Bank Memorandum Form



THE WORLD BANK/IFC/M.I.G.A.

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

DATE: May/31, 2007

TO: Christophe Crepin, GEF Regional Coordinator Africa Region, AFTS4

FROM: Jean-Michel Pavy, AFTS1

EXTENSION: 5338 + 3232

SUBJECT: Country Name: South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana

Project Name: Open Africa North South Tourism Corridor (OANSTC)

TF 056941; GEF ID 3044

PPG (Former PDF Block A) Final Completion Report

1. Please find the completion report for above-mentioned PPG (PDF Block A) which was approved on March 31, 2006 and became effective on April 20, 2006 with a funding of USD 50,000.

2. The recipient has successfully completed all the activities funded under the PPG (PDF Block A), and all the stated outputs are satisfactory (see list of outputs listed in the attached report). Copies of the outputs have been submitted to the GEF Regional Coordinator.

3. The PPG (PDF Block A) funds have been used to carry out the activities as per the grant agreement between the Bank and the recipient. The specific activities funded under the PPG (PDF Block A) grant are described in the report attached.

4. A statement of expenditure and an itemized list of expenses as they appear in the original budget have been received by the Bank and a copy is attached for your record in the report (attached). I have reviewed the statement and the list of expenses and found it to be a fair representation of the activities and output for which the grant was given.

Annex: PDF Block A Final Completion Report

Distribution:

Messrs./Mmes. GEF Regional Coordinator, ENVGC Ifc Files

ANNEX

May/31, 2007

PDF Block A Final Completion Report – TF 056941 (GEF ID 3044)

Open Africa North South Tourism Corridor (OANSTC)

Please find the completion report for above mentioned PDF Block A which was approved on March 31, 2006 and became effective on April 20, 2006 with a funding of USD 50 000. The closing date was April 4, 2007.

The stated outputs, which were listed in the PDF Block A request, are as follows:

a) A consultant specialized in tourism planning, along with Open Africa’s core team, will travel to all four countries and pre-selected sites to refine the selection of the routes, initiate (or continue) discussions with local partners and carry out a more detailed assessment of the local threats (including those to the biodiversity resources) and possible mitigation measures as well as the tourism potential and potential anchor operation. This team will organize a stakeholder workshop at each proposed site. Through these consultations options for better management and use of biodiversity resources will be developed to enhance the biodiversity dimension within the tourism sector. In coordination with the Open Africa team, this consultant will draft the MSP formal request to GEF,

b) A consultant, specialized in project development, will prepare the implementation and administrative manual to ensure conformity in the use of GEF funds with World Bank procedures,

c) A consultant or team of consultants, ecologists and conservationist, will prepare a manual designed to adapt the “classic” Open Africa methodology to a “new” methodology that mainstreams biodiversity conservation in the development and management of new routes. This manual will give particular attention to conservation elements such as community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) and environmental awareness and education, and will be designed to produce significant conservation impacts at the grass-roots level. An important output of this work is a method to identify simple, but relevant, bioindicators that can be proposed to communities to track the real on-the-ground impacts,

d) In parallel, the Open Africa team will continue the establishment of pilot routes in southern Zambia, Namibia and South Africa; this team will attempt to pilot the “new” methodology for the development of new routes.

3. The PDF Block A funds have been used to fund the following specific activities:

• Stakeholder workshops including identification of OA community sites for support under the MSP;

• MSP Document completion and available for submission to GEF for CEO endorsement;

• Project Implementation Manual completed and endorsed by WB Finance and Procurement Staff;

• A handbook produced of the Open Africa nature conservation methodology; and

• Three new routes developed and launched (Rosh Pinah, Caprivi and southwestern Zambia), each with different pilot components for testing purpose.

4. The above activities were divided into three main categories as approved in the PDF A grant agreement as follows:

|Proposed Activities at Approval |Planned GEF financing US$ |Actual GEF |Difference US$ |

| | |financing US$ | |

|Operating Costs |$10,000 |$12,837 |$2,000 |

|Workshops & Meetings |$20,000 |$20,644 |$644 |

|Consultant Costs |$20,000 |$16,519 |$3,481 | |

5. A statement of expenditure relating to the categories above is attached for your record (pages 3 - 6). We request a minor reallocation of funds between categories as per the above summary table.

6. In addition to the above GEF financing, co-funding was received from Standard Chartered Bank in the amount of ₤25,000; Engen Namibia N$120,000; and Skorpion Zinc N$177,000. This (US$92,165) co-financing was spent on developing three routes in conjunction with the MSP preparation, to which Open Africa itself made a US$25,000 contribution in respect of staff time.

6. A variation with the plan needs to be pointed out. The summary tables shows that Open Africa decided to develop the MSP using its own staff, instead of GEF funds, and concentrated GEF financing on the design of the new methodology and on the design of the project implementation manual. Also, the database upgraded was postponed with Open Africa choosing to concentrate its own resources on testing the new methodology on new routes.

| |

| | |

|Proposed Activities at Approval |GEF financing |Co-financing |Completed activities |GEF Financing |Cofinancing |

| | | | |committed |committed |

|MSP Preparation |$20,000 |$15,000 |MSP Preparation: |Compilation of the MSP application |  |$25,000 |

|Pilot site Projects |  |$60,000 |Pilot site projects |Piloted aspects of the 'new' biodiversity focused methodology in the |  |$92,165 |

| | | | |development of three new routes. | | |

|Nature Conservation Methodology |$22,000 |  |Nature Conservation |Designed new methodology and, throughout the proposed corridor of routes, |$37,163 |  |

| | | |Methodologie: |conducted stakeholder roadshows and compiled a rapid assessment of the | | |

| | | | |biodiversity resources and the root causes of threats. | | |

|Implementation & Administrative |$8,000 |  |Implementation & |Upgraded internal capacity and compiled operating and financial and |$12,837 |  |

|Manual Preparation | | |Administrative Manual |procurement manuals. | | |

| | | |Preparation | | | |

|Database & Web Enhancement |  |$25,000 |Database & Web Enhancement |Postponed |  |  |

|Totals |$50,000 |$100,000 |  |  |$50,000 |$117,165 |

| | | | | | |

|  |Approved |Committed | | |

|  |Staff weeks |GEF Financing |

| |

|Outputs include (1) upgrading Open Africa's accounting system and procurement policies, (2) refinement and incorporation of a community-based monitoring and evaluation system, |

|(3) stakeholder meetings in four countries across an 11000km distance and follow-up reports to them, (4) an analysis of risks to the project and garnering of stakeholder inputs, | |

|(5) consultations and correspondence with government authorities, (6) compilation of an incremental cost analysis and (7) the preparation of an implementation plan. | |

|Expense breakdown of PDF-A Grant (20 April 2006 - 4 April 2007) |

|  |  |  |  |  |

|  |Budget/allocated amount (US$)**Note1 |Actual amount |Actual amount (US$) |Explanatory notes |

|OPERATING COSTS |  |  |  |  |

|Capacity upgrading |  |R 33,283.45 |$4,741.23 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details ***Note 2 |

|Other |  |R 346.75 |$49.39 |Admin travel related to World bank official visit |

|Raising of co-funding |  |R 19,203.93 |$2,735.60 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|Bank charges |  |R 596.68 |$85.00 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|Communication costs |  |R 418.03 |$59.55 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|Stationery, printing, postage |  |R 206.05 |$29.35 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|Project management and report writing |  |R 18,000.00 |$2,564.10 |(Part of Noels salary Nov - Mar) - see Pastel |

|Finance and Procurement manual setup |  |R 16,000.00 |$2,279.20 |Associated expenses |

|Provision for accrued expenses |  |R 2,000.00 |$285 |Associated expenses |

|Subtotal (10%) |$10,000.00 |R 90,054.89 |$12,837 |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |

|WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS |  |  |  |  |

|Travel, meals, accommodation |  |R 135,835.42 |$19,363 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|Workshops and meetings |  |R 8,988.75 |$1,281 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|  |  |  |  |  |

|Subtotal (20%) |$20,000.00 |R 144,824.17 |$20,644 |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |

|CONSULTANT COSTS |  |  |  |  |

|Consultant costs |  |R 80,371.95 |$11,457 |See General Ledger - Pastel - for details |

|Provision for accrued expenses |  |R 35,515.00 |$5,063 |  |

|Subtotal (20%) |$20,000.00 |R 115,886.95 |$16,519 |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |

|TOTAL |$50,000.00 |R 350,766.01 |$50,000 |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |

|  |  |  |  |** Note 1: This was converted to Rands at an exchange rate of |

| | | | |1:7.0153 |

|  |  |  |  |*** General ledger accounts available on request |

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