Publish Date : 23-Mar-2017
The World Bank today approved a $29 million grant to help Togo pursue the implementation of its National Grassroots Development Policy which was adopted in 2012 with the objective of providing communities with a minimum of socio-economic basic services, such as primary education, health care, water and sanitation, electricity, social protection, and income generating activities.
Despite efforts to expand provision of basic services, the challenge remains important. For instance, less than five in ten households in rural areas have access to potable drinking water. Additionally, the quality of school infrastructure is very low, with many classrooms built with non-durable materials or needing rehabilitation); and health infrastructure is insufficient compared to the demand (in 2013, there were about 6,500 inhabitants per health care center on average in Togo and 1,500 inhabitants per hospital bed).
The newly approved project builds upon the good records of successes under our previous community-driven interventions since our re-engagement in 2008 to further support to the governments commitment to improve access to basic services for the poor, said Pierre Laporte, the World Bank Country Director for Togo.
Most specifically, the Togo Safety Nets and Basic Services Project (SNBSP) will provide poor communities and households with greater access to basic socio-economic infrastructure and social safety nets. It has been designed to benefit the poorest communities and households in all five regions of Togo, and includes three types of interventions: rehabilitation and construction of about 200 basic socio-economic infrastructures, such as primary schools and literacy centers, health infrastructure, potable water points and water retention infrastructure, secondary roads, and market infrastructure; increasing access to safety nets, including: (i) a school feeding scheme to help children in the poorest communities achieve primary education; and (ii) a cash transfer program to increase income and consumption for targeted households, thus increasing their ability to cope with shocks; and a capacity building interventions to (i) help communities take on the responsibility for implementing the activities mentioned above, which they will identify themselves, and (ii) build Governments capacity to implement safety net programs, including targeting, payment systems, and monitoring and evaluation.
The new operation is totally in line with the governments current strategy for accelerated growth and employment promotion (SCAPE) and with its upcoming National Development Plan (PND), both of which put a strong emphasis on increasing access to basic services and promoting social inclusion. We are confident that it will help the government address the Togolese poorest populations needs for better access to education, health and economic opportunities, added Laporte.
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