WASHINGTON, April 8, 2010 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved today a US$8 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to improve aspects of the functioning of the justice sector relevant to the investment climate in Senegal.
“This economic governance project will enhance the effectiveness of justice, improve investment climate, and strengthen CEDAF, the unit responsible for the implementation of the justice sector reform,” according to Gilberto de Barros, the project’s Task Team Leader. “Additionally, the Project will improve the effectiveness of three key economic governance agencies: the Anti Money Laundering Unit, the Anti Corruption Unit, as well as the Investigation Unit of the Public Procurement Agency. The project will also help increase the number of firms that adopt a no-bribes integrity pact and obtain an ethical business certification.”
Senegalese authorities have reaffirmed the critical importance of addressing the main constraints to fostering private sector investment and increased productivity in line with their Poverty Reduction Strategy, de Barros said.
The new project will be implemented using existing country systems; as such, no dedicated project implementation unit or steering committee would be set up. Instead, the project will strengthen the capacity of CEDAF and will rely on the Justice Sector Project Evaluation and Coordination Committee as established by Senegalese authorities in 2006 to ensure oversight and coordination.
The Economic governance project intends to use an innovative approach by making CEDAF a model of excellence in public administration and putting it in a position to be fully recognized as the entry point for the coordination of the Justice Sector Program. “As a result, CEDAF will be able not only to improve its performance coordination functions but also to leverage additional financing from other development partners to finance the implementation of the Justice Sector Reform Program, which faces a funding gap,” de Barros said.
Since promoting the efficiency of justice and economic governance requires action on both demand and supply sides, the project intends to support complementary demand-side activities. Under this component, project activities will support areas that are critical in stimulating demand for effective and efficient investigation of money laundering cases, more transparent procurement of goods and services, as well as fostering business-led actions against corruption.
As a result of the activities financed under this four year project it is expected to achieve the following results:
a) The delay and backlog of case processing at the Regional Court of Justice of Dakar (Tribunal Régional de Première Instance de Dakar) is reduced by 30 percent between 2009 and 2014;
b) The average time to enforce a contract is reduced from 780 to 365 days by 2014;
c) The average time to close a business is reduced from 3 to 1.5 year by 2014.
