$ Report No: RES00083 RESTRUCTURING PAPER ON A PROPOSED PROJECT RESTRUCTURING OF Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project APPROVED ON 13-Jun-2019 TO Ministry of Finance Transport Western And Central Africa Regional Vice President: Ousmane Diagana Regional Director: Franz R. Drees-Gross Country Director: Robert R. Taliercio Practice Manager: Ibou Diouf Task Team Leader(s): Haileyesus Adamtei Mengesha and Hongye Fan The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS Fourah Bay Colleague FBC Freetown City Council FCC Global Positioning System GPS Integrated and Resilience Urban Mobility Project IRUMP Interim Financial Reports IFRs International Development Association IDA Investment Project Financing IPF Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST Metro Transport Company Limited MTC Memorandum of Understanding MoU Monitoring and Evaluation M&E Ministry of Transport and Aviation MTA Project Development Objectives PDO Project Implementation Unit PIU Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority SLPTA Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority SLRSA Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation SLRTC Sierra Leone Roads Authority SLRA Transport Research and Education Centre TREC The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@restrhybridbasicdata#doctemplate BASIC DATA Product Information Operation ID Operation Name P164353 Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project Product/Financing Instrument Geographical Identifier Investment Project Financing (IPF) Sierra Leone Approval Date Current Closing Date 13-Jun-2019 30-Jun-2024 Original EA Category Partial Assessment (B) (PAD Approval Package-13 Jun 2019) Organizations Borrower Responsible Agency Ministry of Finance Ministry of Transport and Aviation @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@restrhybridoperationstatus#doctemplate OPERATION STATUS Project Development Objective (DO) Original Development Objective The Project Development Objectives (PDO) are to improve quality public transport, address climate resilience, improve road safety in selected areas and enhance institutional capacity in the transport sector. Disbursement Summary (in USD million) Source of Funds Net Commitment Disbursed Balance % Disbursed IBRD -- -- -- 0 i The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) IDA 50.00 42.23 7.77 84.45 Grants -- -- -- 0 Policy Waivers Does this restructuring trigger the need for any policy waiver(s)? No @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@restrhybridmpa#doctemplate @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@restrhybridmpa#doctemplate ii The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) TABLE OF CONTENTS I. PROJECT STATUS AND RATIONALE FOR RESTRUCTURING ........................................................................................1 II. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED CHANGES ....................................................................................................................4 III. PROPOSED CHANGES ................................................................................................................................................5 IV. DETAILED CHANGE(S) ...............................................................................................................................................5 The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) I. PROJECT STATUS AND RATIONALE FOR RESTRUCTURING A. Project Background 1. The Sierra Leone Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (IRUMP), funded with $52 million (of which $50 IDA grant and $2 million Government Counterpart Financing), was approved on June 13, 2019, and became effective on October 11, 2019. It is planned for completion on June 30, 2024. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve quality of public transport, address climate resilience, improve road safety in selected areas and enhance institutional capacity within the transport sector. This objective was achieved through the implementation of several activities under five main components: i. Modernization and Professionalization of Public Transport Services (US$13 million, fully financed by IDA); ii. Strategic Resilient Mobility Investments (US$31 million, of which IDA is financing US$29 million and the Government is contributing US$2 million); iii. Building Human Capital and Institutional Capacity (US$6 million entirely financed by IDA); iv. Project Management, (US$2 million fully financed by IDA); and v. Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) with a provision of US$0 million from IDA. 2. Notably, the US$3 million of IDA financing under the unallocated category per legal agreement has been subsequently absorbed into Component 2 to address unforeseen challenges such as cost overrun. B. Implementation Status 3. The project is likely to fully achieve its development objective., The current progress towards achievement of PDO and the Implementation Progress (IP) are both rated Moderately Satisfactory. The overall Risk is rated as Moderate. Procurement performance is rated Satisfactory, and compliance with Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) is rated Moderately Satisfactory, with an Environmental and Social Risk Rating of Substantial. Financial Management has been assessed as Moderately Satisfactory, with no overdue audit reports or Interim Financial Reports IFRs. As of March 13, 2024, project disbursements have reached 84.5 percent leaving an undisbursed grant amount of US$7.77 million. 4. Component 1: Modernization and Professionalization of Public Transport Services, including informal private operators including informal private operators (US$13 million equivalent financed by IDA). This component aimed at institutional and operational reforms to improve the public transport services in Freetown, through the following activities: (a) establishment of a bus renewal scheme; (b) technical assistance on regulating public transport through institutional reform and formalization of transport service along selected corridors; (c) capacity building and training for transport operators and drivers on safe driving; and (d) civil works, goods, and services for ancillary facilities to promote the efficient use of the bus fleet. The component activities have been successfully completed, leading to the following outcomes: • Institutional reform: The project transformed the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) into a public transport regulatory entity Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority (SLPTA) through ACT no. 2023. SLPTA has now been operational with appropriate governance structure in place, led by a Director General, consisting of six key staff and 15 supporting staff. SLPTA is currently working on a strategic plan and developing regulatory instruments. • Public transport sector reform: A formal private bus company named Metro Transport Company Limited Page 1 The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) (MTC) has been established by corporatizing four informal transport associations and is operating 50 buses. The project supported the MTC to launch the “Waka Fine” bus system, on January 2024, with 50 buses leased by the government, to provide efficient and safe services. The buses are being operated along two pilot corridors, serving over 30,000 people daily and reduces travel time significantly compared to informal services. • Traffic Management and Urban Mobility Plans: to ensure that the buses are running uninterrupted and improve the overall mobility in the city, a compressive traffic management plan has been developed and currently under implementation. This is supplemented with an urban mobility plan for Freetown that has been developed to guide resilient and low carbon spatial development of mobility infrastructure in the city. • Auxiliary measures: Auxiliary supporting systems such as a bus control center, passenger information system and traffic control center had been fully delivered to monitor the movement of buses on real-time. 77 bus stops completed and are in operation by the Waka Fine buses. 5. Component 2: Strategic Resilient Mobility Investments (US$31 million equivalent, of which US$29 million financed by IDA and US$2 million financed by the Government). This component focuses on selected interventions to promote sustainable urban mobility and adaptation of the infrastructure to the impacts of climate changes. It encompasses two main interventions: (a) integrated corridor management interventions, comprising the establishment of a transit terminal and a modern market facility at Lumley Community to accommodate over five thousand vehicles and ten thousand shops; and (b) resilient accessibility improvement interventions, focusing on civil works to improve road conditions, traffic management, and pedestrian infrastructure. Three out of the four civil works contracts under this component are substantially completed, with the accomplishments: • 8 km of road rehabilitated with drainage facilities and improvement works for protection against flooding and erosion. • Footbridges constructed at five critical intersections to provide safe crossing to pedestrians. • Traffic signals at 7 intersections and 150 streetlights installed along the corridors to enhance safe mobility. • Integrated bus terminal constructed to accommodate various types of public transport vehicles and ready to operate by mid-June 2024. 6. For the works listed above, the only minor outstanding tasks remaining are the road marking on the completed 8km rehabilitated corridor, installation of solar panels on the traffic signals, and installation of variable messaging at the bus terminal. These minor works are expected to be completed by the end of June 2024. 7. The main outstanding work under Component 2 is the construction of a two 4-story market facility – a Lot2 contract currently at 35% completion, requiring additional time beyond the original project closing date. Completion of the market facility will optimize logistical operations and alleviate congestion, leading to improved outcomes in Freetown. 8. Component 3: Building Human Capital and Institutional Capacity (US$ 6 million financed by IDA). This component aimed at funding technical assistance and knowledge support activities in the following areas: (a) institutional capacity for government agencies and department, (b) academic capacity, (c) women empowerment, and (d) citizen engagement. As of May 2024, the following interventions have been completed and the outcomes are as follows: Page 2 The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) • Institutional capacity on road safety strengthened through: 1) Road safety workshops and trainings provided to Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority (SLRSA), Police, Ministry of Transport and Aviation (MTA), bus operators, Freetown City Council (FCC), and other stakeholders; 2) Engineering and traffic enforcement equipment and vehicles have been supplied to support the efficient operations of the Traffic Police and SLRSA; and 3) A road safety institutional capacity review which outlines priority actions for effective road safety enforcement in the city of Freetown. • Academic capacities: Tailored support was provided to strengthen theoretical knowledge on transport engineering and related areas. This was achieved through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Transport Research and Education Centre (TREC) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana and the Department of Civil Engineering at Fourah Bay College (FBC) in Sierra Leone. The MoU enabled IRUMP to sponsor three students for postgraduate education in KNUST – two masters and one doctoral student. The project supported the construction of materials testing laboratory, the procurement of engineering equipment and teaching aids for the Department of Civil Engineering at FBC. • Women’s empowerment: To promote employment opportunities for women in transport sector, in collaboration with the MTC, IRUMP financed the training of 50 female drivers who will be joining MTC after testing and certification. • Citizen engagement: an integrated a stakeholder engagement and communications strategy was developed to facilitate open discussions with project-affected groups. The strategy included information sharing at different terminals (for minivan, tricycle, and motorbike operators), roadshows, television, radio, and social media (for passengers and the public), and public meetings, and workshops (for trader’s associations). 9. Component 4: Project Management (US$2 million equivalent financed by IDA). This component funded goods and services to support project management, financial auditing, data collection, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and other related operating cost. The project management performance continues to be moderately satisfactory since the last two years. Throughout the project period, the PIU has been fully staffed and the Steering Committee has been fully operational. A transport management consultant firm has been hired to provide technical assistance to the PIU focusing on public transport and bus operations. 10. Component 5: Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) (US$0 million IDA). This component was not triggered. C. Overall Status of the Project 11. The Project Development Objective (PDO) and Implementation Progress (IP) are rated moderately satisfactory. This is primarily due to incomplete work on the market facility under component 2, which is unlikely to be finished by the current project closing date. Despite this delay, the project remains on track and is likely to achieve its PDO fully, once the outstanding works are completed. The project is designed to track four PDO indicators, with Indicator #2, "People benefiting from improved resilient roads (Number)," and Indicator #4, "Development and adoption of a framework for a single regulatory body for urban transport (Yes/No)," already fully achieved. Nevertheless, Indicators #1, "Users satisfied with public transport service at the selected corridors (Percentage)," and #3, "Road traffic crashes involving vulnerable users along selected corridors (Number)," are likely to be achieved but require further data collection for verification. Therefore, an extension of the project's closing date is proposed to allow completion of the outstanding works (market building) and provide sufficient time to gather and analyze the necessary data to confirm the achievements of PDO indicators #1 and #3. Page 3 The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) 12. Safeguards: The environmental and social issues have been substantially addressed in the project, except the following four cases which are compensation payments currently being processed to be paid before end of June 2024: (i) St. Mark Church Traffic Light, (ii) Mohamed Sesay, (iii) Demoh Kamara, and (iv) payment for the Golf Club temporary bus terminal rental. There is one outstanding complain at the Bank’s GRS with case number FY24-GRS-2685, which is being addressed. The Government of Sierra Leone’s (GoSL) change of relocation plans to allow traders to remain on the Sani Abacha Street instead of moving to Sewa Market Grounds has been critically assessed and further precautionary steps taken, including documenting the process of consultation and communicating the mitigation measures to the GoSL. Per the GoSL’s plans, the traders would remain on the Sani Abacha Street with the condition that they would not encroach on the roadway for bus operations. Given the potential safety risks at stake, the GoSL has taken steps to implement the recommended mitigation measures by the Bank team. The main measures include 1) incorporating parking facilities for importers and exporters to load and off load during off-peak times; 2) deploying road safety corps and traders’ representatives (champions) to engage stakeholders, 3) raising awareness on road safety, and 4) enforcing compliance of trading behind the guard rails. D. Rationale for Closing Date Extension 13. On April 15, 2024, the Government of Sierra Leone requested the World Bank to extend the closing date of IDA Grant (IDA-D4830) by 12 months, from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The rationale for this extension stems from the need to complete the construction of the market complex under the Component 2 which is currently at 35% progress. The construction of the market building is advancing at a slow rate due to extensive earth works required to stabilize the wetland before casting the foundation. This construction process was impacted by two significant events: (i) a two-year legal dispute between the government and a claimant regarding land acquisition which has now been resolved, and (ii) the necessity to redesign the foundation to accommodate geotechnical challenges, due to poor soil conditions. 14. The proposed market complex, in conjunction with the project-supported bus terminal seeks to streamline logistical operations, reduce congestion, and improve overall efficiency of the transport system, to improve mobility in Freetown. This integrated development is anticipated to positively impact over 13,000 people daily, including women and children. In addition, the market complex serves as a relocation site for project-affected individuals and vendors who currently operate along roadsides designated for Waka Fine bus services. Failure to complete this market facility would result in vendors continuing to operate along the roadside, thereby compromising the efficiency of bus services, ultimately undermining the achievement of the project’s objective. The completion of the market complex will bring significant economic and social impact and enhance the livelihood of traders. 15. IRUMP currently meets the prerequisite outlined in the World Bank’s Investment Project Financing (IPF) Directive regarding extension of closing date. Specifically: (i) the PDO is on track to be achievable; (ii) both the World Bank and the Recipient have reached a consensus on the necessary steps or actions to complete the project within the extension timeframe; (iii) the performance of the Recipient remains satisfactory; (iv) the project is not facing any suspension of disbursements; and (v) no audit reports are outstanding or have failed to meet the World Bank’s satisfaction. Additionally, the project has consistently complied with the timely submission of acceptable IFRs to date. This will be the first extension of the project closing date. II. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED CHANGES Page 4 The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) 16. Closing date. The original closing date for IDA grant IDA-D4830 will change from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2025. 17. Results Framework. The overall result monitoring system remains largely unchanged, as the PDO and intermediate level indicators remain the same. Only minor adjustments will be made solely to the end target date, which will be extended to June 30, 2025. Consequently, the results framework will be updated accordingly, with only minor revisions as required. Note to Task Team: The following sections are system generated and can only be edited online in the Portal. @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@restrhybridsummarychanges#doctemplate Summary changes III. PROPOSED CHANGES Operation Information Proposed Changes Operation Information Proposed Changes Development Objective No Loan Closing Date Extension Yes Safeguard Policies Triggered No Loan Cancellations No ISDS No Reallocations No MFD/PCE No Financial Management No Results No Procurement No Risks No Institutional Arrangement No Legal Covenants No Implementation Schedule No Conditions No Implementation Modalities No Disbursements Estimates No Disbursements Arrangements No DDO No Clients No Appraisal Summary No Components No @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@restrhybriddetailedchanges-disclose#doctemplate IV. DETAILED CHANGE(S) Page 5 The World Bank Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (P164353) COSTS & FINANCING Private Capital Facilitation Is this an MFD-Enabling Project (MFD-EP)? Is this project Private Capital Enabling (PCE)? LOANS Loan Closing Original Revised Proposed Proposed Deadline Loan/Credit/Trust Status Closing Closing(s) Closing for Withdrawal Fund Applications IDA-D4830-001 Effective 30-Jun-2024 30-Jun-2024 30-Jun-2025 30-Oct-2025 Page 6