects

The present intervention relates to the support for the improvement of the implementation of the the African Development Bank’s projects in Tunisia. It was designed because of the decline in the performance of the Bank’s portfolio in Tunisia and the difficulties encountered by the projects that make it up. These difficulties concern, in particular, new operations and economic and sectoral studies and have the immediate consequences of delaying the start of the activities planned in the framework of the projects and thus limiting the socio-economic effects of support for the Democratic Transition expected by both the Government and the Bank. The present project will focus on a one-year duration on urgent measures and prepare institutional support for a lasting improvement in the implementation of projects in Tunisia. Funding for this support could be considered in the second half of 2014. This operation consists of: 1) a short-term, energetic action over a period of one year to provide solutions to the economic problems facing the portfolio; 2) a thorough diagnosis of the structural problems of project implementation and public investment monitoring by state structures; 3) the proposal of measures and recommendations envisaged to solve the structural problems identified above; and (4) preparation of an institutional support project to strengthen the capacity of state structures responsible for implementing and monitoring public investment programs.