The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) Project Information Document (PID) Appraisal Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 28-Mar-2022 | Report No: PIDA33507 Mar 13, 2022 Page 1 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) BASIC INFORMATION OPS_TABLE_BASIC_DATA A. Basic Project Data Country Project ID Project Name Parent Project ID (if any) Congo, Republic of P175592 Congo Digital Acceleration Project Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead) AFRICA WEST 01-Apr-2022 02-Jun-2022 Digital Development Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Financing Ministere du Plan, de la Ministry of Posts, Statistique et de Telecommunications and l'Integration Régionale Digital Economy Proposed Development Objective(s) The PDO is (i) To increase broadband internet access to underserved populations, and (ii) To improve the government’s capacity to deliver digitally enabled public services. Components Component 1. Strengthening the enabling environment for digital acceleration Component 2. Expanding digital broadband connectivity and digital inclusion Component 3. Improving delivery of, and access to people-centric digitally enabled services Component 4. Project Management Component 5. CERC PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 100.00 Total Financing 100.00 of which IBRD/IDA 100.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing Mar 13, 2022 Page 2 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 100.00 Environmental and Social Risk Classification Substantial Decision The review did authorize the team to appraise and negotiate B. Introduction and Context Country Context 1. The Republic of Congo (Congo) is a lower middle-income (LMI) country located in the western coast of Central Africa, with a population of 5.69 million and rich natural resources. The economy remains undiversified, with the oil sector accounting for 63 percent of exports in 2019.1 Due to the decrease in oil production, the oil sector is projected to decline by 3.3 percent, while the non-oil sector experienced a sharp recession of 14.6 percent in 2020. In fact, in 2020, Congo’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was revised downwards from 4.38 percent to 0.77 percent - due to the sharp decline in oil prices2 and the impact of COVID-19. In recent years, public debt in Congo has increased significantly due to the continued buildup of domestic and external arrears. The country is classified as “in debt distress� with public debt to GDP reaching 101 percent in 2020.3 2. Poverty is on the rise, and more vulnerable households are at risk of falling into poverty. The prosperity that Congo enjoyed with the oil windfall did not trickle down to the entire population, and the urban and rural divide continues to grow, with the poverty headcount increasing from 64.8 to 69.4 percent in rural areas. The poverty rate in Congo is projected to increase to 53.4 percent in 2022, the largest increase during the last decade. 3. The development of a strong and resilient digital economy is an integral part of Congo’s strategy for economic diversification. The current National Development Plan (PND4 2018-2022) commits to foster a private sector-led environment for economic diversification, particularly in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector, and laying out the country's development priorities, including governance, human capital, infrastructure development, and public service delivery. In 2021, The ICT sector contribution to GDP was estimated between 2.7 and 3 percent5 annually, which shows the sector’s impact on overall productivity and economic growth. COVID-19 further highlights the significance of fostering the emergence of a digital economy, particularly for access-to- information, public service delivery, and remote learning/work. This is in line with the global call to 1 The Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2019. https://oec.world/en/profile/country/cog 2 World Bank, 2020. Republic of Congo Quarterly Economic Update. 3 IMF, 2020. 4 Plan National de Développement 5 ARPCE, 2020. Mar 13, 2022 Page 3 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) strengthen access to and use of digital technologies in supporting the response to the crisis around the world through connectivity and essential digital solutions. 4. Girls and women are at a disadvantage due to limited use of the internet, time to devote to income- generating activities, and access to services. The digital gap between men and women widens across the levels of education, while a noticeable gender disparity in education translates into similar employment outcomes disparities in the country. For instance, women aged 20-24 are more likely to use the internet if residing in urban areas and have at least a secondary education in Congo.6 Moreover, ownership of digital devices and use of the internet is highly associated with socio- economic status, as women living in poor households hardly ever used the internet (less than 2 percent).7 The Digital Gender Gap8 calculates a gender gap of slightly below 20 percent in internet use and about 13 percent in mobile use. The rate of cell phone ownership among women in sub-Saharan Africa is around 69%, which is 10 percentage points less than men9. While primary data around the digital gender divide is unavailable, estimates suggest that women’s use of digital services for income- generating activities and administrative procedures are much lower than men’s in Congo. Sectoral and Institutional Context 5. The GoC is committed to advancing digital transformation, adopting a 5-year Digital Economy Strategy "Vision Congo Digital 2025�, and putting in place the institutional arrangement for its coordination. Yet, the implementation must follow suit. The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication, and Digital Economy (MPTEN10) is mandated to implement the national digital transformation agenda, which revolves around three main pillars: (i) people-centric digital services (e-citizen), (ii) support to the private sector (e-business), and (iii) acceleration of digital government service uptake. After facing numerous uncoordinated digital projects across ministries and departments, the GoC set up an inter-ministerial digital sector strategic committee to provide strategic coordination to implement the Vision Congo Digital 2025 strategy. The Directorate General for Digital Economy Development (DGDEN11) within MPTEN is commissioned to operationalize the strategy across ministries. This helps address the gap of coordination between government entities and contributes to a whole-of-government approach.12 Nonetheless, the implementation of the “Vision Congo Digital 2025� strategy remains unclear given the lack of a clear roadmap, prioritization and M&E mechanisms. Capacity building is also needed to reinforce the skills of the government in project 6Ministry of Economy, Planning, Statistics and Regional Integration & UNICEF, 2015. MICS5 2014-2015, Final Report, Brazzaville, Congo: National Institute of Statistics & UNICEF. https://mics-surveys- prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/West%20and%20Central%20Africa/Congo/2014-2015/Final/Congo%202014-15%20MICS_French.pdf 7 Ibid. 8 Digital Divide between men and women, which can be retrieved from: https://www.digitalgendergaps.org/ 9 GSMA Intelligence, 2018. 10 Ministère des Postes, Télécommunications et de l’Économie Numérique 11 Direction Générale du Développement d'Economie Numérique 12The steering committee (Comité de Pilotage) established by the Ministry of Plan , by a Nov 3, 2021 Note de service, will (i) define and support the national strategy for the development of the digital economy as well as secondary national strategies related to digital transformation (i.e., e-Government, trust services, digital capability framework), (ii) guide and coordinate e-Government development activities and projects to be carried out at the sectoral level, while ensuring their overall coherence, aiming at the dual ambition of better service to users and greater performance of public administrations, and (iii) define standards for the digitalization of government systems and services. Mar 13, 2022 Page 4 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) management and coordination of Information Technology (IT) to strengthen further the leadership and effective implementation of projects in the digital spectrum. 6. Despite recent progress on the enabling legal and regulatory framework, challenges remain in establishing a robust and secure environment for online transactions and clear data protection policies, to align with the World Development Report (WDR2021) on Data for Better Lives.13 Under the leadership of MPTEN, Congo recently passed several laws14 related to data protection and cybersecurity. However, effective enforcement and application have proven to be problematic. There is a critical need to develop cybersecurity strategies and establish key policies, procedures, and guidelines to provide adequate safeguards for the processing of personal data. Further legislative improvements are needed to support ICT infrastructure investments, the development of digital public services and of digital government (particularly in cybersecurity, data governance, and electronic procedures such as identification). Boosting equitable and affordable access to quality broadband infrastructure 7. The GoC launched several national and regional fiber optic infrastructure projects on the first and the middle mile of the broadband value chain15 to position Congo as a traffic hub and improve access to broadband services. 8. International fiber optic connectivity. Congo is currently connected to only one submarine cable (West Africa Cable System (WACS16), with a landing station in Pointe-Noire, exclusively managed by the state- owned incumbent operator Congo Telecom (CT). Due to the current instable international connectivity (several outages occurred in 2020 and amid the presidential election in March 2021) and increased demand, there is an urgent need for diversification. Meta and its 2Africa partners plan a second submarine cable landing station in Pointe-Noire by the end of 2022. The arrival of the new 2Africa cable and the new 4G license soon to be granted to CT should help reduce prices and strong growth in mobile internet. 9. National fiber optic connectivity. The national backbone project (PCN17), funded by the GoC, is built around 3,000 km18 of the backbone network and several metropolitan optical loops in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Oyo19 for a total of 700 km. PCN20 aims to improve internet access nationally with a fiber optic network operated by Congo Telectom by building aerial and terrestrial cable links to connect Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, Brazzaville, Oyo, and Ouesso. The national electricity company (E2C, formerly SNE) deployed 1,100 km of fiber optic cable in Congo since 2015 for its own usage. In 13 Chapter 6 on data policies, laws, and regulations: creating a trust environment. World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives. Available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2021 14 Such as Personal Data Protection (Law No.29/2019), Electronic Transactions (Law No.37/2019), which regulates e-commerce, e-certification, e-signature; Cybersecurity (Law No.26/2020); and Cybercrime (No.2720). 15 The broadband network value chain to develop universal, affordable and good quality internet comprises of four broad segments. The first mile is where the internet enters the country. The middle mile is where the Internet passes through the country. The last mile is where the Internet reaches the end-users. (https://broadbandcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/WGDigitalMoonshotforAfrica_Report2020- 1.pdf) 16 Stretching 14,530 km, the WACS was commissioned in 2012 and now connects 15 countries, including Congo. The initial design capacity was 5.12 Tbit/s running at 10Gbps per wavelength and later upgraded to 14.4Tbit/s with 100Gbps in 2015 by Huawei Marine Solution. In 2019, the same firm completed a second upgrade to support 32*100Gbps per wavelength. Source: Submarine Cable Networks. 17 Projet de Couverture Nationale 18 Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement, 2019. Journal officiel de la République du Congo du jeudi 4 juillet 2019. 19 World Bank, 2020. The Digital Economy Assessment Republic of Congo. Mar 13, 2022 Page 5 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) September 2020, Silicone Connect was awarded a public service concession for 10 years to operate and commercialize the unused capacity of this network. The arrival of Silicone Connect on the broadband wholesale market may foster competition and lower prices on mobile and fixed. 10. While the geographical reach of mobile broadband networks has significantly increased, uptake of high-speed internet services remains hampered by high prices. Mobile networks are operated by private telecoms operators (MTN and Airtel)20 and cover 89 percent of the population for 3G and 69 percent for 4G.21 The nominal subscription rate in Congo stands at 104 percent22, while the "unique" mobile broadband subscription rate per 100 inhabitants stands at 25 percent in 2021 (GSMA). Even though broadband prices have significantly dropped as mobile operators keep lowering tariffs,23 prices are still high. As of October 2020, the average price of a 1GB data plan was 3.86 percent of the average monthly income compared to the regional average of 8.42 percent. 11. There is a risk of a lasting digital divide if efforts undertaken by the Universal Service Fund to extend coverage of broadband networks in underserved and rural areas are not stepped up. Aimed to finance projects that would improve coverage in rural and underserved areas, the Universal Service Fund (FASUCE)24 was created in 2017 and made operational in 2019. The FASUCE is primarily financed by mobile network operators (MNOs), contributing up to 1 percent of their annual turnover. In 2021, the FASUCE seeks to connect at least 40 small villages25 and educational facilities in rural areas.26 Yet, the key gap remains in the distribution of last mile connectivity, where small cities and villages are still unconnected. Accelerating government-wide digital transformation 12. The development of digital public services in Congo is timid, with only a few services digitalized, focusing mainly on improving core government functions. The Digital Economy country diagnostic conducted in 202027 noted that access and uptake of digital public services remain limited. Congo is 20 It must be noted that Congo Telecom (CT) does not have a mobile license to date; however, the granting of a 4G license to CT was foreseen in Phase 3 of the PCN project. 21 GSMA Intelligence, 2021. MTN has the most 3G coverage at 87.5% followed by Airtel (72.6%) and Congo Telecom (16.28%) as of last quarter of 2020. 22 ARPCE, November 2020. Monthly report on mobile network. 23 The weighted average tariff for mobile data per Megabyte dropped to 11.7 percent in October 2020 from the previous year. Source: ARPCE, October 2020. The Monthly report on mobile internet network. 24Fonds pour l’Accès et le Service Universel des Communications Électronique 25Including i) Tsoumbou in the Kouilou department, ii) Loulomboand Vindza in the Pool, iii) Minga in the Bouenza, iv) Okouet in the Cuvette, v) Ekouasende, Ossele, Okeke and Ngania in the Plateaux, vi) Elogo in the Sangha, vii) Binanga and Moungoundou in the Niari, viii) Edzouga and Vaga in the West Cuvette. 26 As of November 2020, 30 locations are connected while 13 school multimedia rooms are being renovated, equipped, and connected to the internet and electricity using solar panels (2 of which have been connected to the internet: General Leclerc Military Preparatory School and Technical College of Oyo). 27 World Bank Group, Digital Economy Assessment in Congo (DE4A), 2020. Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) Country Diagnostics provides a snapshot of the state of the digital economy in a given country for each of the five pillars of the DE4A initiative (digital infrastructure, digital public platforms, digital financial services, digital businesses, and digital skills). Mar 13, 2022 Page 6 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) ranked in the lowest quartile of the 2020 E-Government Development Index (EGDI).28Error! Reference source not found. Additionally, Congo ranks below the world average and lags behind regional averages in providing online services and e-participation (ranked 166th out of 193 countries). The total number of digital public services currently offered is unknown, as MDAs lack a centralized monitoring system to track digital services and related usage. Public sector digitalization efforts have focused mainly on government core back-office systems (G2G) and government online informational portals. Only a handful of transactional digitally enabled public services and digital platforms (P2G) — primarily as part of the tax and customs administration reforms29 — have been implemented (i.e., dematerialized tax stamp, electronic payment (e-pay), electronic customs (e-douane), tax declaration through the e-TAX portal30). A teleservice platform31 has been established to allow all ministries to offer online services and carry out administrative formalities online, yet with limited availability of information and service adoption and poor user experience. The evolution of the number of online procedures on the teleservice platform depends on the willingness of each ministry to digitize procedures. The limited digital skills within the Government and among the general population also limit the uptake of such services. 13. Congo also needs to modernize the ID ecosystem to make it an enabler for the digital transformation. Although the current rate of under-5 birth registration is close to universal (96 percent), the Civil Registration (CR) system — decentralized and operated by municipal officials but overseen by the MoJ — is impractical and outdated and still records on paper the ten acts related to a person’s stage of life. In the urban areas of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, digitalization remains uneven across the different CR centers. This creates barriers for the population to access CR documentation required by law for accessing other services. The 2018 Identification for Development’s (ID4D) Findex survey estimated that 40.7 percent of the population above age 15 have no national identification (ID), with 44.1 percent of women having no ID compared to 37.2 percent of men.32 Stepping up digital skills development to fuel adoption of digital services 14. Public officials need to be trained in digital skills and certified to use and manage digital government services. Many MDAs operate outdated and isolated digital applications and systems, and civil servants lack basic levels of digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness. The lack of specialized IT profiles (i.e., data analysts, data integrators, information system or technical architects, IT security 28 Ranked 160th out of 193 countries with a score of 0.37, below the Africa region's average of 0.39. Error! Reference source not found. 29 The observation of trends related to the digitalization of tax revenues will allow, in the short and medium-term, to assess the impact of digital taxation in the Republic of Congo. 30 This portal implements remote procedures for the declaration and payment of taxes. It also allows the consultation of taxpayers' files. The portal is interconnected to the integrated system of public finance management (SIGFIP). Officially launched on July 1, 2020, it currently covers 16 types of taxes and plans to increase the number in 2021 to eventually cover all of them. In addition, the FIA network was launched in 2010 by MoF to connect and interconnect the financial authorities under the e-Tax Project and several other government sites. The second phase of the project is currently ongoing, to upgrade the existing network and connect 18 additional premises (12 sites will require interior work including IT room, wiring, and electrical security) for a total estimated cost of US$6.2 million. 31 https://www.teleservices.gouv.cg/ 32 World Bank, 2018. ID4D-Findex Survey Data. Mar 13, 2022 Page 7 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) specialists) requires a revaluation of IT professions within the public service. Locally trained IT specialists/engineers (primarily men) are often hired below their grade (compared to the ones trained abroad) and often migrate from the public sector to the private sector for higher wages. Currently, there is no strategy to develop digital skills among public servants. Computer scientists have no special status in civil service and are recruited as teachers. 15. The productive use of the internet and digital services by individuals is constrained by weak digital literacy and skills adoption, particularly among women – an important and persistent demand-side hurdle in Congo. Digital literacy and skills remain the greatest collective barrier to mobile broadband adoption across the world for both men and women.33 Congo has a dynamic young working-age population (accounting 38.1 percent of the population) which remains unskilled and uneducated. Between 2010 and 2020, the Human Capital Index (HCI) value for Congo increased only from 0.41 to 0.42, which is lower than average for LMI countries (with an HCI value of 0.48). Combined with the learning gap, this impedes acquisition of foundational skills essential for the labor market. There is no specific gender-disaggregated data for Congo on mobile broadband usage, or ICT labor market composition, or availability of digital public services specific to women’s needs. In Congo, gendered issues of patriarchy and power relations between men and women impair internet use (see Annex 2 for more details). Moreover, skewed perceptions of Internet content from the respondents’ limits internet use. There is concern about privacy and security as people fear financial fraud or misrepresentation online. C. Proposed Development Objective(s) Development Objective(s) (From PAD) To increase broadband internet access to underserved populations and improve the government’s capacity to deliver digitally-enabled public services Key Results 16. The proposed results indicators to measure achievements of the PDO are the following: To increase broadband internet access to underserved populations  People (per 100) in underserved areas who gained access to mobile broadband internet as a result of the project (Number) (of which % female)  Individuals benefiting from improved access to broadband internet through new multimedia rooms and/or schools supported under the project (Number) (of which % female, urban/rural) To improve the government’s capacity to deliver digitally enabled public services  New facilitated and digitally enabled public services available online to people citizens and businesses (Number) 33 GSMA, 2020. Connected Women – The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2020. Mar 13, 2022 Page 8 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592)  Civil servants and government contractors who earned certifications in foundational, intermediate, and advanced digital skills throughout the project’s activities implementation (Number) (of which, % female; of which % reside in rural areas). D. Project Description 17. The proposed Digital Acceleration Congo project is designed to accelerate digital transformation through a series of interventions that increase broadband internet access to underserved populations and improves the government's capacity to deliver digitally enabled public services. The project will increase inclusive access to broadband connectivity, strengthen the regulatory and institutional environment towards a competition-oriented broadband market, support national digital literacy and skills development and develop a series of digitally enabled services for people’s “life journey� through a whole-of-government approach – thus increasing the uptake of government services. Component 1. Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Digital Acceleration 18. This component aims at creating an environment to improve coverage of underserved populations for high quality, affordable internet services, and the creation of a climate-sensitive, safe ecosystem for the adoption of digital government services. This would be achieved by (i) strengthening the legal, regulatory and institutional environment for digital economy, and (ii) strengthening skills and capabilities for technology adoption. Sub-component 1.1. Strengthening of the legal, regulatory, and institutional environment 19. This sub-component focuses on strengthening the overall regulatory and policy framework to promote a vibrant telecommunications sector, provide adequate safeguards for digital government as well as the foundations for cybersecurity and personal data protection. This sub-component will also strengthen the institutional capacity of key entities for the implementation of digital regulation and governance of digital services. In that regard, the project will support the operationalization of entities mandated to implement the national Digital Strategy and newly adopted cyber legislation. Subcomponent 1.2. Development of skills and capabilities for technology adoption 20. This subcomponent aims to better equip government employees, citizens, and businesses to adopt digital skills and prepare for future jobs and digital economy. The project will explore ways to disseminate information on the potential opportunities of certification and institutional accreditation for the ecosystem of training providers. It will increase the supply of the digital skills training and create space for innovative approaches by collaborating with international and local partners recognized for their training quality and capacity to bring various actors together (i.e., local public and private universities, national employment and training agencies, ICT training centers and institutes, and tech incubators). Finally, this component will aim for an inclusive approach – such as promoting girls’ participation in all training programs supported by the project. 21. The project will support the enabling environment for a digitally skilled labor force. Activities under this sub-component will include TA required for the calibration of digital skills programs to Congo’s Mar 13, 2022 Page 9 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) context and local needs. 3The subcomponent will also support TA to develop basic, intermediate and advanced level digital skills training programs in both public and private sectors and the general population. Finally, it will support capacity-building programs in advanced digital skills for the specialized entities and professionals supporting digital transformation and digital public services (MPTEN, ANSSI, DGDEN, CIRAS, ARPCE, ACSI). Component 2. Expanding and Increasing Digital Broadband Connectivity and Digital Inclusion 22. This component will support the GoC in reducing the geographic and societal digital divides through a comprehensive strategy that relies on the Maximizing Finance for Development (MFD) approach. It will be fostered by the measures under Component 1 to stimulate private sector led investment to expand the geographic coverage of broadband and better serve government institutions, under the MFD approach. It will support (i) expanding broadband network coverage in selected underserved rural areas; (ii) facilitating internet access for deprived communities; and (iii) provision of last-mile connectivity to selected MDAs. Any digital infrastructure built with the support of this project will be subject to quality standards, including compliance with the requirements for disaster response and for climate change mitigation and will be conducted through a competitive selection process. It will also aim to follow energy-efficient civil works standards, improving energy efficiency and fuel consumption in the newly built infrastructure. The impact of climate change will be incorporated in the design of technical solutions to increase resilience to landslides, floods, and erosion; and to ensure the sustainability of these solutions by preventing environmental degradation and reducing GHG emissions (i.e., using solar power for mobile base towers with 3 days battery backup, multimedia centers, computer rooms, WiFi hotspots and active equipment compliant with ‘Green ICT standards’). Sub-component 2.1. Support in improving digital inclusion 23. This sub-component aims to fill the broadband network coverage gaps, notably in selected underserved rural areas where operators are unwilling or unable to invest without public support, focusing on areas that maximize the social and economic impacts of the investments. The project will provide technical assistance to support the Universal Access Fund FASUCE to improve governance arrangements and targeting of connectivity activities supported by the fund. The project will also support mechanisms to improve efficiency of the financing of connectivity expansion. This will be undertaken following the Maximizing Finance for Development principles. Sub-component 2.2. Support in improving broadband connectivity to MDAs and public digital skills training providers 24. This subcomponent will support the GoC's effort to enhance the level of broadband connectivity in public institutions across the country and the main public digital skills training providers. The project will provide fiber connectivity as well as indoor coverage (cabling and/or WiFi) through one (or more) single responsibility end-to-end service contracts to connect selected MDAs located in Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville. These are entirely open and competitive processes, including multiple lot IT Supply and Installation procurement packages (turnkey contracts), with specific, set standards and specifications, to ensure quality, consistency of service and scale, and the involvement of Mar 13, 2022 Page 10 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) competent, experienced general contractors, involving, if possible, young technologists at the local level. 25. This subcomponent aims to support ongoing actions to deploy sites where deprived communities in rural areas can have easy and free access to the internet to enable the economically vulnerable population in rural areas to have easy and free access to the internet, this subcomponent will be threefold: (i)support the deployment multimedia rooms in schools for local students to be able to learn and practice digital skills, (ii) support the deployment of computer rooms in Post Offices to enable local population to have easy and free access to Internet and to the one-stop-shop portal that will be developed in subcomponent 3.2, and (iii) support the deployment of free WiFi hotspots in selected public premises to enable the local population to have easy and free access to the Internet. Component 3. Improving delivery of and online access to people-centric digitally enabled public services 26. This component aims to strengthen government capacity to manage digitally enabled public services and to deliver safe and robust online services to people and businesses. The project will assist the GoC to streamline and modernize specific G2P services, based on life events and people- centric delivery. Services supported under this component will be designed based on embedded user- research and design workshop. The user-research process will aim at collecting user needs and feedback, and continuously adapting the quality and accessibility of systems and services based on feedback received. This will be achieved by (i) reinforcing the GoC’s ID ecosystem by implementing the institutional, regulatory and technical foundations for a reliable and inclusive digital, foundational national ID system, and by streamlining, modernizing and creating reliable CR services that leverage digital technologies; (ii) developing people-centric digital public services for priority G2P transactions and content; and (iii) strengthening the data hosting ecosystem and governance to ensure secure digital transactions and data conservation. Sub-component 3.1. Modernization of CR and implementation of pre-requisites for an inclusive digital ID framework and system (US$11 million) 27. Reforming the ID ecosystem, including the CR and ID components, is necessary to support the delivery of citizen-centric digital government reforms and to maximize their impact. However, such reforms also imply significant institutional, technical, and logistical complexity and risks. Thus, careful planning and sequencing of investments is essential. As a first step, it will be important for the GoC to develop a shared long-term vision and holistic strategy for the ecosystem that guides the respective reforms of CR and ID systems, while facilitating synergies that enable the needs of multiple stakeholders to be met more efficiently. This subcomponent thus aims to enhance the identity ecosystem. In line with a holistic approach and government vision, parallel work will be conducted to modernize CR services and deploy the enabling environment for the implementation and operationalization of a secure and trusted digital ID system. Sub-component 3.2. Development and implementation of people-centric digitally enabled public services Mar 13, 2022 Page 11 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) 28. This subcomponent aims at improving delivery and access to selected citizen-centric digital public services and sectoral use cases using digital solutions through (i) development of an online one-stop- shop portal and the catalogue of G2P/G2B services to digitalize, and (ii) design and implementation of efficient digital and in-person services. The catalogue will include existing public services and be prioritized according to the “Vision Congo Digital 2025�. Without waiting for the roadmap, this sub- component will support the digitalization of specific priority G2P, G2B and sectoral use case services as agreed with the client. The project will take the opportunity to foster the simplification and digitalization of administrative procedures & transactions, and capacity building of the entities involved in the management of these services under Component 1.2. The development of digital public services will systematically include service co-creation, user research and design workshops and user acceptance testing as systematic feedback mechanisms to improve system and service design. Sub-component 3.3. Strengthening of data hosting governance and capacity 29. This subcomponent aims to strengthen the government data storage ecosystem. Four operational data centers have been identified by ARPCE in 2021,34 and several other data center projects are also in progress.35 What is missing is a clear strategic coordination to ensure that data centers are developed to support a whole-of-government approach and are suitable for the implementation of an overall digital transformation based on existing and future needs for public and private sector. This subcomponent will support the GoC to ensure secure, cost-effective and sustainable data hosting and management. Component 4. Project Management 30. This component will finance project management functions by strengthening the GoC’s project coordination and management capacity, including supporting the enhancement of: (i) operation management; (ii) procurement and financial management (FM); (iii) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), including geolocation system through the Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS) of project intervention sites and “Iterative Beneficiary Monitoring� (IBM) schemes; (iv) coordination of project activities across beneficiaries; and (v) support of training and advisory services needed. Cross-cutting Citizen Engagement (CE) support will be financed under this subcomponent and include aspects related to project citizen engagement strategy as well as grievance and redress mechanisms. Component 5. Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) 34ARPCE opened its own data center in Brazzaville in 2021 (financed by AfBD) and a second one will soon be completed in Pointe-Noire; MoF has one in Brazzaville (financed by WB); MTN Congo has its data center in Brazzaville; and OFIS, a private system integrator, has one in Pointe- Noire. 35 Including the creation of a data center together with the landing station of 2Africa's submarine cable, construction of a e-Gov data center in Brazzaville with a backup in Oyo (financed by AfBD). Mar 13, 2022 Page 12 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) 31. Following an eligible crisis or emergency, the Borrower may request that the WBG re-allocate project funds to address emergency cases that disrupt public sector business and services. A CERC has an initial zero value but may be financed during the project to allow for agile response to emerging emergency events. Adding the component during project preparation, albeit with zero funding, provides for the flexibility to respond to crises as they arise. If the CERC were to be triggered, at the request of the Borrower, simplified procurement procedures shall apply during the emergency for civil works and goods purchases related to emergency response and recovery. This component would draw from the uncommitted loan resources from other project components to cover the emergency response. The current project management structure will remain the same for implementation of the CERC activities. . . Legal Operational Policies Triggered? Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Areas OP 7.60 No Summary of Assessment of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts . 32. The Environmental Risk rating is Moderate. The current environmental assessment (specifically the development of the Environmental and Social Management Framework) indicates that the project will bring more environmental and social benefits than negative impacts. These negative environmental and social impacts are generic and the measures to control them are already known from the experiences of similar projects. Among these negative impacts are dust, loss of plant species, waste production, risks of soil, surface water and air pollution, destruction of crops, risks of work and traffic accidents, social conflicts between local populations and site personnel following the non-recruitment of local populations, noise pollution, risks of exploitation, sexual abuse and harassment of vulnerable people (underage girls, students), risks of exclusion of IPs from the project activities. 33. Also, whilst the Technical Assistance (TA) activities do not themselves have direct adverse environmental and social impacts, the main impact of the TA activities will be downstream of these TA activities. The technical assistance activities to be financed by the project under components 1, 2 and 3 will to some extent induce the future construction of physical infrastructure or the implementation of activities with potentially significant physical impacts on the environment. The potential key adverse risks that might be associated with TA/policy/frameworks stated in these activities might include: (i) risk of recording labor and working conditions that do not comply with the ESF provisions, (ii)risks related to community health and safety (HIV/AID, Covid-19, SEA/SH...) with the interaction of local populations, sometimes external consultants, (iii) road safety risks related to traffic accident particularly for studies, training activities, activities of Consultants and PIU. Mar 13, 2022 Page 13 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) 34. The project has already launched the recruitment of environment and social safeguards specialists whom responsibility will mostly focus on (i) implementation of the ESCP; (ii) incorporating the requirements of the relevant ESHS in terms of reference of technical assistance activities, in a manner acceptable to the Bank, and monitoring their implementation; (iii) preparing the ESHS requirements for all subproject documents, including bidding, (iv) prepare the ESHS quarterly report. Considering the above and the fact that some activities with a high potential for environmental impacts (notably the construction of a new marine cable landing point) have been removed from the project, the level of environmental risk is now assessed as moderate. 35. The project Social Risk is rated Substantial. Overall, the expected social impact stemming from the project is expected to be positive, as it will enhance access to digital tools and services, as well as facilitate improved public service delivery by leveraging digital solutions and stimulate growth. The potential social risks identified mainly relate to medium scale (size, budget, duration) of infrastructure works and the downstream social impacts that could emerge from the execution of some of the foreseen technical assistance. The infrastructure works will be implemented in small to medium-sized populations, including rural areas, with mostly direct social impact temporary, predictable, or reversible. The poor track record of the Borrower managing social risks, including stakeholders' engagement, raised social risk rating to substantial. These potential social risks are related to: (i) Exclusion of most "disadvantaged or vulnerable" peoples, including indigenous peoples, in accessing project benefits. Girls and women are at a disadvantage due to limited use of the internet, time to devote to income-generating activities, and access to services. While increasing broadband internet access to underserved populations and improving the government’s capacity to deliver digitally enabled public services hold promises for poverty reduction and shared prosperity digital divide of most vulnerable peoples, including women, can drive to more social and economic exclusion. As the access to social and economic opportunities will increasingly rely on digital access, it will be paramount to address the present (and any future) digital divide, by encouraging universal access to broadband. Supporting universal digital adoption and participation in the digital economy will require all Congolese’s to be equipped with the means to get online, including those who may be more disposed to digital exclusion –i.e. low income and rural households, women, the elderly and disabled. The project will address this risk under Components 2 (Expanding Digital Broadband Connectivity and Digital Inclusion) and Component 3 (Improve delivery of, and access to, user-centric digital government services) by adopting a tailored approach to marginalized populations and groups, including addressing digital literacy barriers, promoting access to affordable smart devices through new programs, and extending connectivity to underserved areas within the country. At the level of Component 1, the project will the development and reform of the broadband market for better access, quality of service and affordability. The project will also adopt an inclusive and user-centered approach at the earliest opportunity. (ii) Gender-based violence (GBV), sexual exploitation and transmission of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS on affected communities may also occur because of project activities, including labor influx. The potential risks and mitigation measures for impacts on beneficiaries, including compliance with the community health and safety requirements as stipulated in WBG EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) telecommunication guidelines will be foreseen in the ESMF and will be detailed in work specific ESMPs. Mar 13, 2022 Page 14 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) (i) Temporary disruption to economic activity or physical and/or economic displacement due to certain activities related to the construction, maintenance, and operation of digital infrastructure (optic cable installation) could imply physical and/or economic displacement. (ii) Lack or not engaging citizen in the implementation of the project. Most of the population in Congo is excluded from participating in the political and economic spheres of the country, weakening the citizen-state compact due to the highly centralized nature of the Congo government. Improving transparency of the project through adequate and timely disclosure of information will help citizens play a larger role in it. Congo ranks low (114th out of 180 countries in 2018) on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. Efforts to involve civil society organizations (CSO) in monitoring projects have not yielded expected results. Non- governmental organizations (NGOs) are not well coordinated and not closely involved in public debate (Congo CPF). To address these challenges, the Project has been designed to support mechanisms for CE. will inform project activities through a citizen feedback platform. A unified system for citizen feedback on public services and a call center are expected to significantly strengthen citizen engagement and accountability of service providers. Additionally, an advisory group consisting of representatives from civil society organizations that work with women, youth, elderly, and rural communities will meet periodically to provide feedback to the Project to ensure high degree of social inclusion. The Project will also finance periodic annual satisfaction surveys to facilitate independent feedback from a wide range of citizens from all demographic segments on their experience with services, specifically including vulnerable groups. 36. The project has developed an environmental and social management framework (ESMF) which will be made public at country level and on the bank's external website before project appraisal. This ESMF indicates that the project will bring more environmental and social benefits than negative impacts. These negative environmental and social impacts are generic and the measures to control them are already known from the experiences of similar projects. The project also prepared and consulted the following E&S management instruments: An IPPF (Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework) to ensure indigenous peoples culturally adequate participation of project's benefits; A Labor Management Procedures (LMP) including a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) for project's workers; A stakeholder engagement plan to address the challenge of ensuring the full involvement/participation of the stakeholders, including a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) for all stakeholders, E. Implementation Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 37. Given the project’s cross-cutting nature, with several MDAs expected to support implementation, a Project Steering Committee (which has been established) will ensure coordination and strategic planning across stakeholders and relevant entities. The GoC set up the Project Steering Committee, through note de service 126-21/MEPSIR/CAB dated November 2021. The committee will be presided by MEPSIE, with MPTEN acting as Vice President, and the project coordinator as permanent secretary and spokesperson. The committee will include key stakeholders representing the Prime Minister’s office, ARPCE, CIRAS, NSI, DGDEN and other relevant key ministries. Mar 13, 2022 Page 15 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) 38. The steering committee will include representatives of the following MDAs (to be nominated by their respective Ministers): office of the Prime Minister, MoF, MEPSIE, MPTEN, Ministry of Primary Education, ARPCE, ANSI, CIRAS, National Center for Economic Information and Management Advisory (Centre National d’ informations économiques et de conseils en gestion, CNIECG), and the Single Window for Transborder Operations (Guichet Unique des Opérations Transfrontalières, GIOTR).36 The steering committee is to be supported by technical focal points for relevant components and subcomponents, coordinated by the project coordinator. It will hold two ordinary meetings each year, and additional meetings can be scheduled as needed. 39. The Steering Committee will oversee project implementation and advise the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). Its mandate will include (i) reviewing project progress, (ii) provision of strategic guidance and recommendations on project implementation, and (iii) coordination of the relevant MDAs. Its Terms of Reference (ToR), as well as sectorial priorities, roles, and responsibilities, will be finalized by appraisal. See Figure 5 for the proposed coordination structure and implementation layers. 40. The project will be implemented by a PIU, led and supervised by MPTEN. The PIU will be responsible for overall project management and coordination, procurement, financial management, Environmental and Social (E&S) safeguards, M&E, and strategic communications. Emphasis will be put on strong financial management and procurement. Key PIU staff will include interalia and as a minimum, a project coordinator, three (3) component technical specialist, a Procurement Specialist, a financial management specialist, a social safeguard and gender specialist, and an environmental specialist. The PIU will also coordinate the different stakeholders in the technical working groups. Those technical working groups are ad hoc committees that will be formed during implementation depending on the needs and for each project activity to be implemented. . CONTACT POINT World Bank Samia Melhem Lead Digital Development Specialist Heriniaina Mikaela Andrianasy Public Sector Specialist Borrower/Client/Recipient Ministere du Plan, de la Statistique et de l'Integration Régionale Randy Kamba 36Additional potential members could include the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Civil Service, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of SME etc. Mar 13, 2022 Page 16 of 17 The World Bank Congo Digital Acceleration Project (P175592) Attaché aux Relations avec les Partenaires au Développement rk.aymard@gmail.com Implementing Agencies Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Economy Eric Ndoumba Advisor to the Minister on Digital Economy eric.ndoumba@me.com Francis Seck Minister Adviser francis.seck@gmx.fr FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects APPROVAL Samia Melhem Task Team Leader(s): Heriniaina Mikaela Andrianasy Approved By Practice Manager/Manager: Country Director: Abdoulaye Seck 15-Apr-2022 Mar 13, 2022 Page 17 of 17