01-Mar-2024 Date: _____________ H.E. Honorable Seedy Keita Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs The Quadrangle Banjul, The Gambia Re: Republic of The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity Grant No. TF C3630 (Portion A) and Grant TF C3623 (Portion B) Additional Instructions: Disbursement and Financial Information Letter Honorable Minister: I refer to the Grant Agreement (“Agreement”) between the Republic of the Gambia (“Recipient”) and the International Development Association (“Bank” 1), acting as Grant Agent for the Global Partnership for Education Fund, for the above-referenced project. The Standard Conditions, as defined in the Grant Agreement, provide that the Recipient may, from time to time, request withdrawals of Grant amounts from the Grant TF C3630 and the Grant TF C3623 (Collectively the “Financing”) in accordance with the Disbursement and Financial Information Letter (“DFIL”), and such additional instructions as the Bank may specify from time to time by notice to the Recipient. The Standard Conditions also provide that the Disbursement and Financial Information Letter may set out Project specific financial reporting requirements. This letter constitutes such Disbursement and Financial Information Letter and may be revised from time to time. I. Disbursement Arrangements, Withdrawal of Grant Funds, and Reporting of Uses of Grant Funds The Disbursement Guidelines for Investment Project Financing, dated February 2017 (“Disbursement Guidelines”), are available on the Bank's public website at https://www.worldbank.org and are an integral part of the Disbursement and Financial Information Letter. The manner in which the provisions in the Disbursement Guidelines apply to the Grant is specified below. (i) Disbursement Arrangements The table in Schedule 1 provides the disbursement methods which may be used by the Recipient, information on registration of authorized signatories, processing of Withdrawal Applications (including the minimum value of applications and advances), instructions on supporting documentation, and frequency of reporting on the Designated Account(s). (ii) Withdrawal Applications (Electronic Delivery) 1 “Bank” means: (a) IBRD if the Grant is made or administered by IBRD; (b) IDA if the Grant is made or ministered by IDA; and (c) collectively, IBRD and IDA if the Grant is made or administered by both IBRD and IDA. The Recipient shall deliver Withdrawal Applications (with supporting documents, “Applications”) electronically through the Bank’s web-based portal “Client Connection” at https://clientconnection.worldbank.org. This option will be effective after the officials designated in writing by the Recipient, who are authorized to sign and deliver Applications, have registered as users of “Client Connection.” The designated officials shall deliver Applications electronically by co mpleting Form 2380, which is accessible through “Client Connection.” By signing the Authorized Signatory Letter, which can be delivered manually or electronically, the Recipient confirms that it is authorizing such persons to accept Secure Identification Credentials (SIDC) and to deliver the Applications and supporting documents to the Bank by these means. The Recipient may exercise the option of preparing and delivering Applications in paper form on exceptional cases (including those where the Recipient encounters legal limitations) and which were previously agreed with the Bank. By designating officials to use SIDC and deliver the Applications electronically, the Recipient confirms through the Authorized Signatory Letter its agreement to (a) abide by the Terms and Conditions of Use of Secure Identification Credentials in connection with the Use of Electronic Means to Process Applications and Supporting Documentation, available in the Bank's public website at https://www.worldbank.org and “Client Connection” at https://clientconnection.worldbank.org; and (b) to cause such officials to abide by those terms and conditions. II. Financial Reports and Audits (i) Financial Reports The Recipient shall prepare and furnish to the Bank not later than forty-five (45) days after the end of each calendar quarter interim unaudited financial reports (“IFRs”) for the Project covering the quarter. (ii) Audits Each audit of the Financial Statements shall cover the period of one (1) fiscal year of the Recipient, commencing with the fiscal year in which the first withdrawal was made. The audited Financial Statements for each such period shall be furnished to the Bank by the Recipient not later than six (6) months after the end of such period. III. Other Important Information For additional information on disbursement arrangements, please refer to the Loan Handbook available on the Bank’s public website at https://www.worldbank.org and “Client Connection” at https://clientconnection.worldbank.org, the Bank recommends that you register as a user of “Client Connection.” From this website, you will be able to prepare and deliver Applications, monitor the near real- time status of the Grant, and retrieve related policy, financial, and procurement information. For more information about the website and registration arrangements, or if you have any queries in relation to the above, please contact the Bank by email at askloans@worldbank.org using the above reference. Yours sincerely, ______________________________ Keiko Miwa Country Director Senegal, The Gambia, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania Western and Central Africa Region Attachments 1. Form of Authorized Signatory Letter 2. Statement of Expenditure (SOE) Schedule 1: Disbursement Provisions Basic Information Country Republic of the Gambia Section III.B.2 of Schedule 2 to the [Credit] Recipient Ministry of Finance and Economic Closing Date Grant A- TF C3630 Loan Agreement. [Grant] Grant B - TF C3623 Affairs No. Name of the The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Disbursement The disbursement deadline date is Project Skills, and Equity Project Deadline Date four months after the closing date. Disbursement Methods and Supporting Documentation Disbursement Methods Methods Supporting Documentation Direct Payment Yes Copy of records (e.g., invoices and receipts) Reimbursement Yes Statement of Expenditure (SOE) in the format provided in Attachment 2 of the DFIL Advance (into a Designated Yes Statement of Expenditure (SOE) in the format provided in Attachment 2 of the DFIL Account) Special Commitments Yes Copy of Letter of Credit (including pro forma invoice(s), if cited in the Letter of Credit) Designated Account Two Segregated DAs managed by CPCU. Fixed Type C – Grant A Ceiling D – Grant B Financial Institution - Name Central Bank of the Gambia Currency USD C – 500,000 Frequency of Reporting Monthly Amount D – 100,000 Minimum Value of Applications (subsection 3.5) The minimum value of applications for Reimbursement, and Direct Payment is USD 50,000 Authorized Signatures Withdrawal and Documentation Applications The form for Authorized Signatories Letter is provided in Attachment 1 of this letter The form for Authorized Signatory Letter is provided in Attachment 1 of this letter. The ASL and all Withdrawal Applications with their supporting documentation will be submitted electronically via the Bank’s “Client Connection” system. Additional Information The PIU may operate additional transactional accounts for purposes of disbursing the funds to sub-implementing agencies as per the agreement Other None ` [Attachment 1 – Form of Authorized Signatory Letter] Form of Authorized Signatory Letter [Letterhead] Ministry of Finance [Street address] [City] [Country] [DATE] The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 United States of America Attention: [Country Director] 2 Dear [Country Director]: Re: Republic of The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity Grant No. TF C3630 (Portion A) and Grant TF C3623 (Portion B) I refer to the Grant] Agreement (“Agreement”) between the International Development Association (“Bank”), acting as acting as Grant Agent for the Global Partnership for Education Fund , and [name of recipient] (the “Recipient”), providing the above Grant. For the purposes of Section 3.04 (b) of the Standard Conditions, as defined in the Agreement, any [3one] of the persons whose authenticated specimen signatures appear below is authorized on behalf of the Recipient to sign applications for withdrawal [and applications for a special commitment] under this Grant. For the purpose of delivering Applications to the Bank, 4[each] of the persons whose authenticated specimen signatures appears below is authorized on behalf of the Recipient, acting 5[individually] 6[jointly], to deliver Applications and evidence in support thereof on the terms and conditions specified by the Bank. 7 [This confirms that the Recipient is authorizing such persons to accept Secure Identification Credentials (SIDC) and to deliver the Applications and supporting documents to the Bank by electronic 2 Instruction to Bank staff: please forward this letter to the Country Lawyer for further processing (Recipient: please do not delete this note). 3 Instruction to the Recipient when sending this letter to the Bank: Stipulate if more than one person needs to sign Applications, how many or which positions, and if any thresholds apply. Please delete this footnote in the final letter that is sent to the Bank. 4 Instruction to the Recipient: Stipulate if more than one person needs to jointly sign Applications; if so, please indicate the actual number. Please delete this footnote in the final letter that is sent to the Bank. 5 Instruction to the Recipient: Use this bracket if any one of the authorized persons may sign; if this is not applicable, please delete it. Please delete this footnote in the final letter that is sent to the Bank. 6 Instruction to the Recipient: Use this bracket only if several individuals must jointly sign each Application; if this is not applicable, please delete it. Please delete this footnote in the final letter that is sent to the Bank. means. In full recognition that the Bank shall rely upon such representations and warranties, including without limitation, the representations and warranties contained in the Terms and Conditions of Use of Secure Identification Credentials in connection with Use of Electronic Means to Process Applications and Supporting Documentation (“Terms and Conditions of Use of SIDC”), the Recipient represents and warrants to the Bank that it will cause such persons to abide by those terms and conditions.] This Authorization replaces and supersedes any Authorization currently in the Bank records with respect to this Agreement. Signatory Details Name Position Email ID [Signatory Name] [Title] [Email] Specimen Signatures Signatory Name Signature 1 Signature 2 Signature 3 [User Name] [User Name] Yours truly, / signed / ______________ [Position] 8 7 Instruction to the Recipient: Add this paragraph if the Recipient wishes to authorize the listed persons to accept Secure Identification Credentials and to deliver Applications by electronic means; if this is not applicable, please delete the paragraph. Please delete this footnote in the final letter that is sent to the Bank. 8 Instruction to Bank staff: please forward this letter to the Country Lawyer for further processing (Recipient: please do not delete this note). Attachment 2 – Statement of Expenditure SOE Model Template (incl. listing of prior review payments) IDA – International Development Association Statement of Expenditures Financier Payment made during the period from to Loan/Credit/Grant # Application # The following expenditures have been incurred during the retroactive financing period (please tick) Yes No Category # The following expenditures have been incurred before the closing date of the loancredit/grant (please tick) Yes No Page # ONLY for the Designated Account 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Item Supplier’s Brief Prior Contract # Contract Invoice Date of Total % Eligible Exchange Date of Amount No Name Description Review Currency Number Payment Amount of Financed Amount Rate Withdrawal Withdrawn of the (Contract?) (Client and Invoice from the from the from the Expenditure Connection Amount Covered by Bank (Col 9 x Designated Designated (YES or # for Prior Application 10) Account Account NO) Review (Original + Contracts) Amendment) (Net of (Col 11/12) Retention) 0.00 0.00 TOTAL 0.00