Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: ICR00005135 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT ON A SMALL GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$2.5 MILLION TO THE ECONOMIC COMMISSION OF WEST AFRICAN STATES FOR STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) October 30, 2021 Urban, Resilience And Land Global Practice Africa West Region Regional Vice President: Ousmane Diagana Country Director: Boutheina Guermazi Regional Director: Simeon Kacou Ehui Practice Manager: Meskerem Brhane Task Team Leader(s): Prashant Singh ICR Main Contributor: Jinghong Wang ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AGRHYMET Agro-Hydrometeorological Center AUC African Union Commission ACP African, Caribbean, Pacific Group of States AF Additional Financing AfDB African Development Bank BETF Bank-Executed Trust Fund CCA Climate Change Adaptation CILSS Permanent Interstate Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel CoP Community of Practice COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 DRM Disaster Risk Management DRR Disaster Risk Reduction ECCAS Economic community of Central African States ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EDF European Development Fund EU European Union EWS Early Warning Systems FM Financial Management GECEAO Regional Committee for Disaster Management in West Africa GFDRR Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery GSAP Gender Strategy and Action Plan ICR Implementation Completion and Results Report ICT Information and Communication Technology IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IGAD Inter-Governmental Authority on Development M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NGO Nongovernmental Organization OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs PAD Project Appraisal Document PDNA Post-Disaster Needs Assessment PDO Project Development Objective PIU Project Implementation Unit R2 Result Area 2 RCC Regional Climate Center RETF Recipient-Executed Trust Fund REC Regional Economic Community SADC Southern African Development Community SFDRR Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction ToC Theory of Change TOR Terms of Reference UNDRR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNISDR United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction USAID U.S. Agency for International Development WASCAL West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use WMO World Meteorological Organization TABLE OF CONTENTS DATA SHEET ....................................................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ....................................................... 4 II. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME ................................ 14 III. BANK PERFORMANCE, COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME .. 16 IV. LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. 20 ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS ........................................................... 23 ANNEX 2. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT ........................................................................... 31 ANNEX 3. SUMMARY OF CLIENT’S ICR .................................................................................. 32 ANNEX 4. LIST OF OUTPUTS ................................................................................................. 34 ANNEX 5. MAP OF ECOWAS STATES ..................................................................................... 35 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) • DATA SHEET BASIC INFORMATION Product Information Project ID Project Name STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND P156774 POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS Country Financing Instrument Western Africa Investment Project Financing Original EA Category Revised EA Category Organizations Borrower Implementing Agency ECOWAS Commission ECOWAS Commission, Humanitarian Affairs Directorate Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO The development objective of the project is to strengthen the disaster risk reduction collaboration, coordination, planning, policyadvisory and knowledge dissemination capacity of ECOWAS to better serve its member states. FINANCING FINANCE_TBL Original Amount (US$) Revised Amount (US$) Actual Disbursed (US$) Donor Financing TF-A2770 2,500,000 2,500,000 2,499,999 Total 2,500,000 2,500,000 2,499,999 Total Project Cost 2,500,000 2,500,000 2,499,999 Page 1 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) KEY DATES Approval Effectiveness Original Closing Actual Closing 16-Jun-2016 08-Jul-2016 30-Jun-2019 31-May-2021 RESTRUCTURING AND/OR ADDITIONAL FINANCING Date(s) Amount Disbursed (US$M) Key Revisions 03-Jun-2019 1.00 Change in Loan Closing Date(s) Change in Implementation Schedule 22-Oct-2019 1.25 Additional Financing Change in Results Framework Change in Components and Cost Change in Loan Closing Date(s) Change in Implementation Schedule 18-May-2020 1.90 Change in Loan Closing Date(s) Change in Implementation Schedule 11-Aug-2020 1.90 Change in Loan Closing Date(s) KEY RATINGS Outcome Bank Performance M&E Quality Moderately Satisfactory Satisfactory Modest RATINGS OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN ISRs Actual No. Date ISR Archived DO Rating IP Rating Disbursements (US$M) 01 29-Dec-2017 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 0.30 02 28-Jun-2018 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 0.45 03 15-May-2019 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 0.84 04 08-May-2020 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 1.90 05 31-May-2021 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 2.50 Page 2 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) ADM STAFF Role At Approval At ICR Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop Ousmane Diagana Country Director: Rachid Benmessaoud Boutheina Guermazi Director: Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez Simeon Kacou Ehui Practice Manager: Sameh Naguib Wahba Tadros Meskerem Brhane Task Team Leader(s): Prashant Singh Prashant Singh ICR Contributing Author: Jinghong Wang • Page 3 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A. Context at Appraisal Context 1. Sub-Saharan Africa is highly vulnerable to natural hazards. Particularly, West Africa is vulnerable due to its location in the West African monsoon belt and in the transition zone to the Sahara Desert combined with low lying, densely populated coastal areas. Some of Africa’s most populous metropolitan areas are located on the West African coast, including Lagos, Accra, Abidjan, and Dakar. Several major rivers, such as the Niger, Volta, Senegal, and Gambia, cross West Africa, while the Sahel and Savannah zones are prone to drought events. Between 1975 and 2015, West Africa was affected by 53 droughts and 217 floods, affecting 71.3 million and 22.7 million people, respectively.1 Many of these disasters have affected several countries at the same time, calling for a regional approach to better manage disasters in West Africa. 2. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is mandated to promote regional cooperation and economic integration of 15 West African Member States, covering a population of around 350 million.2 ECOWAS is one of the Regional Economic Communities (REC) in Africa, founded to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for its member states by creating a single large trading bloc through an economic and trading union. It also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region. ECOWAS consists of two institutions to implement policies, the ECOWAS Commission headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development headquartered in Lomé, Togo. 3. In 2007 the ECOWAS Heads of States adopted the Regional Policy for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) with a Plan of Action3 covering the years 2009 to 2014. ECOWAS developed a new DRR Plan of Action (2015– 2030) to meet the changing and challenging risk scenarios for the region, based on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) (2015–2030) and the Africa Programme of Action on DRR. This Plan of Action was validated and adopted by ECOWAS Member States in October 2016 in Accra, Ghana. ECOWAS formulated the ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Strategy, ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative, and ECOWAS Gender Strategy Action Plan. Despite the progress made, ECOWAS still faced several challenges, notably with regard to accessible harmonized early warning information, harmonized civil protection mechanism, mainstreaming DRR in sector policies, and capacities to support post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. 1 EM-DAT: The Emergency Events Database - Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) - CRED, D. Guha-Sapir - www.emdat.be, Brussels, Belgium. 2016. 2 ECOWAS Member States include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. 3 This regional policy is based on the African Union’s Extended Plan of Action. The ECOWAS Plan of Action 2010–2015 is the central strategic document which guides the implementation of the global, continental, and sub-regional policy framework for DRR in ECOWAS. The policy objectives are to provide an inter-governmental framework for collaboration and partnership for ECOWAS Member States in Disaster Risk Management (DRM); promote integration of DRR into ECOWAS Member States National Development Policies, Plans, and Programs; facilitate ECOWAS Member States to develop and strengthen institutions, mechanisms, and capacities for building resilience to hazards; promote incorporation of risk approaches in emergency preparedness, rehabilitation, and recovery programs of ECOWAS Member States; and enhance the contribution of disaster reduction to peace, security, and sustainable development of the sub-region. Page 4 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) 4. At the time of appraisal, key regional challenges on climate and disaster risk remained to be addressed. Those challenges were linked to better access to risk information of the ECOWAS region as well as an understanding of risks in the region. The region needed to emphasize the need for the identification of regional and national hazards, development of national DRM policies, integration of DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA) into sectoral policies, mainstreaming of gender in existing DRR policies, flood management, and strengthening of hydromet and early warning services, as well as reinforcement of capacities on post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) and recovery frameworks. 5. This project is part of a larger program, which is an initiative of the Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and financed by the European Union (EU) under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The ACP-EU cooperation program, ‘Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities’ has the overall objective to strengthen the resilience of Sub- Saharan African regions, countries, and communities to the impacts of natural disasters, including the potential impacts of climate change, to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. The program has five result areas,4 implemented by several partners, including African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR, formerly United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction [UNISDR]), and the World Bank-managed Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), and coordinated by the African Union Commission (AUC). 6. This project is part of Result Area 2 (R2) ‘Building Disaster Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa’, which is coordinated by GFDRR. R2 not only targets ECOWAS, but also the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Activities under R2 are monitored and evaluated against the following: (a) four African RECs have operationalized their DRR strategies according to their respective actions plans, building on the achievements of previous DRM initiatives; (b) four African RECs have developed capacity to advice and provide technical assistance to their Member States in developing national DRM policies, strategies, and risk reduction programs; (c) four RECs have developed and/or improved their capacity to support their respective Member States undertaking PDNAs and recovery planning; and (d) at least eight sub-regional training events have been organized under the leadership of the respective REC. 7. Policy dialogue among the AUC, participating RECs, EU, and the Bank determined the implementation modality of the program for each REC, based on respective implementation and fiduciary capacity. Except IGAD, which qualified for recipient execution of the full grant, the other three RECs including ECOWAS opted 4 Result Area 1 (R1) - Extended Program of Action (PoA) for the Implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction operational, which is implemented by the AUC and the UNDRR. Result Area (R2) - African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have DRR coordination, planning, and policy advisory capacities operational to support their respective member states and regional and sub-regional programs, which is implemented by the World Bank/GFDRR. Result Area (R3) - Core capacities of the specialized national and Regional Climate Centers (RCCs) are improved, to meet the needs of DRM agencies and socioeconomic sectors for effective use of weather and climate services and community-focused and real-time Early Warning Systems (EWS), which is implemented by AfDB. Result Area (R4) - African countries have improved knowledge of risks through the compilation of historical disaster-related data to inform the assessment and modeling of future risks, which is implemented by UNDRR. Result Area (R5) - Africa Disaster Risk Financing Initiative: multi-risk financing strategies are developed at regional, national, and local levels to help African countries make informed decisions and to mitigate the socioeconomic, fiscal, and financial impacts of disasters, which is implemented by the GFDRR. Page 5 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) for a hybrid implementation model wherein the grant would be implemented in two equal parts designated for Recipient-Executed Trust Fund (RETF) and Bank-Executed Trust Fund (BETF). Thus, a US$2.5 million Bank- Executed Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA) Trust Fund (P154340) complemented the US$2.5 million RETF throughout the life of the project from concept note stage to implementation. The purpose was to start implementing Bank-executed activities for building capacity in the ECOWAS Secretariat and to ensure coherence through the development of a comprehensive work plan with four components to organize activities between the BETF and RETF for maximum synergy. The project was initially processed as a stand- alone operation for US$1.285 million in 2016, with a subsequent restructuring and additional financing (AF) of US$1.215 million processed in 2020, while the project development objective (PDO) and the work plan were determined at project commencement for the full grant amount of US$2.5 million. 8. BETF- and RETF-financed activities were designed and implemented along the same components with mutually enforcing activities. BETF-financed activities contributed among others to the following output: (a) Practicing research, training, and collaboration on flood forecasting and flood management with West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) (b) Capacity building for recovery planning and support to PDNA trainings and establishment of a community of practice (CoP) of recovery experts in West Africa (c) Analytical work on understanding risk and resilience in West Africa, including (i) analysis of hydromet services, (ii) guidance on flood forecasting, and (iii) mapping of transboundary flood risk in West Africa in collaboration with WASCAL and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (d) Facilitating regional collaboration and policy support through, for example, ECOWAS Hydromet Forum and DRR Subregional Platform in September 2018 and in April 2021, as well as contribution to global conferences such as the World Reconstruction Conference (e) Policy guidance and consultation meetings, for example: (i) on gender mainstreaming and formulation of a Gender Strategy and Action Plan (GSAP) and (ii) DRR Plan of Action 2015 to 2030 with consultation meetings in Lomé, Togo; Accra, Ghana; and Dakar, Senegal. 9. ECOWAS assigned the DRR Unit in its Humanitarian Affairs Department as the implementing entity, headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. The DRR Unit hosted the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. The tasks included, among others, procurement, financial management (FM), technical advisory (policy advice to Member States), monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and collaboration with the environmental and agriculture departments. The PIU consisted of a Project Coordinator, DRR Policy Expert (consultant), Flood Management Expert (consultant), and a Project Assistant. Procurement and FM tasks were taken on by the mainstream ECOWAS Procurement Unit and ECOWAS Finance Unit. In addition, supporting tasks were taken forward by the project coordinator, consultants, and team assistant. For example, the DRR Policy Expert focused on the gender aspects of the project and the DRR gender mainstreaming activity. Page 6 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Project Development Objective (PDO) 10. The PDO is to strengthen the DRR collaboration, coordination, planning, policy advisory, and knowledge dissemination capacity of ECOWAS to better serve its Member States. Theory of Change (Results Chain) 11. A Theory of Change (ToC) was not required at appraisal. For this Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR), the project’s ToC is constructed ex post, developed from the project’s Results Framework, as presented in the original Project Paper, showing a causal relationship from activities to outputs and PDO- related outcomes (Figure 1). Figure 1 presents a ToC at the level of the project, reconstructed on the basis of project components, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Given that neither the original Project Appraisal Document (PAD) nor the revised restructuring papers presented a ToC, the ICR team developed the one below based on the project’s Results Framework. The envisaged long-term impact of the project was illustrated through the PDO, which is to strengthen DRR collaboration, coordination, planning, policy advisory, and knowledge dissemination capacity of ECOWAS to the benefit of its Member States. This long- term impact was linked to two of the PDO outcomes of the project (see below point 11). The outcomes from the ToC were categorized in two main sections: a. Capacity of ECOWAS and Member States is strengthened to effectively collaborate in preparation and response to floods in West Africa and Hydromet services to support drought and flood response b. Capacity of ECOWAS and Member States for DRR policies, gender mainstreaming in DRR, and recovery planning has increased. This category focused more on policy work on DRM, gender, and disaster recovery. It also included activities related to disaster recovery such as PDNA trainings at national and regional levels. Through the flow of the ToC, the outputs related to the two outcomes mentioned above were elaborated and linked backwards to the main activities identified for the project. 12. Baseline and assumptions. A baseline survey was not conducted at appraisal. Nevertheless, the ToC and the definition of outcomes and outputs are based on several ECOWAS-specific assumptions: (a) High-quality information enables positive change, (b) training program contains information relevant for the ECOWAS region, and (c) information is conveyed at the appropriate level of understanding. In addition, the project made the deliberate choice to focus predominately on flood forecasting and flood management due to the increased importance of flood events in West Africa as compared to, for example, the period between 1970 and 2000 and the still limited scope of collaboration on flood management at the regional level compared to, for example, drought response and food security monitoring through the Permanent Interstate Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). Page 7 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Figure1: Theory of change Page 8 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Key Expected Outcomes and Outcome Indicators 13. The achievement of the PDO was measured through the following: (a) capacity of ECOWAS and Member States is strengthened to effectively collaborate in preparation and response to floods in West Africa and (b) capacity of ECOWAS and Member States to support drought and flood response and recovery planning has increased. Components 14. Component 1: Strengthen DRM policies and institutions at national and regional levels. Support was provided to the ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Member States to: (a) validate and adopt the ECOWAS DRR Plan of Action, (b) build the capacity of—and provide operational and technical assistance to—national disaster management organizations in all 15 ECOWAS Member States, and (c) validate and adopt the ECOWAS Gender Strategy Action Plan and carry out consultations with ECOWAS Member States on gender mainstreaming and DRR. 15. Component 2: Strengthen regional flood management capacity. Support was provided to ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Member States to: (a) establish a regional flood observatory in partnership with the Agro-Hydrometeorological Center (AGRHYMET) of CILSS; (b) conduct a feasibility study on a regional flood forecasting mechanism; (c) provide training on flood forecasting for experts from ECOWAS, ECOWAS Member States, and other stakeholders; (d) conduct consultations on a flood management strategy and on the status of Hydromet services in West Africa; (e) formulate and adopt the ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Strategy; and (f) host two regional Hydromet Forums. 16. Component 3: Enhance regional post-disaster recovery planning. Support was provided to ECOWAS to effectively manage PDNA and recovery planning, invest in capacity building, build regional guidance notes on recovery planning, and assist ECOWAS Member States in establishing baseline data for economic impact assessments and recovery planning. ECOWAS provided five training on PDNA and Recovery Framework to its Member States. 17. Component 4: Capacity strengthening and coordination. Support was provided to the PIU throughout project implementation for capacity building and project management and coordination of activities through the provision of goods, technical advisory services, training and workshops, and operating costs. 18. Major project activities that were carried out included: • Development of the ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Strategy • Development of the ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative • Support for mainstreaming of gender in DRR and develop and adopt the ECOWAS GSAP • Support to ECOWAS Member States in the alignment of the national DRR policies to SFDRR and support to the 15 ECOWAS Member States in capacity building and trainings • Support to all 15 ECOWAS Member States with information and communication technology (ICT) equipment to the relevant DRM institutions Page 9 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) • Capacity building for the ECOWAS region through collaboration with academic center (WASCAL) • Five national trainings and one regional training on Post Disaster Needs Assessment and Recovery Frameworks • 73 people (7 women) trained in flood forecasting and flood management in partnership with the AGRHYMET of the CILSS • Guidance on flood forecasting and flood management established in partnership with AGRHYMET • ECOWAS participation in regional coordination meetings and global conferences, such as the World Recovery Conference and Understanding Risk Forum • Organization of the first and second ECOWAS Hydromet Forum and DRR Subregional Platform • Support of the ECOWAS DRM Unit with training, technical expertise, and administrative support Significant Changes During Implementation 19. Restructuring and AF: The project was restructured four times, though the PDO remained unchanged during the entire length of the project and there were no changes to the geographic scope of the project or safeguards policies triggered: (a) First Restructuring (June 2019): A change in loan closing date and change in implementation schedule were approved by the Bank in June 2019. The initial request from ECOWAS was received on March 5, 2019 and the restructuring proposed to extend the project closing date by six months from June 30, 2019 to December 31, 2019 to allow planned activities to be completed. With this restructuring, the implementation of the original work plan activities was to be attained as stated in the originally envisaged Results Framework. (b) Second Restructuring (October 2019): This restructuring included (i) an AF of US$1,215,000 to scale up activities under the original project; (ii) a five-month extension of the closing date (which brought the cumulative extension period to 11 months from the original closing date); (iii) changes in components in Phase II of the project including additional activities for Component 1 related to capacity building and institutional strengthening such as regional DRR workshops, policies, and strategies development and establishment of institutional frameworks for national disaster management agencies in selected ECOWAS Member States and the formulation of the ECOWAS DRR Gender Strategy Action Plan; (iv) changes to Component 2 included activities related to the formulation of the harmonized policy framework for flood management in West Africa; (v) changes to Component 3 reduced its original budget and allocated it to the other three components; and (vi) changes to Component 4 increased its budget for activities including support to Member States in terms of equipment and policy-related work. As noted earlier, the project was designed to be initially set up for slightly over 50 percent of the grant amount. This necessitated a technical restructuring to accommodate the second tranche of the grant. Given the satisfactory project status and the review of the work program for CY19 and CY20 submitted by ECOWAS, the Bank team was supportive of this request. With this restructuring and AF, the grant amount became US$2.5 million for the implementation of the original work plan activities to attain the originally envisaged Results Framework. (c) Third restructuring (May 2020): As a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and rules in place including suspension of missions, several key activities would have been difficult to carry out to achieve the expected results and many were put on hold. ECOWAS requested the Bank to consider extending the current closing date by three additional months to fully implement the activities. Given the Page 10 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) satisfactory project status and the review of the work program submitted by ECOWAS, the Bank team was supportive of this request to extend the current closing date of May 31, 2020 to August 31, 2020 to achieve the PDOs as designed. (d) Fourth restructuring (August 2020): A nine-month extension changed the project closing date from August 31, 2020 to May 31, 2021. This request was mostly due to the slowdown of activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the unforeseen rules in place including suspension of missions, several key activities encountered difficulties being implemented to achieve the expected results. ECOWAS requested the Bank to consider extending the project until May 31, 2021 to fully implement the activities to be able to achieve the project development objectives. Understandably, the request for the no-cost extension was due to the stalling of activities and implementation. 20. The project components and costs, including restructured costs, are summarized in Table 1 and Annex 2. Table 1: Summary of budget and expenditure, before and after restructuring Costs (US$) Original Components Original Restructured Cost Total % of Total Cost expenditure 1 Strengthen DRM policies and institutions at 270,000 1,170,000 831,285 71 national and regional levels 2 Strengthen regional flood management 520,000 700,000 753,972 108 capacity 3 Enhance regional post-disaster recovery 325,000 200,000 190,600 95 planning 4 Capacity strengthening and coordination 170,000 430,000 722,245 168 Total 1,285,000 2,500,000 2,498,102 99.9 (Phase I) Page 11 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Overall Outcome Rating: Moderately Satisfactory 21. Considering the ratings assigned to the Relevance of the PDO (High), Efficacy (Substantial), and Efficiency (Moderate), the overall outcome rating is assessed as Moderately Satisfactory. 22. The project built on the outcomes and lessons of activities funded under the 9th EDF and advanced the objective of the World Bank to strengthen institutional capacity in Africa region in delivering development outcomes. In terms of efficacy, the project managed to achieve its target indicators both at PDO and intermediate levels, including the gender targets. The project has contributed significantly to strengthen and accelerate the effective implementation of an African comprehensive DRR and risk management framework at regional level. Inefficiencies in project coordination, delayed recruitment and onboarding of the project experts, and frequent rescheduling of project activities due to ECOWAS’ internal planning constraints resulted in a Moderately Satisfactory overall outcome. Other Outcomes and Impacts 21. Gender. ECOWAS developed a Disaster Risk Reduction GSAP to address the gender disparity issues between men and women in the field of DRM. The ECOWAS DRR GSAP complements the ECOWAS DRR Plan of Action 2015 - 2030, enhancing the existing strategy with continental and regional agreements on gender. The Action Plan highlights the four strategic pillars already adopted (namely understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance to manager disaster risk, investing in DRR for resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “build back better� in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction). The GSAP was adopted by the ministers responsible for DRR and gender in April 2021. The same activity was implemented in the other African RECs through this program. This gender strategy aims to guide its Member States on how to improve economic, social, and cultural inclusion between genders in the DRM context. Moreover, the ECOWAS R2 Project was composed of two intermediate results indicators related to gender: (a) percentage of ECOWAS DRR Plan of Action indicators that are gender informed and (b) number of participants in PDNA trainings that are women. The project promoted the participation of women in various trainings organized at regional and national levels. Having women as active contributors (for instance for the GSAP) to the project enhanced their participation in DRR-related activities organized by ECOWAS and brought about the need of increased inclusion of women in DRR. During the project timeframe, more than 265 women participated in trainings, national workshops, Hydromet forums, and country support activities organized by ECOWAS. 22. Engagement with communities. The fully staffed and operational PIU provided critical support to project activities, including the following: Page 12 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) (a) The Regional Committee for Disaster Management in West Africa (GECEAO) with ECOWAS Member States, representatives from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for West and Central Africa, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Search for Common Ground; the conference took place in Monrovia, Liberia in July 2017 with 62 participants (including 13 women). (b) All 15 ECOWAS Member States in capacity building activities including simulation exercises, national workshops or trainings, national DRR platforms, national DRR policy review workshops and trainings, with participants from the civil society and NGOs such as Feed the Children Plus, Save the Children, Mile Six (Community Resettlement Camp post-disaster in Sierra Leone), CARE, World Vision, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), National Red Cross representatives, Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Action pour le Developpement du Sahel (DESA), and many others; these participants were specifically selected to emphasize their roles in DRR activities. (c) PDNA trainings which included the national Red Cross Societies (Senegal, Cabo Verde, the Gambia), universities and academia, Child and Youth Institute of Cabo Verde, The Gambia Food and Nutrition Association (GAFNA), Action Aid The Gambia, as well as women’s and youth groups; from the 5 national trainings, there were a total of 161 participants (41 women); the regional PDNA training had 59 participants (gender ratio not avalaible). 23. Coordination between the BETF and RETF activities was a major contributing factor to resource efficiency. Though difficult to quantify, costs were significantly rationalized by co-hosting regional events across the R2 program from BETF and RETF resources for common participants as well as holding multiple events on the margins of regional and global events, thereby saving participants’ time and travel costs. Local supervision and just-in-time implementation support through local consultants hired through BETF resources to augment the PIU capacity and troubleshoot project implementation issues has proven to enhance output, and quality of supervision, performance, and efficiency. 23. Response to the COVID-19 pandemic and strive toward further digitalization. The COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020 also affected the ECOWAS region. In March 2020 ECOWAS canceled missions and meetings, such as for the ECOWAS Hydromet Forum initially planned for April 2020. In addition, all workshops, meetings, and trainings from March 2020 were mostly carried out virtually. This drive toward cost-effective, virtual meetings and workshops had additional lasting impacts. 24. Cross-cutting issues in DRR covered gender equality, rights to food security and livelihoods, and protection of people who are likely to be the most vulnerable in disasters, among others. By virtue of its relevance to the international frameworks, such as the SFDRR (2015 - 2030), the project had incorporated language on attention to women, children, youth, disabled, elderly, and other vulnerable groups who suffer disproportionately from disasters. Both the EU and GFDRR have underscored the importance of integrating gender dimensions as a core operating principle. The EU has developed several strategies and policies related Page 13 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) to gender equality both in the EU and in development assistance. Similarly, in both the 2009–2012 and 2013- -2015 partnership strategies, GFDRR committed to integrate gender into national DRM strategies and support programs and projects targeting women and children. 25. Even though the project did not have specific activities to increase access to livelihoods or improve food insecurity, it had a strong understanding and focus on vulnerable people—in flood and drought monitoring, through ECOWAS flood observatory and collaboration with other sectors in the ECOWAS Commission such as the agriculture and environment sectors. Vulnerability of the ECOWAS population was evaluated throughout the project via the activity on DRR practice research and capacity building support to ECOWAS. In this activity, the aim was to analyze flood hazard areas to formulate training and capacity building needs. However, flood mapping and forecasting was difficult to achieve in the region due to lack of data, and human and technical resources as well. To derive the flood hazard hotspot maps and socioeconomic vulnerability hotspot maps, the project sought data from open-source information. Focus on reducing vulnerability risk remains overly associated with the type of hazard and prevention methods as well as response. It remains a difficult task to gather evidence on the real impact and protection of vulnerable people through a policy and capacity building project, but it remains one of its principal goals. 26. In FY20, each of the four RECs finalized their regional DRM gender-sensitive strategies and/or action plans, which were then validated by their respective Member States. The ECOWAS GSAP was validated in February 2020. The GSAP serves as a regional roadmap for the next 10 years to guide Member States on how to mainstream gender considerations into DRM policies and programs. Gender mainstreaming has been prioritized as an essential aspect of this project. While each of these action plans address regional concerns, they share common threads such as the collection of gender differentiated data, broadcasting of vital information through gender-sensitive communications, and promotion of inclusive reconstruction and recovery. II. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME A. Key Factors During Project Preparation 27. The project components were structured with clear operational logic, appropriate timing, and sequencing of activities, and specific to the ECOWAS regional context. The high-quality project design is a direct result of careful utilization of lessons learnt from previous evaluations conducted by GFDRR between 2010 and 2015. The recommendations noted the particular importance of strong institutional and regulatory frameworks for DRR; the need for capacity building on hazard assessments, risk profiles, and effective early warning; and the overall role of regional integration for effective early warning. 28. The Results Framework was clear, with indicators correlated with objectives and targets that were appropriate and measurable against baselines. The capacity assessment at appraisal informed the Results Framework design in multiple ways. For instance, indicators of previous projects were too ambitious and unrealistic, not reflecting the complexity of institutional strengthening and political ownership. Thus, the project’s Results Framework was designed with objectives Page 14 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) that had an appropriate level of ambition, and realistic in being within the ambit of the project’s authority and resources. With the restructuring and AF, the indicators were adjusted to reflect a realistic change in ambition. Three main changes were implemented: (a) capacity of ECOWAS and Member States for DRR policies, flood management, and hydromet services to support drought and flood response and recovery planning increased to 1,200 trained participants, (b) number of Member States supported increased from 6 to 15, and (c) number of regional PDNA/recovery and reconstruction trainings conducted was adjusted from six to four. 29. Risk mitigation measures in the project were adequately designed. Project design was initially informed by the lessons learnt from previous World Bank operations in support of the regional integration agenda in West Africa as well as other regional DRR projects. More specifically, the project design built upon the lessons learnt from implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program in West Africa through ECOWAS. Lessons learnt highlighted, among others, the substantial shortcomings of ECOWAS in project implementation, administrative challenges (for example, the on average 18-month timeframe for the recruitment of consultants), and the overall low implementation capacity. The project risk management approach included (a) a phased approach and balancing of Bank- and recipient- executed implementation to mitigate the risk of low disbursements and (b) recruitment of additional staff (DRR Governance Consultant, Flood Risk Management Consultant, Team Assistant) for the ECOWAS PIU to overcome staffing shortages to avoid similar shortfalls. B. Key Factors During Project Implementation 30. Technical experts, who were recruited by ECOWAS to support the implementation of the project, were crucial in delivering the technical aspects of the project. The PIU was established within the DRR Division of ECOWAS to provide additional support to the implementation of the different components. The DRR Governance Expert took the leading role in implementing country support activities and trainings on PDNA while the Flood Risk Management Expert led the work on the establishment of the ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Policy. Both tasks required significant internal consultation among the different teams and departments in ECOWAS, coordination with stakeholders and Member States in the region, and profound technical skills on the respective topics. This dual role in coordination of activities and technical expertise in the specific matter proved to be of critical importance for the implementation of the different activities and enabled the project to overcome gaps and delays in project coordination. 31. ECOWAS’ ownership of the project remained strong during project implementation and beyond. The ownership of ECOWAS and its senior management, notably the Commissioners responsible for Agriculture, Environment, and Water Resources as well as for Social Affairs and Gender remained strong throughout the project. This was evident in the ECOWAS Hydromet Forum and DRR Platform, in the Hydromet Initiative, Flood Risk Management Strategy, and the GSAP. C. Factors Subject to World Bank Control 32. Proactive resolution of legal bottleneck caused by the need to amend the Administration Agreement. COVID-19 disruptions required extension of the project closing date. Unusual measures were required to obtain the interim May 2020 extension for three months, essentially to allow for the World Bank and the EU to process the amendments to extend the trustee’s End Disbursement Date, which was a prerequisite for extending the project closing date. The only way to accommodate the extension was to reduce the grace period from four months to one month. The Bank task team Page 15 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) reached out to GFDRR, the fund window manager, and obtained its in principle consent for reducing the grace period. The Bank task team then reached out to ECOWAS to obtain a confirmation that they would process all payments, submit withdrawal applications, and refund the Bank any unutilized balance within a curtailed grace period of one month (as opposed to four months). The project managing unit (SAFU2) confirmed that they would resolve the matter directly with the recipient if the recipient would submit withdrawal applications beyond the grace period. With all parties confirming, the corporate control units in the Bank (DFI) approved the request for shortening the grace period to one month. As such, the Bank task team was able to provide ECOWAS extra time to complete project activities that were constrained due to the pandemic. However, several piecemeal extensions, in total four project extensions, limited the planning horizon for all involved parties. For example, contracts with consulting firms had to be extended each time, and with each extension a new planning horizon was required. D. Factors Outside the Control of Implementing Entity 33. Pandemic-related disruptions. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting suspension of travel and social distancing requirements, several key activities encountered implementation difficulties in achieving the expected results. To the extent that borders were closed, and containment measures were in place, several activities had to be postponed or canceled, resulting in two restructurings in May and August 2020. III. BANK PERFORMANCE, COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME A. Quality of Monitoring and Evaluation Rating: Moderate Quality of M&E design 34. The PDO-level indicators were adequately designed, encompassing all outcomes of the PDO statement. Two PDO-level indicators relate to two of the three main components of the project. Similarly, the intermediate results indicators were specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, and effectively designed to adequately capture the contribution of the operation’s components and outputs. The ToC was not yet formulated at project appraisal and thus not considered in the formulation of the project outcomes and outputs. 35. Two intermediate results indicators were assessed based on outputs and activities from Bank- and recipient-executed implementation: (a) report on transboundary impacts of floods in West Africa published and (b) ECOWAS strategy for reconstruction and recovery planning formulated and adopted. The activities were implemented based on the comparative advantage of the two implementation mechanisms. 36. With a large number of activities implemented, the Results Framework only captures those results which were clearly anticipated at project appraisal. For example, the formulation and adoption of the GSAP was not captured as a specific Page 16 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) intermediate results indicator. Other indicators are quantitative, but leave out the qualitative aspects. For example, in Sierra Leone a simulation exercise was conducted to strengthen disaster prearedness and in Cape Verde a risk assessment was conducted for Brava Island, while in other countries the national DRR platforms were reconvened and supported. Such details on the quality of the country engagements were not captured in the Results Framework, as only the number of countries benefitting was measured. Quality of M&E implementation and utilization 37. ECOWAS submitted progress reports to the World Bank which included an overview of the results achieved. However, this was largely done in an ad hoc manner and related to a specific disbursement request/withdrawal application and was not a systematic capturing of the results. An M&E specialist was not recruited specifically for the project, as the number of activities and anticipated results did not warrant a full- or part-time M&E specialist. Instead, through frequent team meetings and reports from the DRR Governance Expert and the Flood Risk Management Expert, the relevant results were captured. 38. M&E data on performance and results progress were used to inform project management and decision making. Despite the lack of detailed M&E reports produced by ECOWAS, the M&E framework was adequately used to guide project implementation. The Results Framework was utilized for tracking project progress and performance for stakeholders throughout implementation and for identifying areas of improvements and focus attention on time delays due to operational bottlenecks. They were also used as key tools for ECOWAS management, PIU, and World Bank task team to decide on implementation issues in a proactive and problem-solving manner. Justification of overall M&E rating 39. The overall M&E of the project is assessed as Moderate. The M&E system as designed and implemented was generally sufficient to assess the achievement of the objectives, but there were several weaknesses due to the lack of qualitative data and information and the lack of a dedicated M&E expert at ECOWAS. Environmental, Social, and Fiduciary Compliance Environmental and Social Safeguards Compliance Rating: Not applicable 40. The project was categorized as Category C since it did not include any civil works except indoor renovation of office space of the ECOWAS Secretariat. As this was a technical assistance and capacity building project which did not envisage any major goods or works activities, there were no issues on the environmental and social safeguards side, and the project closed without any adverse activity or safeguard issues throughout the implementation of the project. The project followed the ‘Interim Guidelines on the Application of Safeguard Policies to Technical Assistance (TA) Activities in Bank- Financed Projects and Trust Funds Administered by the Bank’, dated January 2014. Fiduciary Compliance 41. Fiduciary risk at appraisal: The procurement risk assessment and the FM risk were considered moderate. ECOWAS had in general adequate procurement procedures and a track record of successful procurements for World Bank-financed Page 17 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) projects. Nevertheless, the selection procedures for individual and firm consultants in other projects, such as the project in support of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), took between 18 and 24 months mostly with lengthy internal approval procedures. It was then recommended to provide additional administrative support in the PIU to ECOWAS and guide ECOWAS on the implementation of projects following World Bank procedures, instead of ECOWAS internal procedures. Financial Management Rating: Satisfactory 42. FM for the project was rated satisfactory throughout implementation and it complied with World Bank requirements. Nevertheless, the overall implementation of FM was often delayed and withdrawal applications were done with substantial delays (usually longer than the envisioned 45 days following the quarter). Payments to consultants took in many cases about two to three months, substantially affecting the work of the involved experts. 43. The FM arrangements have also provided reasonable assurance that the project funds were used for intended purposes in an efficient and economical manner. An external auditor was recruited under terms of reference (TOR) acceptable to the Bank. The last audit report for project funds is however still pending at the time of the completion of the ICR. Procurement Rating: Satisfactory 44. The procurement rating for the project was satisfactory throughout implementation. The overall implementation of the procurement procedures from the ECOWAS procurement unit were satisfactory and done on time. However, the formulation of the TOR and management of the procurement process and approval process by the ECOWAS DRR Division was time consuming. For example, the selection of the DRR Governance Consultant and Flood Risk Management Consultant took about 24 months and the selection of the Team Assistant about 36 months. The STEP5 portal for procurement tracking and management was introduced only late during the implementation and training was provided on the use of STEP in project procurement. C. Overall Bank Performance Rating: Satisfactory Quality at Entry 45. The project had clearly structured components with a sound operational logic given the regional context in West Africa. The high-quality project design is a direct result of effective engagement with beneficiary and stakeholders and careful utilization of lessons learnt from previous evaluations conducted by the Bank. 46. The identification of adequate risk and mitigation measures was another direct evidence of high quality of World Bank performance at entry. It was clearly and rightfully identified that the main project risks at entry were project coordination and stakeholder risk, fiduciary risks, and project implementation risk. To mitigate the implementation risk 5 STEP is an online portal for the management and documentation of procurement related exchnages in World bank financed projects. Page 18 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) and drawing lessons from the CAADP project, the project was decided to be implemented in phases through equal Bank- executed and recipient-executed child trust funds. Quality of Supervision 47. The World Bank’s support to the project and its overall program was instrumental and satisfactory throughout both preparation and implementation stages. Frequent, adequate, and constructive support was provided by the task team. For example, reasonable timelines to provide no-objections were set and a dedicated consultant based in Abuja was tasked to ensure swift follow-up with the ECOWAS PIU on any issue. The World Bank’s Procurement and FM teams as well as the support from the country office in Abuja, Nigeria were available at all times, and assisted the ECOWAS PIU not only in resolving project-related issues, but also in general hand-holding and capacity building in Bank processes and procedures. 48. Project implementation was overall hampered by slow implementation based on the limited planning capacity of the ECOWAS DRR Division and about a 24-month delay in the recruitment of the PIU DRR Governance Expert and Flood Risk Management Expert. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected project implementation, notably due to travel restrictions. All of the above factors, though beyond the Bank team’s control, resulted in significant delays in project implementation. 49. The Bank team frequently adapted and identified measures to overcome implementation obstacles. Planning and supervsion meetings were held at least monthly at the operational and managerial levels, which was preferred over formal steering committee meetings. These frequent operational deliberations with ECOWAS’ management proved to be successful for overcoming bottlenecks in project decision making and implementation. A consultant based in the World Bank country office in Abuja, Nigeria ensured that communication, follow-up actions, and reporting with the ECOWAS PIU were kept up to date and effective, and prompt assistance was provided to troubleshoot any issues. 50. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, several activities had to be either postponed or implemented virtually. Implementation support missions were furthermore conducted virtually. The COVID-19 pandemic and related implementation restrictions resulted in two restructurings in May and August 2020 to extend the closing dates. Justification of Overall Rating of Bank Performance 51. The World Bank’s performance in ensuring both quality at entry and supervision, and successfully addressing challenges during implementation, justify an overall Satisfactory rating. D. Risk to Development Outcome 52. At the time of project completion, development outcomes that have been achieved will likely be maintained to a substantial extent. 53. First, the project is based on a strong ownership by ECOWAS and its Member States, which was also reflected in the commitment of ECOWAS’ senior management. The ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Strategy, ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative, and DRR GSAP were developed in a participatory process with stakeholders in the region and adopted by the ministers responsible for hydrology, meteorology, disaster risk managemet, and gender in April 2021. Even when this Page 19 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) project was closed, ECOWAS presented these strategies to the ECOWAS Summit in June 2021 in Accra, Ghana and plans a partners roundtable in late 2021 around the implementation of those strategies. 54. Second, the formulated policies, trainings, and country support were demand driven and requested by the ECOWAS Member States. Member States are now actively referring to ECOWAS for technical guidance, for example, on flood risk management. 55. Third, ECOWAS also worked closely with other regional stakeholders, notably AGRHYMET and river basin organizations, and took its convening role around regional DRR forward. With the strengthened collaboration with AGRHYMET as a planned RCC for West Africa and the Sahel, the two institutions have further integrated their programs and activities. It is expected that this collaboration will be further formalized. 56. As a result, the probability of the project PDO to be maintained beyond the life of the project is High. IV. LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS 57. Regional integration is a missing piece of the resilience puzzle but can be complex due to the multitude of regional actors. RECs such as ECOWAS have the regional convening power to mobilize regional organizations including the CILSS, West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), WASCAL, and river basin organizations, as well as their Member States, behind a common policy agenda and ensure that regional cooperation goes beyond the multiplication of individual country or Member States’ activities. For example, the ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Policy enabled the region to implement a common framework of actions for flood prevention and response. Therefore, a lesson to be enlarged in the design of future operations is to maintain the regional space as a crucial regional integration and collaboration fulcrum that can ensure sustainability, ownership, and resource optimization through economies of scale. 58. The project has been an important building block for strengthening ECOWAS’ flood and DRM capacity in the region but faced several implementation challenges. The project enabled ECOWAS to develop a robust policy framework for flood risk management supported with analytical evidence and capacity building. In addition, ECOWAS has a very strong convening power to mobilize Member States around such common policies and was able to convene other regional institutions around those policies. This was illustrated during the ECOWAS Hydromet Forum and DRR Subregional Platforms in 2021, where ministers responsible for DRR, meteorology, hydrology, and gender issues adopted the ECOWAS Flood Risk Management Strategy, ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative, and ECOWAS DRR GSAP. Those policies were taken forward beyond the project to the ECOWAS Parliament and meeting of Heads of State in June 2021, demonstrating the strong commitment and ownership to the agenda. Despite this strong ownership and ECOWAS’ convening power, project implementation was largely hampered by time-consuming procedures and even lack of interest by its administration to resolve implementation challenges. For example, the recruitment of the DRR Governance Consultant and Flood Risk Management Consultant by ECOWAS took nearly 24 months, whereas consultants once on board often got paid by ECOWAS with a two-to-three-month delay. 59. Many of the capacity and implementation constraints were overcome by a close alignment of BETF- and RETF-financed activities. For example, the BETF allowed the recruitment of global experts in recovery planning, complementing, and supporting ECOWAS-led PDNA trainings. For ECOWAS this implementation model proved to be one of the possible Page 20 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) solutions for overcoming some of the implementation challenges and should therefore be recommended for similar projects and programs with ECOWAS going forward. Among the practical success factors were the (a) the strong leadership and convening power of ECOWAS as an institution and its leadership, (b) close coordination of BETF- and RETF-financed activities to overcome implementation constraints, and (c) dedicated long-term consultants, which supported flood risk management and DRR governance issues with Member States and enabled coordination among the different ECOWAS departments. 60. Capacity building is a programmatic outcome, not a project output. An important lesson to be taken from the project is that technical assistance and capacity building are time- and energy-intensive processes. Therefore, all capacity building initiatives should have longer timeframes as it takes more effort and time than money to build capacity and the time for project implementation needs to be adequate. Policy dialogues, capacity building programs, and consensus building between several countries are naturally time consuming, thus any future program needs to strike a balance between activities and the available time for their implementation. 61. Hybrid investment-cum-capacity initiatives are more effective than stand-alone capacity building efforts. If such capacity building initiatives are conceived and designed as adjuncts to investment operations, they will be more productive and lasting. The recommendation is to plan a larger programmatic operation, with sufficient time for implementation. As such, similar projects should in future essentially be an investment operation with ancillary projects for capacity building and technical assistance. 62. Strengthening DRM mainstreaming works well as a multi-level cascading structure. Interventions in strengthening DRM/CCA mainstreaming should be designed for all stakeholders in a holistic framework. For example, programs may be designed as a cascade with components for the local level with civil society and communities, national level with national governments, and regional level with regional economic commissions, with lateral components for academia, private sector, and technical organizations such as river basin authorities. This multi-level design will ensure that the outputs and outcomes of one level reinforce the outputs and outcomes of another level. Otherwise, the DRM/CCA demand in national governments generated through this project may fade in due course. In the same logic, even within a Regional Economic Commission, the intervention should address all relevant units, such as water, agriculture, energy, hydrology, meteorology, and others, and not remain confined to civil protection and disaster management. 63. ECOWAS’ convening power was crucial to mobilize the region’s political leadership around common regional policies for strengthening Hydromet services, flood risk management, and gender-responsive DRR. Enabling collaboration between RECs and their Member States, for example through the support of ECOWAS to each of its Member States, proved to be important to stimulate implementation of policies, programs, and joint actions across the region. Facilitating this collaboration enabled ECOWAS to have a greater footprint in the region and be recognized by its Member States for their role as convening partners, for example, around its flood risk management policy in the region. Notably, recipient-executed implementation allowed ECOWAS to actively formulate its policies, design programs, and convene stakeholders in the region. 64. It will take a multi-partner programmatic medium-term framework approach. A programmatic framework of longer- term engagement may be attempted by development partners as the medium-term blueprint of support for a region. This will introduce predictability and adequacy in the flow of resources, improve country ownership, and enhance donor Page 21 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) coordination. It will also ensure that every region is funded according to its needs and priorities, and there is no unintended imbalance in the funding of different regions. 65. Engagement with Regional Economic Community on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation should be part of the World Bank’s regional integration strategy for West Africa and embedded in regional investment projects. At the programmatic level, the added value for GFDRR and World Bank involvement in the capacity building and policy support for DRR to RECs is only then clear, if it is part of a larger engagement (for example, a regional program with investments for strengthening Hydromet and early warning services) or part of a programmatic multi-partner program. Other partners, such as UNDRR, have stronger expertise and interest in this field and would have been equally well placed to implement such a program on behalf of the EU. Going forward, GFDRR and World Bank need to be clear about the added value of their involvement and conceive such a project as part of a broader regional dialogue. 66. More needs to be done. West Africa and ECOWAS continue to need external assistance to build capacity for effective disaster and climate risk management and to leverage financial resources to support them. In the interdependent world of climate change and disaster resilience, these investments should be global public goods and development partners should step up their engagement in West Africa. . Page 22 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS A. RESULTS INDICATORS A.1 PDO Indicators Objective/Outcome: Strengthen the disaster risk reduction collaboration, coordination, planning, policyadvisory and knowledge dissemination capacity of ECOWAS to better serve its member states. Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Capacity of ECOWAS and Yes/No N Y Y Y Member States is strengthened to effectively collaborate in 15-Feb-2016 20-Feb-2020 22-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 preparation and response to floods in West Africa. Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Capacity of ECOWAS and Number 0.00 800.00 1200.00 1950.00 member states for disaster risk reduction policies, flood 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 management and hydromet Page 23 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) services to support drought and flood response and recovery planning has increased. Comments (achievements against targets): A.2 Intermediate Results Indicators Component: Strengthen DRM policies and institutions at national and regional level. Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Percentage of ECOWAS DRR Percentage 0.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 Plan of Action indicators that are gender informed 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Number of member states Number 0.00 6.00 15.00 15.00 supported with a regional peer review of their national 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 disaster risk management agencyDRR advisory and capacity building support Page 24 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion ECOWAS strategy for Yes/No N N N Y reconstruction and recovery planning formulated and 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 adopted. Comments (achievements against targets): Strategy for reconstruction and recovery planning (Guidance Note on Good Practice) was prepared but not officially adopted. Component: Strengthen regional flood management capacity Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Framework for flood early Yes/No N N Y Y warning (EWS) at regional level developed and piloted in at 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 least two member states Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Formally Revised Measure Completion Page 25 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Target Report on transboundary Yes/No N N Y Y impacts of floods in West Africa published 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 Comments (achievements against targets): A report on Transboundary Impacts of Floods was prepared (Guidance Note on Best Practice) but not published due to methodology used. Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Database with available Yes/No N N Y Y information for flood forecasting available 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 Comments (achievements against targets): Component: Enhance regional post disaster recovery planning Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion ECOWAS strategy for Yes/No N N N Y reconstruction and recovery planning formulated and 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 adopted. Comments (achievements against targets): Page 26 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Strategy for reconstruction and recovery planning (Guidance Note on Good Practice) was prepared but not officially adopted. Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Number of regional PDNA / Number 0.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 recovery and reconstruction trainings conducted 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 Comments (achievements against targets): Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Number of participants in Number 0.00 100.00 100.00 200.00 PDNA trainings that are women 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 Comments (achievements against targets): The above is the number of people trained in PDNA methodology to become member of ECOWAS expert roster, gender disaggregated (Number, Custom) Component: Capacity strengthening and coordination Unit of Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Baseline Original Target Measure Target Completion Page 27 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) Number of additional DRM Number 0.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 experts hired by ECOWAS Commission 15-Feb-2016 30-Jun-2019 30-Apr-2021 31-May-2021 Comments (achievements against targets): Page 28 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) B. ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSESSMENT OF THE PDO Objective/Outcome 1 1. Capacity of ECOWAS and Member States is strengthened to effectively collaborate in preparation and response to floods in West Outcome Indicators Africa 1. ECOWAS DRR Plan of Action indicators that are gender informed 2. Member states supported with DRR advisory and capacity building support 3. Regional strategy on flood monitoring and management formulated Intermediate Results Indicators and adopted 4. Report on transboundary impacts of floods in West Africa published 5. Database with available information for flood forecasting available 1. ECOWAS GSAP 2. Flood Risk Management Strategy 3. Establishment of a regional CoP on flood management and Key Outputs by Component Hydromet services in West Africa (linked to the achievement of the Objective/Outcome 1) 4. ECOWAS DRR Plan of Action 2015–2030 5. Equipment support to all 15 ECOWAS Member States 5. ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative elaborated Objective/Outcome 2 1. Capacity of ECOWAS and Member States to support drought and flood response and recovery planning has increased Outcome Indicators Page 29 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) 1. Number of regional PDNA/recovery and reconstruction trainings conducted 2. ECOWAS strategy for reconstruction and recovery planning formulated and adopted Intermediate Results Indicators 3. Number of people trained in PDNA methodology to become member of ECOWAS expert roster; gender disaggregated 4. Number of additional DRM experts hired by the ECOWAS Commission 1. Five national PDNAs 2. One regional PDNA Key Outputs by Component 3. Establishment of a regional CoP on recovery planning in West (linked to the achievement of the Objective/Outcome 2) Africa 3. Recruitment of 3 staff to support the PIU 4. ECOWAS Strategy on Recovery Planning Page 30 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) . ANNEX 2. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT Costs (US$) Original Components Original Restructured Cost Total % of Total Cost expenditure 1 Strengthen DRM policies and institutions at 270,000 1,170,000 $831,285 71 national and regional levels 2 Strengthen regional flood management 520,000 700,000 $753,972 108 capacity 3 Enhance regional post-disaster recovery 325,000 200,000 $190,600 95 planning 4 Capacity strengthening and coordination 170,000 430,000 $722,245 168 Total 1,285,000 2,500,000 $2,498,102 99.9 (Phase I) Page 31 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) ANNEX 3. SUMMARY OF CLIENT’S ICR The ECOWAS ICR summarizes the main outcomes, outputs, and activities of the project and highlights lessons learnt and recommendations. About the achievements of each objective and outcome, the ECOWAS ICR highlights the following issues: Component 1: Strengthen DRM policies and institutions at national and regional levels ECOWAS provided support to the DRR National Platforms and Agencies in West Africa. Through these trainings, all key actors in DRM were included and more specifically partners who are critical in DRM, such as civil society, private sector, youth, and women’s groups. These segments constitute the new generation of opportunity for DRR. Fifteen results-driven DRR capacity trainings were conducted in all 15 ECOWAS Member States with practical deliverables produced through reports. A total of 750 multi-sectoral participants were trained. The most important positive aspect of the country support is maximum visibility of ECOWAS at the Member State level, and the range of stakeholders it has brought together to work. This has bridged the gap of working in silos not only at the national level but also at the regional level. The country support brought together diverse partners and stakeholders and institutionalized the concept of DRR as a multi-sectoral issue and a development imperative and priority. This awareness also included the level of political actors and private sector. It also facilitated building a nexus between DRR and gender, as gender focal points participated in the training programs. Component 2: Strengthen regional flood management capacity The ECOWAS Regional Flood Risk Management Strategy was developed to strengthen the coordination and capacity for flood risk management across ECOWAS. In this context ECOWAS organized two Hydromet Forums and Disaster Risk Reduction Platforms: in 2018 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire with 218 participants and in 2021 in Banjul, The Gambia with 513 online participants. The forums endorsed key strategic documents developed by ECOWAS: Flood Risk Management Strategy and GSAP for DRR at the technical and ministerial levels. The ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with the AGRHYMET Regional Center and the World Bank organized the regional e-learning courses on the use of hydrometeorological data for operational flood forecasting, critical analysis of forecast products, and EWS. The training was conducted by AGHRYMET from March 02 to 05, 2021. The training registered 73 participants including 14 women. The e-learning courses introduced the basic concepts of flood forecasting best practices and the state-of- the-art EWS. Component 3: Enhance regional post-disaster recovery planning Five PDNA trainings were conducted in Member States (The Gambia, Cape Verde, Liberia, Ghana, and Senegal). These trainings have increased the number of experts on PDNA at the regional and national levels. Component 4: Capacity strengthening and coordination ECOWAS recruited a DRR Governance Expert, a Flood Risk Management Expert, and a Team Assistant to carry out the coordination activities of ECOWAS. Bank Performance, Compliance Issues and Risk to Development Outcome Bank Performance: Overall Bank performance is satisfactory to reflect the overall relevance of project design (quality at entry) and the efforts the team made during implementation (quality of implementation support), including the delivery of the four components’ results indicators. The no-cost extension contributed directly to finalize and deliver on program outcomes. M&E: M&E could have been strengthened during implementation, if for instance, an M&E specialist was Page 32 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) engaged to support in the implementation process. Fiduciary and Safeguards Compliance: This recipient-executed grant did not involve any high value or complex procurement. The fiduciary environment was strengthened by the strong involvement and key role played by the ECOWAS Directorate of Finance, the Procurement Unit with the technical support from the World Bank finance management, and procurement specialist in the Abuja office. Lessons Learned and Recommendations Capacity building should be clearly linked to M&E methods which should be systematically applied at the country level. It is important to maintain the knowledge and skills acquired at country and ongoing capacity building training. ECOWAS should support Member States in updating and aligning their national DRR strategies with the GSAP and the Sendai Framework and the GSAP should be circulated widely. Further recommendations include: • Adequate funding and resources to sustain the momentum built and consolidate the gains achieved through the various capacity building programs implemented in the Member States • Agree on a project exit strategy through Tripartite Project Review (TPR) involving ECOWAS, the World Bank, and the ACP-EU Secretariat. • Cascade the outcome of the Capacity Building Program to the community level to enhance community outreach for sustainability of the intervention • Consolidate the outcomes of the PDNA in the countries covered to further critically identify some limited pool of experts for training of trainers (ToT), who will be able to conduct PDNAs at the national level for sustainability Page 33 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) ANNEX 4. LIST OF OUTPUTS Component 1: Strengthen DRM policies and institutions at national and regional levels • ECOWAS GSAP • ECOWAS DRR Plan of Action 2015–2030 • Support to 15 ECOWAS Member States with ICT equipment Component 2: Strengthen regional flood management capacity • ECOWAS Flood Management Strategy • ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative • Establishment of a CoP for flood management experts for the ECOWAS region • Collaboration with AGRHYMET as proposed RCC • Flood Observatory established Component 3: Enhance regional post-disaster recovery planning • Organization of 5 PDNAs and Disaster Recovery Framework Training • Organization of 1 Regional PDNA and Disaster Recovery Framework Training • Establishment of a CoP for recovery planning for the ECOWAS region Component 4: Capacity strengthening and coordination • Equipment for the PIU: furniture, laptops, printers • Participation in all the RECs retreats organized by the World Bank • Participation in Africa Working Group • Participation in DRR Global Platform and World Reconstruction Conference 3 (Brussels) and World Reconstruction Conference 4 (Geneva, May 2019), Understanding Risk Forum (Mexico, May 2020) and (Geneva, May 2019) Page 34 of 34 The World Bank STRENGTHENING DRR COORDINATION, PLANNING AND POLICY ADVISORY CAPACITY OF ECOWAS (P156774) ANNEX 5. MAP OF ECOWAS STATES Page 35 of 34