GOVERNMENT OF MALAWI
GOVERNMENT OF MOZAMBIQUE
GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBIA
DISCLOSURE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
TO
ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
SAFEGUARDS UNDER THE PROPOSED WORLD BANK-SPONSORED SOUTHERN AFRICA TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES PROJECT
[Project #107255]
A. Background
1 The Governments of Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are in the process of preparing a technical assistance project to provide consultant advisory services for infrastructure and natural resource development projects, supported by the World Bank’s IDA credit in an amount of US$30 million and potentially co-financed by the African Development Bank and DFID. The purpose of this document is to set out how the Governments intend to address possible environmental and social impacts that are associated with the sub-projects for which the technical assistance project provides support.
2 Many developing countries in Southern Africa are experiencing a rapidly growing need for technical advisory services to facilitate and approve large-scale regional infrastructure and natural resource investments. These countries often have very low capacity to respond adequately to the complex, highly technical proposals put forward by private sector investors interested in developing large infrastructure projects in the region. As such, the countries are not able to maximize the developmental impact of such projects.
3. Specifically, these countries need world-class “just-in-time” expertise to respond to complex proposals and development plans, often under tight deadlines, submitted by private sector investors. The Governments of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia have requested assistance from the World Bank to provide a financial facility to fund such expert on-demand advisory assistance and on which the respective governments could draw when necessary. The proposed Project would also help the governments to: (i) develop capacity in their natural resource and infrastructure ministries to better handle large private sector infrastructure and natural resource investments; (ii) identify rapid response and on-demand consulting technical and advisory services needed to prepare planned infrastructure projects; (iii) attract private sector investments; (iv) respond to interest and ad hoc requests from the private sector; (v) develop the regulatory and legal frameworks required to facilitate private sector investment; and (vi) harmonize policy and legal frameworks across countries in the region.
B. Description of the Proposed Project
4 The Proposed Project's development objective is to provide nimble, flexible and just-in-time technical advisory support for infrastructure development and natural resource development projects in order to maximize their development and poverty alleviation potential and accelerate regional integration. The project amount is US$30 million, which will be equally shared among the three participating countries initially comprising Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia over a three year period. Within each country, funds are to be accessed on a “first-come, first-served” basis by the energy, transport and natural resources sectors.
5 The project comprises two components to harmonize regional development frameworks and to accelerate and expand the regional development impact of private infrastructure and natural resource developments:
· Component 1: Harmonization of Regional Development Plans and Policy Frameworks, and Implementation of SADC Protocols. This component would support activities that improve the scale and/or efficiency of regional infrastructure; facilitate trans-boundary project development, harmonization of regional development plans and policy frameworks; and implement relevant SADC protocols. Activities supported under this component include: (a) harmonization of legal, regulatory, and fiscal regimes/frameworks; (b) high-impact single-country reform of the legal, regulatory, and fiscal regimes covering public-private partnerships and/or other private sector investments that promote regional integration; (c) mitigation of trans-boundary environmental and social impacts; (d) development of regional economic linkages; (e) establishment of regional institutional frameworks; and (f) implementation of relevant SADC protocols.
· Component 2: Maximization of Regional Development and Poverty Reduction Potential of Large Infrastructure and Natural Resource Development Projects Through providing advisory support to Governments in transactions with the private sector including: (i) attracting private sector proposals for investment through assembling bid packages and tender documents; (ii) evaluation of proposals and environmental assessments; (iii) development or evaluation of framework agreements; (iv) negotiation of contracts; and (v) pre and post construction monitoring of projects/contracts/agreements for SADC priority infrastructure projects with regional benefit.
C. Measures to Address Social and Environmental Impacts
6. Since the proposed Project is technical assistance, it will not have any direct social or environmental impacts. Nonetheless, there may be social and environmental impacts associated with the resulting large infrastructure and natural resource development projects in the event the assistance provided under the proposed Project is successful. The proposed Project will address social and environmental aspects in several ways, which include:
· Criteria for Project Assistance. The proposed Project will include a set of criteria against which funding for eligible proposals put forth by the Borrowers will be assessed. Proposals will be vetted by the Bank Task Team Leader and relevant Bank Country Team members (e.g., Financial Management Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Environment and Social Safeguards Adviser) to ensure that they are technically sound, economically viable and provide for measures to identify and address any environmental and/or social impacts. If assistance is being sought for advice on infrastructure projects that are likely to have significant or potentially adverse environmental and/or social impacts, the Borrower will be required to take reasonable measures to ensure that an Environmental Impact Assessment or Environmental Assessment (as relevant), in line with World Bank standards, has been or will be prepared. In the event this is not possible, project funds could be used (or other resources mobilized) to ensure that the EIA/EA is prepared.
· Other Sources of Funding. In the event that a proposal is not accepted for funding under the proposed project due to concerns over potential environmental and/or social impacts, but is funded through other sources, the Bank will submit a written record to the government and financier of concerns related to environmental and/or social impacts.
· Advisory Assistance. Expert technical advisory assistance supported by the proposed Project would include a review and advice on the social and environmental aspects and impacts of the infrastructure development projects under consideration as set out in the associated EIAs. In this regard, assistance would aim to improve the level of social and environmental impact mitigation associated with such underlying projects. Assistance could also be provided with development of upstream strategic EAs (SEAs), including broad consideration of options and alternatives.
D. Additional Information
7. For information, please contact:
Government of MalawiMr. Cliff Chiunda
Email:
Tel: 265-1-788888
Government of Mozambique
Ms. Josefa Jussar
Email:
Government of Zambia
Mr. David Ndopu
Email:
Tel: 260-1-252107 / World Bank
Mr. Charles Husband
E-mail: ,
Tel: 202-473-4232
Ms. Diep Nguyen-van Houtte
E-mail:
Tel: 202-458-7548
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