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Project Evaluation Summaries
Prepared by the Policy, Planning and Evaluation Unit (PPEU)

Senegal

I. Basic Project Data

Project Number: SEN/87/C03
Project Title: Construction of Rural Feeder Roads in Tambacounda Region
Government Executing Agency: Ministry of Land Transport and Equipment, Department of Public Works
UN Cooperating Agency: Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Sector: Transport and communications
Sub-Sector: Road infrastructure
Project Budget  
UNCDF: US$     7,305,720
Government: 65,300
Total Project Budget: 7,371,020
Expenditures at Evaluation:
4,056,624
Date Project Approved:
October 1991
Date Project Began:
October 1991
Date Project Evaluated:
December 1997
Type of Evaluation:
Final



II. Background

A UNCDF planning and identification mission to Senegal noted in 1987 that the lack of transport and water supply facilities constituted one of the main obstacles to the implementation of the National Programme for the Advancement of Women, a programme which UNCDF was supporting at the time through its financing of project SEN/82/C02 (Women’s Cooperatives in Rural Areas) and SEN/87/C01 (Economic Advancement of Women’s Groups in Rural Areas).

With the aim of removing these constraints, two projects were formulated: SEN/87/C02 (Water Supply and Sanitation in Rural Areas) and SEN/87/C03 (jointly financed by UNDP). At the time these projects were formulated, the Government of Senegal was implementing a medium- and long-term adjustment programme (PAML 1985-1992) which was aimed at reconciling the objectives of restoring economic equilibrium and promoting growth. Senegal had also just embarked upon a sectoral adjustment programme for transport (PAST), which, in the roads sector, aimed at i) reforming institutions with a view to making them more efficient in their operations; ii) giving priority attention to the maintenance of existing infrastructures (80 % of resources); and iii) promoting private sector involvement.

III. The Project

The project is located in Kédougou Department in the region of Tambacounda, one of the most sparsely populated areas of the country, where the arable land is mostly fallow or is used for subsistence farming. The region is handicapped by its isolation and an inadequate transport infrastructure. The road network is not very extensive and consists mainly of foot paths leading to cotton fields and feeder roads. The region has considerable agricultural potential, due to good rainfall, an abundant supply of land and the presence of extension services.

The project’s development objectives were as follows:

• To promote food security and develop cash crops by improving access to production areas;

• To improve the population’s access to social and agricultural extension services; and

• To improve the living conditions of the population in areas opened up by the project.

The immediate objectives of the project were as follows:

• To reduce the isolation of target areas through the construction of feeder roads that are passable year-round, thereby facilitating the marketing of produce and the delivery of inputs for production;

• To increase food production and related products by encouraging farmers to adopt new, high-yield crops and more cost-effective production methods; and

• To improve the standard of living in the villages covered by the project, especially for women beneficiaries of the UNCDF projects SEN/82/C02 and SEN/82/C01, through improved availability of external goods and services.

Specifically, the project activities entailed:

• Studies and the preparation of technical specifications for implementation and invitations to tender;

• Construction work; and

• Monitoring and overseeing the studies and the works.

The project’s primary output was the construction of 143 km of feeder roads, divided into two lots:

Lot 1:

Dalato-Sayansoutou 26 km
  Bandafassi-Bagnomba 31 km
  Kossanto-Bransan 24 km
Lot 2: Dianké Makam-Goudiry 62 km

The project underwent two changes during project implementation. In view of the high costs estimated by the technical studies, lot 2 was dropped in order to stay within the planned budget. Subsequently, in response to a request for financing by the Government and in pursuance of a feasibility study that yielded satisfactory results, UNCDF gave its approval for a supplementary programme of 140 km of feeder roads and made available an additional US$ 2.2 million (planned for the second phase of the project).

In addition to evaluating the project, the mission was expected to make specific recommendations for the second phase of the project.

IV. Findings of the Mission

During the first phase of the project, many objectives were attained. However, the absence of road maintenance, reflected in the deterioration of works already completed, is a serious impediment to project sustainability.

A. Evaluation of project results

Achievements of the project

The project has resulted in the construction of more than 79 km of feeder roads that are passable throughout the year. It has thus attained its first objective, namely, putting an end to the isolation of five villages that were previously inaccessible during the rainy season.

The second objective, increasing agricultural output, has only partly been attained, but shows good potential. During the 94/95 season, two of the three feeder roads were associated with a 50% increase in land under cultivation, inputs, and production. However, since results with respect to this objective are usually determined five years after construction of the feeder roads, it is still too early to assess the final impact of the project.

Inasmuch as economic activities can serve as indicators, important strides have been made toward achieving the third objective, which is to improve the living standard of the inhabitants of the areas rendered more accessible. The following points highlight the achievements:

• Individual travel has become better organized. Regular transport services are now available between Kédougou and the newly accessible villages, and travel time has been reduced from 12 to two hours. Transport fares have been reduced by half for both passengers and freight;

• Access to markets is easier and more reliable. There is an increase in the number of commercial enterprises (such as small shops) in the villages and consequently more economic activity;

• School attendance has doubled in some villages;

• There is better access to health facilities and the health services provide better follow-up to the population; and

• Agricultural extension activities and administrative services are closer to the inhabitants.

Sustainability of achievements

Contrary to what was envisaged in the project document, the feeder roads that were built during the first phase of the project are not maintained by either the Government or by SODEFITEXSociété de Développement des Fibres Textiles (a company involved in the development of textile fibers). In the.. . Indeed these institutions are incapable of devoting sufficient resources to remedy this situation in the immediate term.

The concept of community involvement in maintenance was well received by the population but has not yet been given tangible form through a plan of action.

Management of the project

The feeder roads and the works constructed under the project are, on the whole, of a good technical quality, despite the fact that there was a considerable delay in execution, that the project underestimated the amount of work needed and that three work sites were poorly organized by the contractor.

The initial budget of the project was not exceeded and the UNCDF inputs were made on time. However, better financial management would have helped to reduce the costs of the works.

Adverse impact on the environment

The environment was adversely affected by the construction of the feeder roads. More than 600,000 m2 of land was cleared and 97 trees, each measuring more than two meters in circumference, were cut down. Site restoration was not carried out properly and has contributed to the degradation of the environment. These areas should have been filled in and covered with topsoil. Furthermore, the deposits of topsoil left at the sides of the feeder roads are obstructing runoff.

A. Assessment of project design

The project objectives were consistent with the Government’s economic and social development priorities, at both the regional and the national levels. Not all the project’s immediate objectives were realistic, however. An increase in agricultural output is not necessarily the direct result of access to feeder roads. It is linked to many factors and therefore cannot be realistically attained during the course of a roads project.

The project’s approach, which sought to integrate different UNCDF projects in Senegal, was judged to be appropriate since it helped to increase the impact of the various activities supported by UNCDF.

The principle of having the work performed by an enterprise selected specifically for the project was wise and suited to the project’s socio-economic context. However, the time needed to complete the works was underestimated. Determined at the time of formulation, this period should have been double-checked at the time of the technical surveys, when the details of the work were better known.

The roadsides should have been protected (inadequate attention was paid to this element in the design phase) to increase the safety and sustainability of the feeder roads.

V. Recommendations

The viability of the first phase of the project depends to a large extent on the provisions taken to ensure proper maintenance of the feeder roads. It follows from the findings of the evaluation mission that the solution to the maintenance problem must be sought in a partnership between the various players: the Government, which is making great efforts but is not yet in a position to satisfy all the needs; the population, as the primary beneficiary, must help to preserve what has been achieved; SODEFITEX, which is the main user and in whose interest it is to reduce the operating costs of its vehicles; and UNCDF.

In addition it is suggested that the second phase of the project be revised to make it complementary to the Local Development Fund. In addition, the second phase should work to strengthen the viability of the feeder roads constructed in the first phase.

For the second phase, instead of building new feeder roads, it is recommended that:

• The access routes to the area covered under Phase I be rehabilitated;

• The feeder roads serving the main centres within the area covered by the LDF also be rehabilitated; and

• Support be provided for developing partnerships for a sustainable maintenance systems.

VI. Policy Implications and Lessons Learned

The following summarized the key lessons learned from this project:

• In agreement with the Government, the project document committed SODIFEX to contribute to the maintenance of the road. However, no explicit agreement was established to this effect, and SODIFEX never felt obliged to comply with the Government’s commitment. For future interventions, it is important that such agreements be thoroughly discussed and agreed to by all parties involved in a legally binding document.

• The addition of new activities to an ongoing project must be accompanied by a revision of the project document. Such a revision, for which preparations would include a study of the technical aspects, would enable the managers to alter the duration of the project and take into account the lessons learned during implementation of the first phase.

• The following two options, adopted at the time the project was designed, are to be recommended for future projects within a similar context: i) Hiring a private enterprise rather than relying on labour-intensive work crews (in view of the fact that the villages are scattered widely apart); and ii) the adoption of a six-metre width for the feeder roads (in view of the lack of maintenance).

• The formulation of a feeder roads project without a technical feasibility study cannot produce a sufficiently reliable estimate of the time and the costs required. With this project, the estimated cost should have been adjusted at the beginning (by 20 %) in order to take contingencies into account.

• Provisions for minimizing adverse environmental impacts should be included in the TORs to tender bids and in the contracts awarded. This is particularly relevant regarding the rehabilitation of adjacent areas from which materials are taken and rubble is deposited. In this way, the consulting firms entrusted with overseeing the work would be held accountable for taking the necessary steps to safeguard the environment.

VII. Evaluation Team

The evaluation mission was composed of two consultants, El Hadj Babaly DEME, public works engineer, and Joseph MENDY, transport economist.

 

Footnotes

1 Société de Développement des Fibres Textiles (a company involved in the development of textile fibers). In the project agreement, it was specified that the ordinary maintenance of the feeder roads built by the project would be taken care of by SODEFITEX. At the time of the evaluation, this company did not have a maintenance programme and had withdrawn from certain operations that it had worked on before the project. (Return)