JUBA, March 15, 2022— The World Bank today approved a $120 million International Development Association (IDA*) grant financing for South Sudan to continue to improve access to basic infrastructure and to strengthen community institutions, and to enhance flood resilience.
The South Sudan Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project Phase II (ECRP-II) is a five-year project that will benefit as many as 920,000 people in 12 of the country’s 79 counties. The project will help build the institutional capacity of local communities to deliver critical services such as access to electricity, clean water, health care, and education, as well as develop integrated disaster risk management systems at the national and sub-national levels that will help communities anticipate and better cope with natural disasters and climate shocks.
“The project provides much needed support for community infrastructure and institutional strengthening. This will help improve basic service delivery, particularly for the country’s most vulnerable populations, and foster social cohesion which is vital for the development of the country. I am also pleased that the project will help strengthen our resilience to natural disasters,” said Agak Achuil Lual, Minister of Finance and Planning of the Republic of South Sudan.
Conflict and a succession of severe floods have had a devastating effect on South Sudan’s economy and people. Millions of South Sudanese have been displaced, and the already scarce social and physical infrastructure have been damaged. The conflict and flooding, and the resulting forced displacement, have affected the social fabric, weakening both formal and informal institutions.
Large segments of the population in South Sudan lack access to basic services. Only seven percent of the population have access to electricity, 40 percent have access to safe water, and just 10 percent have access to improved sanitation. Furthermore, about 70 percent of South Sudanese lack access to adequate health care, and a similar share of school-age children are not attending school. Despite the immense need, local government led service delivery has been limited due to capacity and resource constraints.
To help address some of the challenges, the World Bank has provided significant support since 2014 to aide in the strengthening of local institutions and the establishment of a sustainable community-driven service delivery system that helps foster social cohesion among different community groups. The ECRP-II will scale up these efforts, with a focus on conflict-affected and vulnerable areas as well as refugee hosting areas, while also providing much-needed investments to reduce flood risk in some of the country’s most flood-prone counties. To ensure that the development gains are sustained, ECRP-II also emphasizes strengthening capacities of the government at different levels to provide services and better manage climate-related disasters.
“The ECRP-II will help consolidate the development gains and advance service delivery in an inclusive and equitable manner. It will contribute toward establishing the necessary institutional structures at the national and sub-national level and enhance the country’s resilience to flooding,” said Firas Raad, World Bank Country Manager for South Sudan.
Financing for the ECRP-II includes $ 20 million from the IDA Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR) and $30 million from the IDA Crisis Response Window (CRW). The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Finance and Planning in collaboration with the Local Government Board.
*The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 74 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.3 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has provided $458 billion to 114 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $29 billion over the last three years (FY19-FY21), with about 70 percent going to Africa. Learn more online: IDA.worldbank.org. #IDAworks
