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TRANSCRIPT
Document of
The World Bank
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Report No: PAD795
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT
ON A
PROPOSED CREDIT
IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 22.9 MILLION (US$35 MILLION EQUIVALENT)
TO THE
REPUBLIC OF BENIN
FOR A
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROJECT
February 13, 2014
Social Protection (West) Country Department AFCF2 Africa Region
This document is being made publicly available prior to Board consideration. This does not imply a presumed outcome. This document may be updated following Board consideration and the updated document will be made publicly available in accordance with the Bank’s policy on Access to Information.
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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS
(Exchange Rate Effective January 31, 2014)
Currency Unit = CFA Franc CFA Franc 484 = US$1
US$1 = SDR 0.6518
FISCAL YEAR January 1 – December 31
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
AFD ANFPRIJ
Agence Française de Développement Agence Nationale de Formation Professionnelle pour la Reconversion et l’Insertion des Jeunes
ANPE AQP BAA
Agence Nationale pour la Promotion de l'Emploi Attestation de Qualification Professionnelle Bureau d’Appui aux Artisans
BCEAO BPC
Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest Business Promotion Center
CAA Caisse Autonome d’Amortissement CCMP Cellule de Contrôle des Marchés Publics CEJEDRAO Projet de Renforcement des Compétences pour l’Emploi des Jeunes et le Développement
Rural en Afrique de l’Ouest CPMP Commission de Passation des Marchés Publics CPS Country Partnership Strategy CQM Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers CQP Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle CQS Selection based on Consultants’ Qualifications DA Designated Account DANIDA DAFoP DEC
Danish International Development Agency Direction de l’Apprentissage et de la Formation Professionnelle Direction des Examens et Concours
DPL Development Policy Loan DRFM DRIJ
Direction des Ressources Financières et du Matériel Direction de la Reconversion et de l’Insertion des Jeunes
EFAT Examen de Fin d’Apprentissage Traditionnel EMICOV Enquête modulaire intégrée sur les conditions de vie des ménages ESW Economic and Sector Work FCFA Franc de la Communauté Financière Africaine FB Fixed Budget FM Financial Management FNPEEJ Fonds National de Promotion de l’Entreprise et de l’Emploi des Jeunes FODEFCA Fonds de Développement de la Formation Professionnelle Continue et de
l’Apprentissage IAS International Accounting Standards IC Individual Consultant ICB International Competitive Bidding
IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ICC Investment Climate Council IDA International Development Association IDF Institutional Development Fund IEG Independent Evaluation Group IFC International Finance Corporation IFMIS Integrated Financial Management Information System ILO International Labor Organization INSAE Institut National de Statistique et de l’Analyse Economique ISAs International Standards on Auditing IPR Independent Procurement Review LCS Least-Cost Selection MCMEJF MESFTPRIJ
Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women Ministère de l’Enseignement Secondaire, de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle, et de la Reconversion et de l’Insertion des Jeunes
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MIS Management Information System NCB National Competitive Bidding NCE National Council on Employment NGO Non-Governmental Organization OPCS Operations Policy and Country Services Department of the World Bank OEF Observatoire pour l’Emploi et la Formation OHADA ORAF
Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires Operational Risk Assessment Framework
PaDE Partenariat Décentralisé pour l’Emploi PAEI Programme d’Appui à l’Emploi Indépendant PAES Programme d’Appui à l’Emploi Salarié PCU Project Coordination Unit PDO Project Development Objectives PPR Post Procurement Reviews PRAMS Procurement Risk Assessment and Management System PRS Poverty Reduction Strategy QCBS Quality and Cost Based Selection RCDE Renforcement de Capacité des Demandeurs d’Emploi RGF Receveur Général des Finances ROSC Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes SCRP Stratégie de Croissance pour la Réduction de la Pauvreté SME Small and Medium Enterprise SSS Single Source Selection TOR Terms of Reference WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union
Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop Country Director: Ousmane Diagana
Sector Director: Tawhid Nawaz Sector Manager: Stefano Paternostro
Task Team Leader: John Van Dyck
REPUBLIC OF BENIN YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROJECT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PAD DATA SHEET .......................................................................................................................1
I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT .................................................................................................6 A. Country Context ............................................................................................................ 6 B. Sectoral and Institutional Context ................................................................................. 7 C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes ........................................ 12
II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE(S)............................................................12 A. PDO............................................................................................................................. 12 B. Project Beneficiaries ................................................................................................... 13 C. PDO Level Results Indicators ..................................................................................... 13
III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................13 A. Project Components .................................................................................................... 13 B. Project Financing ........................................................................................................ 19
IV. IMPLEMENTATION .....................................................................................................19 A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements ........................................................ 19 B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................ 20 C. Sustainability............................................................................................................... 20
V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ..........................................................21 A. Risk Ratings Summary Table ..................................................................................... 21 B. Overall Risk Rating Explanation ................................................................................ 21
VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY ..............................................................................................22 A. Economic and Financial Analysis ............................................................................... 22 B. Technical ..................................................................................................................... 24 C. Financial Management ................................................................................................ 25 D. Procurement ................................................................................................................ 26 E. Environment and Social (including Safeguards) ........................................................ 27
Annex 1: Results Framework and Monitoring .........................................................................28
Annex 2: Detailed Project Description .......................................................................................34
Annex 3: Implementation Arrangements ..................................................................................44
Annex 4: Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF) .................................................57
Annex 5: Implementation Support Plan ....................................................................................61
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.
PAD DATA SHEET
Benin
BJ-Youth Employment (FY14) (P132667) PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT
.
AFRICA
AFTSW
Report No.: PAD795 .
Basic Information
Project ID EA Category Team Leader
P132667 C - Not Required John Van Dyck
Lending Instrument Fragile and/or Capacity Constraints [ ]
Investment Project Financing Financial Intermediaries [ ]
Series of Projects [ ]
Project Implementation Start Date Project Implementation End Date
11-Mar-2014 30-Jun-2018
Expected Effectiveness Date Expected Closing Date
01-Jul-2014 30-Jun-2018
Joint IFC
No
Sector Manager Sector Director Country Director Regional Vice President
Stefano Paternostro Tawhid Nawaz Ousmane Diagana Makhtar Diop .
Borrower: Republic of Benin
Responsible Agency: Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women
Contact: Mr. Abdel Rahamane Baba-Moussa Title: Directeur du Cabinet
Telephone No.: Email: [email protected] .
Project Financing Data(in USD Million)
[ ] Loan [ ] Grant [ ] Guarantee
[ X ] Credit [ ] IDA Grant [ ] Other
Total Project Cost: 36.90 Total Bank Financing: 35.00
Financing Gap: 0.00 .
2
Financing Source Amount
BORROWER/RECIPIENT 1.90 (expected from Government)
International Development Association (IDA) 35.00
Total 36.90 .
Expected Disbursements (in USD Million)
Fiscal Year 2015 2016 2017 2018
Annual 10.00 10.00 10.00 5.00
Cumulative 10.00 20.00 30.00 35.00 .
Proposed Development Objective(s)
The objective of the proposed project is to improve access to employment skills and employment opportunities for underemployed youth in Benin. .
Components
Component Name Cost (USD Millions)
Developing Skills through Apprenticeships 6.30
Developing Small Business Skills 15.00
Start-up Support 8.70
Institutional Capacity Building and Project Management 5.00 .
Institutional Data
Sector Board
Social Protection .
Sectors / Climate Change
Sector (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100)
Major Sector Sector % Adaptation Co-benefits %
Mitigation Co-benefits %
Health and other social services Other social services 100
Total 100
I certify that there is no Adaptation and Mitigation Climate Change Co-benefits information applicable to this project. .
Themes
Theme (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100)
Major theme Theme %
Social protection and risk management Improving labor markets 100
Total 100 .
3
Compliance
Policy
Does the project depart from the CAS in content or in other significant respects?
Yes [ ] No [ X ]
.
Does the project require any waivers of Bank policies? Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Have these been approved by Bank management? Yes [ ] No [ ]
Is approval for any policy waiver sought from the Board? Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Does the project meet the Regional criteria for readiness for implementation? Yes [ X ] No [ ] .
Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No
Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 X
Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 X
Forests OP/BP 4.36 X
Pest Management OP 4.09 X
Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 X
Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 X
Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 X
Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 X
Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50 X
Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 X .
Legal Covenants
Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency
Maintenance of Steering Committee and PCU
X
Description of Covenant
The Recipient shall maintain throughout the period of Project implementation: (i) the Steering Committee to serve as the oversight entity for the Project; and (ii) the Project Coordination Unit within MCMEJF to run the day-to-day management of the Project; both with the composition and powers acceptable to the Association as further described in the Project Operations Manual.
Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency
Signing of Partnership Contracts 30-Sep-2014
Description of Covenant
1. To facilitate the carrying out of the Project, the Recipient, through the Project Coordination Unit, shall make part of the proceeds of the Financing allocated from time to time to Category (1) of the table set forth in Section IV.A.2 of Schedule 2 of the Financing Agreement available to: (i) FODEFCA for Part 1 of the Project; and (ii) ANPE for Parts 2 and 3 of the Project, under partnership contracts to be entered into (and thereafter maintained) between the Project Coordination Unit within three months after
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Effectiveness, on the one hand, and each of FODECA and ANPE, on the other hand, all under terms and conditions approved by the Association, as further described in the Project Operations Manual (“Partnership Contracts”). 2. The Recipient shall exercise its rights under each Partnership Contract in such manner as to protect the interests of the Recipient and the Association and to accomplish the purposes of the Financing. Except as the Association shall otherwise agree, the Recipient shall not assign, amend, abrogate or waive either Partnership Contracts or any provision thereof. .
Conditions
Name Type
Recruitment of key staff Effectiveness
Description of Condition
The Recipient has recruited for the Project Coordination Unit, a Coordinator, financial management analyst, and procurement specialist; all in form and substance acceptable to the Association and with terms of reference and qualification satisfactory to the Association.
Name Type
Disbursement condition for Category (2) Disbursement
Description of Condition
No withdrawal shall be made under Category (2), unless at least three Subgrant Agreements have been signed, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Association
Team Composition
Bank Staff
Name Title Specialization Unit
John Van Dyck Senior Social Protection Specialist
Team Lead AFTSW
Isabella Micali Drossos Senior Counsel Senior Counsel LEGAM
Maria Laura Sanchez Puerta
Senior Economist Labor Market Economist HDNSP
Aissatou Diallo Senior Finance Officer Senior Finance Officer CTRLA
Africa Eshogba Olojoba Senior Environmental Specialist
Senior Environmental Specialist
MNSEE
Sylvie Charlotte Ida do Rego
Program Assistant Program Assistant AFMBJ
Felicien Donat Edgar Towenan Accrombessy
Economist, Poverty Economist, Poverty AFTP4
Paivi Koskinen-Lewis Social Development Specialist
Social Safeguards AFTCS
Alain Hinkati Senior Financial Management Specialist
Financial Management Specialist
AFTMW
Julia Vaillant E T Consultant Economist AFTPM
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Gbetoho Joachim Boko E T Consultant Social Protection Specialist
AFTSW
Thomas Bossuroy Young Professional Economist AFTSW
Mathias Gogohounga Procurement Specialist Procurement Specialist AFTPW
Erick Herman Abiassi Agric. Economist Agric. Economist AFTA1
Faly Diallo Financial Officer Finance Officer CTRLA
Non Bank Staff
Name Title Office Phone City
.
Locations
Country First Administrative Division
Location Planned Actual Comments
Benin Zou Zou Department X
Benin Oueme Departement de l' Oueme
X
Benin Mono Mono X
Benin Borgou Borgou Department X
Benin Atlantique Atlantique Department
X
Benin Atakora Atakora Department
X
Benin Alibori Alibori X
Benin Collines Collines Department
X
Benin Couffo Couffo Department X
Benin Donga Donga X
Benin Littoral Littoral X
Benin Plateau Plateau Department X
6
I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT
A. Country Context 1. With a per capita income of approximately US$800, Benin ranks in the lower income group of countries. Growth has been moderate and steady over the past couple of decades, averaging around 4 to 5 percent annually. This growth performance remains marginally below the regional average and has contributed to only modest increases in per capita incomes and improvements in human development. The country's high rate of population growth (3.2 percent) poses a significant challenge as the Government struggles to keep up with the resultant increasing demand for public services. 2. More recently, economic growth slowed in 2009 and 2010 to 2.7 and 2.6 percent respectively following the onset of the global economic crisis and losses in 2010 as a result of serious flooding. Growth in 2011 rebounded only slightly to 3.5 percent and was expected to remain at 3.5 percent in 2012. This moderate growth performance, combined with the high population growth rate, remains insufficient to meaningfully reduce the incidence of poverty, which was estimated to be 36 percent in 2011, compared to 35 percent in 2009 and 37 percent in 2006. 3. Benin’s economy is highly informal. Given the prevailing business environment, incentives to engage in arbitrage opportunities related to Nigeria can be stronger than incentives to pursue productive, value creating and employment generating activities in Benin. Economic growth remains muted and opportunities to diversify the economy, despite apparent comparative advantages, remain unexploited. On the positive side, the large, innovative and entrepreneurial informal economy, in which women play a large role, is a potential source of growth, investment and untapped fiscal resources. With an improved business and investment climate Benin could position itself favorably as a legitimate and competitive supplier to the Nigerian and regional market. 4. In the long term, the creation of jobs in Benin will depend on the private sector, which accounts for 90 percent of all jobs in the developing world. However, Benin’s investment climate does not provide a sufficiently enabling climate for the growth of the private sector. In 2013, Benin ranked 175 out of 185 countries in the 2013 Doing Business report1, which measures the conduciveness of the regulatory environment to the starting and operation of a local firm. Areas of particular concern include enforcing contracts, paying taxes, and protecting investors. Benin’s President has created an Investment Climate Council (ICC) to examine ways to improve the investment climate and the ICC’s work is being supported by the IFC and Bank, and the Government is implementing an action plan to improve the investment climate in the areas of business creation, construction permits, land ownership, access to finance, protection of investors, payment of taxes and duties, cross-border trade, and contract enforcement. Besides the investment climate, other obstacles such as difficult access to credit for SME, weak human capital and inadequate skills of the workforce, hamper the development of private enterprises in the country.
1 www.doingbusiness.org
7
B. Sectoral and Institutional Context 5. The labor market in Benin is characterized by a relatively high participation rate, for both men and women. Seventy-three percent of the working age population participates in the labor market according to the official national statistics (EMICOV 2010). The labor force in Benin is mostly young, with 60 percent of workers aged between 15 and 34 years, predominantly rural (62 percent of workers living in rural areas) and poorly educated (about 78 percent of workers in Benin have primary level of education or below). Workers with higher education account only for 2.2 percent of the labor force. Self-employment is predominant, covering about 70 percent of the employed population. Unpaid family workers and apprentices account for more than 20 percent of the workers. The wage sector is small in size and represents only 6.4 percent of the labor force. Only about 30 percent of wage workers are in the formal sector, the remaining are employed in the informal economy. About half of the employed population is engaged in the agriculture sector (52.6 percent). Trade is the second biggest sector with 21.4 percent of the employed, while services and manufacturing account only for 12.9 percent.
Table 1. Main Labor Market Indicators: Comparison with Neighboring Countries (in %)
Benin(a) Nigeria(b) Cote d’Ivoire(b) Togo(b) Burkina
Faso(b) Labor force participation 73.2 56.0 68.0 82.0 85.0 Employment-to-population ratio 73.0 51.0 64.0 75.0 81.0
Unemployment rate 0.3 8.9 5.9 8.5 4.7 Female labor force participation 72.5 48.0 52.0 82.0 80.0
Source: (a)EMICOV 2009/2010. (b) World Bank Databank 2010. Figures are displayed in percentage. 6. Benin’s unemployment rate2 is very low, standing at only 0.3 percent for the population. Unemployment reaches 4.9 percent only for those with higher education, many of whom come from wealthier households and can afford to be unemployed and search longer for the right job. Rather than unemployment, the problem for many workers in Benin—especially youth—is underemployment. Underemployment can be described in three ways i) involuntarily working part time (underemployment by hours); ii) working full-time but earning less than a minimal salary, such as the minimum wage or poverty line (underemployment by earnings); and iii) a mismatch between one’s job and education, training and experience (underemployment by mismatch). The available data permits the measurement of the first two manifestations of underemployment in Benin. As shown in Table 2, 13 percent of Beninese with employment are involuntarily working part-time and would like to work more hours. This type of
2 Defined as the percentage of people who were actively looking for employment, but did not work at least one hour in the week preceding the survey.
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underemployment is more common in rural areas, among women, and in the 25-34 year-old age group.
Table 2. Underemployment by Gender, Living Area, and Age Group (in %)
Total
Living Area Age Group Rural Urban 15-24 25-34 35-54 55-64
By hours: a 13.1 13.4 12.7 13.0 14.6 12.6 10.7 Male 10.8 10.7 11.0 10.2 11.7 10.9 9.5 Female 15.1 15.6 14.2 15.7 16.2 14.3 12.5 By earnings: b 58.1 63.6 47.9 85.2 61.7 48.9 46.3 Male 40.8 45.6 31.9 83.4 37.9 30.8 33.2 Female 73.6 79.5 62.5 86.9 75.5 68.2 67.3
Source: EMICOV 2009/2010. (a) Willing and able to work full-time, but only working part-time. (b) Working full time but earning less than the 2009 minimum wage of 27,500 FCFA
7. The phenomenon of underemployment in Benin is most severe when viewed through the lens of earnings, which is in turn linked to low human capital and productivity. The majority of employed individuals in 2009/2010 in Benin earned less than the minimum monthly wage at the time, which was approximately equivalent to the poverty line. The percentage of employed persons earning less than the minimum wage decreased with age: the youth (15-34 year old) were much more likely to earn less than the minimum wage than the non-youth (35-64 year old). Females had a much higher probability of earning below the minimum wage than male: 73.6 percent of employed females earn below the minimum wage compared to 40.8 percent of men. In particular, underemployed workers are disproportionately female, rural, self-employed, with low levels of education, and engaged mainly in agriculture, livestock, fishing and forestry. 8. The labor market situation for Beninese youths is therefore even more precarious than that of the general population. Young workers continue to face disappointing prospects when it comes to jobs as they are often engaged in precarious or vulnerable activities that provide low income and little security. Vulnerable youths often lack adequate skills to enter the labor market and to find good quality employment. Access to formal professional training remains limited for those vulnerable youths as they often lack basic educational qualifications and literacy skills needed to undergo formal training. In the context of the Benin labor market, programs seeking to improve the productivity of self-employed youths should have more impact than those supporting the very small wage employment sector. Given the low level of human capital of this target group, employment programs should be associated with appropriate training schemes, coupling technical/traditional apprenticeships with basic life skills and/or literacy modules. 9. Youth employment issues are a policy priority for the Government of Benin and a number of initiatives have been introduced to address underemployment of youth. A National Employment Policy was adopted in 2012 (see table 3), including an Action Plan covering the period 2012-2016. The policy places a strong focus on the underemployment of youth and women and its main objectives are to i) promote access to employment by increasing the supply
9
of jobs and youth employability, ii) improve the functioning of the labor market, iii) reinforce the capacity of institutions in charge of the National Employment Policy, and iv) regulate professional migration.
Table 3: National Employment Policy (2012)
10. The Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women has the formal responsibility for youth employment in Benin, but many other ministries and agencies are involved in the area, notably the Ministry of Secondary Education, Technical and Professional Training, and Youth Integration and the Ministry of Culture, Literacy, Artisanship, and Tourism. In total, about 30 structures within the Government of Benin are involved in youth employment, and coordination between these actors is generally weak. 11. A national employment agency, the Agence Nationale pour l’Emploi (ANPE), reporting to the Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women, was created in 2003 and is responsible for addressing unemployment and underemployment issues and for implementing the national employment policy. The main role of the ANPE is to orient job seekers, provide them with capacity building and training and promote their insertion into the labor market. The
Vision General objective Specific objective Strategies
By 2025, all Beninese women and men of working age have a job that provides an income sufficient to meet their vital needs and ensure their full well-being
Consolidate achievements to date and promote the creation of new jobs
Facilitate access to employment by increasing supply and employability
Boosting production in growth sectors Promotion and sustainability of SME’s and small industries Improvement of target groups’ access to the Public Employment Service
Improve the functioning of the labor market
Improvement of the labor market information system Building capacity among employment actors Promotion of national solidarity in employment services
Strengthen human and institutional capacities for employment promotion
Improvement of the coordination among employment promotion programs Building public and private institutional capacity for employment promotion
Regulate labor migration
Development of labor migration management strategies
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ANPE currently operates four main programs: (i) the Salaried Employment Support Program, which arranges and finances internships (Programme d’Appui à l’Emploi Salarié – PAES); (ii) Self-Employment Support Program, which aims to train, assist with the development of a business plan, and finance entrepreneurs (Programme d’Appui à l’Emploi Indépendant – PAEI); (iii) Capacity Building for Job Seekers, which seeks to improve the technical skills of job seekers in agriculture, trades, and other high potential sectors (Renforcement de Capacité des Demandeurs d’Emploi – RCDE); and (iv) the Decentralized Partnership for Jobs, which aims to build the capacity of local governments in employment promotion (Partenariat Décentralisé pour l’Emploi – PaDE). These programs were launched in 2006, reach between several hundred to one to two thousand beneficiaries per year each, and are not well evaluated. The PAEI, which targets mostly youth with higher levels of education, relies on the National Fund for Enterprise and Youth Employment (Fonds National de Promotion de l’Entreprise et de l’Emploi des Jeunes – FNPEEJ), established in 2007, for provision of finance. However, in previous years the FNPEEJ suffered from weak selection criteria for projects and targeting of beneficiaries, lack of accompanying measures and follow up, and low repayment rates. After the completion of an ongoing restructuring, the FNPEEJ is expected to be operational again in 2014, this time operating through local financial partner institutions (microfinance institutions or banks) instead of directly financing beneficiaries.
Table 4: Concentration of apprentices by sector (2010)
Male apprentices (n=453) %
Female apprentices (n=386) % Mechanics 15.7
Tailor 47.4
Tailor 11.9
Hairdresser 36.0 Mason 11.3
TOTAL 83.4
Carpenter 10.8 Driver 7.5 Hairdresser 6.0 Welder 5.1 Electrician 4.2 Glazier 2.7 Tiler 2.2 Photographer 1.8 Farmer 1.3 Plumber 1.3 TOTAL 81.7
12. The apprenticeship system has traditionally been widespread in Benin. Youth out of school are placed with a master craftsman who trains them on a certain trade during several years against an apprenticeship fee paid by the youth’s family. The traditional system covers all trades, but there is a striking difference in the levels of sector concentration by gender. Table 4, based on the most recent national household survey EMICOV 2010, displays the percentage of male apprentices and female apprentices by trade. While 13 different trades make up 82 percent of the male apprentices, a similar proportion of female apprentices (83 percent) are concentrated in only two trades: tailoring and hairdressing.
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13. In recent years, the Government has made important efforts in organizing the informal/traditional technical and vocational training sector, notably with the support of Swiss Cooperation, DANIDA, Swisscontact, AFD, and the ILO. Particularly, there has been an important movement to develop nationally-recognized certificates to recognize skills gained in apprenticeships, which remain one of the most common and effective mechanisms for vocational training in Benin. In close collaboration with private sector trade associations, the Government (through the Direction de l’Apprentissage et de la Formation Professionnelle (DAFoP), and the Direction des Examens et Concours (DEC), under the Ministère de l’Enseignement Secondaire, de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle, et de la Reconversion et de l’Insertion de Jeunes (MESFTPRIJ)) has adopted a system with two levels of qualifications (i) a Professional Qualification Certificate (Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle – CQP) open to youths who have at least completed primary school, which is the culmination of a three year “dual-type” apprenticeship combining work experience with classroom training; and (ii) an Occupational Qualification Certificate (Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers – CQM) targeting youth who have not finished primary school. The CQP and CQM are meant to cover eventually all 210 recognized occupational trades in Benin—covering a wide variety of economic activity from plumbing to auto mechanics to agriculture and bakers. 14. While the CQP program has been operational since 2008, the first round of CQM exams were just held in selected communes on October 14, 2013. Development of lists of key competencies for each trade and skills tests is carried out through a partnership between Government and private sector trade associations. Currently, lists of key competencies and tests exist for 12 trades for the CQP, and have recently been developed for 46 trades for the CQM. Prior to the launch of the CQM program, 29 communes in the departments of Borgou, Alibori, Ouémé, and Plateau piloted interim certification arrangements called End of Traditional Apprenticeship Exams (Examens de Fin d’Apprentissage Traditionnel – EFAT), but these were not widely recognized and are not available to youth in most of the country. It is expected that the CQM will be progressively rolled out in the country. Since 2010, a two-year technical training course has been offered to underemployed youth having at least completed middle school (classe de troisième) leading to the Attestation de Qualification Professionnelle (AQP) certification. The training cost amounts to FCFA 120,000 per year and is covered by the student. The AQP is currently in a pilot phase with three training centers open and eight trades covered. 15. The Government is making available about FCFA 1 billion (US$ 2 million) per year in financing for apprenticeships under the Continuing Professional Education and Apprenticeship Fund (Fonds de Développement de la Formation Professionnelle Continue et de l’Apprentissage – FODEFCA). FODEFCA was created with support from the World Bank’s Labor Force Development Project in 1999 to respond to the increasing demand for new skills in the formal private sector, enhance the employability of job seekers and strengthen capacities of training centers. FODEFCA supports youth employability by co-funding skills enhancement training, apprenticeship training, etc. with funding from both the Government and technical and financial partners. FODEFCA is attached to the Ministry of Labor and Public Administration. 16. Lack of information on youth employment remains a major constraint in Benin. A national Observatory for Employment and Training (Observatoire de l’Emploi et la Formation –
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OEF), linked to the ANPE, was established in 1992. Its role is to collect and analyze data on the labor market to inform job seekers, private sector and policy makers on employment and training decisions. However information on employment and labor market indicators is very limited and specific data collection instruments for employment do not exist. Better information about the profiles required by the private sector or about sectors with higher growth potential would help youth making right employment and skills development decisions.
C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes 17. The new strategy for poverty reduction in Benin for 2011-2015, the Stratégie de Croissance pour la Réduction de la Pauvreté (SCRP -3) is based on the same strategic pillars as the SCRP -2, namely: (i) accelerating sustainable growth and transformation of the economy, (ii) infrastructure development, (iii) enhancing human capital, (iv) improving the quality of governance, and (v) promoting equitable and sustainable national development. As unemployment and underemployment have become priorities of great importance to the Government of Benin, the promotion of sustainable and decent jobs appears in the pillar on enhancing human capital. The SCRP seeks to achieve the objective of promoting decent jobs through strategic choices to promote the main development poles including tourism, small business, crafts, and culture and agriculture and agri-business. 18. The government's strategy to achieve the objective of promoting sustainable and decent jobs consists of: (i) promotion of self-employment, (ii) promotion of salaried employment, (iii) developing the productivity informal sector, (iv) improving the vocational training system, and (v) increased communication and availability of information on employment. Components 1, 2 and 3 of the project align closely with the objectives (i) to (iv), and Component 4 addresses the fifth objective. 19. The Benin Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for FY13 – FY17 structures the Bank’s support to the Government’s Stratégie de Croissance pour la Réduction de la Pauvreté (SCRP) around three pillars: a foundational, cross-cutting pillar on (i) strengthening governance and public sector capacity, and two supporting pillars on (ii) increasing sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment and (iii) improving service delivery and social inclusion. Knowledge and gender will be cross thematic topics. This project is specifically mentioned in the CPS as one of the key elements to support the focus on employment in the second pillar. In line with the emphasis on gender in the CPS, the project will ensure that at least half of beneficiaries are women, the specific needs of young women are taken into consideration, and gender-disaggregated results indicators are collected. II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE(S)
A. PDO
20. The objective of the proposed project is to improve access to employment skills and employment opportunities for underemployed youth in Benin.
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B. Project Beneficiaries 21. The project beneficiaries will be young underemployed Beninese men and women aged 15-35. For the purposes of the project, underemployed youth are defined as those who report themselves as either: i) working less hours than they would prefer; ii) working full-time but earning less than the minimum wage or poverty level; or iii) working in a job that does not match their education, training or experience. The project will put an emphasis on targeting youth who are most affected by underemployment, that is youth who are female, rural, currently self-employed, and/or with low levels of education. The number of beneficiaries will be disaggregated by gender in the project monitoring.
C. PDO Level Results Indicators 22. The project’s performance in achieving its development objective would be measured through the following key outcome indicators:
• Number of direct project beneficiaries, and the percentage of beneficiaries who are women;
• Number of youth supported by the project receiving the Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP);
• Number of youth completing small business and life skills training under the project; and
• Number of youth starting or expanding microenterprises with support from the project.
III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A. Project Components 23. To help address youth underemployment, the project will aim to strengthen the human capital and productivity of underemployed youth. The project will have a particular focus on the sectors of agricultural transformation, artisanal trades, and tourism. All activities will be designed and implemented directly or in close cooperation with the private sector (formal and informal). It will have four components: Component 1: Developing Skills through Apprenticeships ($6.3 million) 24. This component will support improved access for underemployed youth to apprenticeships of improved quality in skilled trades, and help the Government and private sector trade associations to expand and improve nationally recognized certification for skills learned in such apprenticeships. It would support three priorities of the National Employment Policy: (i) promotion and sustainability of SME’s and small industries; (ii) building capacity among employment actors; (iii) promotion of national solidarity in employment services (i.e. increasing access of poor and vulnerable households to such services); and (iv) building the public and private institutional capacity for employment promotion.
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25. Sub-component 1.1: Scaling Up Apprenticeship Certifications ($5 million). This sub-component will support scaling-up apprenticeship certifications in new trades and improving access to classroom training for apprentices to complement the on-the-job training received.
26. Two distinct streams have been developed by the Government in the area of apprenticeship. The first stream, the Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP) is a dual program that combines classroom training with traditional apprenticeship under the supervision of a master artisan. Apprentices can access this stream after a competitive national test reserved for students who have at least completed primary school. A CQP curriculum is now available for 13 trades. The second stream, the Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers (CQM), was conceptualized as a way to provide a nationally-recognized certification to youth who successfully complete their apprenticeship, irrespective of their level of education. While the CQP program is fully operational, the CQM program has just started to be put into place, but the exams have been developed to cover 42 trades.
27. The project will support the expansion of the CQP and CQM to a new range of trades. Standardized lists of competences will be developed in collaboration with artisanal trade associations, key Ministries, and local governments. A national CQM test will be designed for those new trades. An assessment will be carried out initially in order to prioritize trades with the greatest potential for extending certification. As part of the formalization of the apprenticeship system, a registry of apprentices is expected to be developed. 28. The classroom portion of the CQP stream is currently financed through cost-sharing between the Government and the apprentice, with the apprentice covering about 10 percent of costs and the Government the remaining 90 percent through the FODEFCA. Of the Government portion, over the past decade, about 60 percent has come from domestic resources, with the remainder coming from donor financing. However, the resources allocated to FODEFCA have not permitted all of the apprentices who have passed the entrance examination to participate in the CQP classroom training. The project will provide financial support, in addition to Government’s own resources, to enable a greater number of qualified apprentices to participate in the CQP classroom training. Given the preponderance of young women among the underemployed, the sub-component would aim for at least 50 percent of the supported apprentices to be young women, and will seek to pilot innovative approaches to communicate to young women and help them to remain in apprenticeships once they have started. 29. Sub-component 1.2: Support for improving the quality of apprenticeships ($800,000). This sub-component will support improving quality of apprenticeships through (i) equipping training centers, and (ii) supporting training to update the technical and pedagogical skills of master artisans.
30. The project will support the upgrading of equipment in a few public and private technical and vocational training centers, as a mean to improve the quality of apprenticeships. In parallel to the development of curricula and exam criteria for new trades in the CQP system, support will be required for the equipment of corresponding public training centers so that apprentices can follow the dual training in adequate conditions. The support for upgraded equipment will help
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ensure that relevant tools are available to accompany the theoretical training during the CQP training cycle, in particular for trades newly covered by the CQP. No support to construction or civil works would be eligible under the project. 31. One of the weaknesses of the current dual system is the lack of knowledge of master artisans of the modern techniques and equipment that apprentices are exposed to in the classroom training. Better adequacy between skills taught in the training center and the master’s workshop will be achieved by increasing the involvement of masters in the dual training of their apprentices. Master craftsmen with apprentices in the dual system will be asked to spend a day per month at the training center to upgrade their skills, be updated on the curricula and discuss what is expected of apprentices. 32. Sub-component 1.3: Support for girls in apprenticeship ($500,000). This sub-component will aim to increase access of young women to apprenticeships in a wider range of trade sectors through incentives. Although girls are well represented in the traditional apprenticeship system, they are typically confined to a handful of trades such as hairdressing or tailoring that are not the most productive. Encouraging girls to be trained in more productive sectors will require using and combining innovative approaches such as information campaigns and networking events. Encouraging girls to join non-traditional trades would need to be combined with support to ensure retention of girls in such apprenticeships, such as child care, sensitization of masters and other measures. The impact evaluation may be used to help generate the evidence needed to identify efficient solutions. Component 2: Developing Small Business Skills (IDA $15 million) 33. This component would support the ANPE to scale up and improve the quality of its existing programs to assist predominantly underemployed youth to develop skills related to establishing and managing a small business. This would include (i) developing training modules for life skills training, business training, and business plan preparation for beneficiaries of different levels of literacy; (ii) supporting the formation of business groups and facilitation to help beneficiaries to pair with existing private sector firms; and (iii) supporting short vocational training in high potential sectors. In so doing, it would support key priorities of the National Employment Policy: (i) the promotion and sustainability of SME’s and small industries, and (ii) the promotion of national solidarity in employment services. 34. Two of the ANPE’s programs, the PAEI (for first-time job seekers) and RCDE (for those seeking to change occupations), aim to support youth to develop small business skills and create and carry out a business plan. The programs have primarily targeted highly-educated youth with university diplomas, or at least secondary schooling. Even though such youth dispose of high levels of human capital and economic potential, they also only represent a minority of the total population, and a smaller share still of the vulnerable and underemployed. The project will support ANPE’s vision to expand its support for microenterprises and self-employment to cover beneficiaries with a broader range of education and income levels.
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Figure 1: Operational Components (1, 2, and 3)
Target: Vulnerable youth aged 15-35, in agricultural transformation, artisan trades, or tourism; > 50% women
Literate youth seeking
occupational skills
Dual-type Apprenticeships• On the job apprenticeship and
classroom training• 3 years duration• Support for women in non-
traditional fields• National certification at end of
apprenticeship (CQP)
Start-up/Insertion: Grants• Start-up grants to groups (ANPE)• Start-up grants to individuals (ANPE)
Bene
ficia
ries
Illiterate youth seeking
occupational skills
Underemployed youth seeking to become
small entrepreneurs
Traditional Apprenticeships• On-the-job apprenticeship • 3-5 years duration• Support for women in non-
traditional fields• National certification at end of
apprenticeship (CQM)Com
pone
nt 1
:Ap
pren
tices
hips
Co
mpo
nent
2:
Smal
l bus
ines
s sk
ills
Small business management skills
Life skills
Link youth to existing MSME in microfranchising arrangement
Mandatory modules to apply for support under Component 3*
Com
pone
nt 3
: St
art-
up S
uppo
rt
Optional modules depending on need
Mentoring and follow-up• Periodic check-ins• Support for solving business problems• Peer networks
Support for creation of groups
Start-up/Insertion: Loans• Link to Government program for
larger loans (FNPEEJ) (not funded by the project)
Business plan preparation
* These modules will be differentiated between literate and non-literate youth.
Short-term technical training
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35. The project will support the ANPE to strengthen PAEI and RCDE to make them better adapted to a wider range of educational backgrounds. Entrants into the program could include CQP and CQM graduates; other underemployed youth seeking to launch household or small businesses; and youth, especially young women, in need of a short-term technical training to reorient themselves into high-potential trades. New modules will be developed in two separate tracks depending on the literacy of participants (high or low), including life skills training and business training, and business plan preparation training. Completing those modules will be mandatory for being able to apply to start-up support (Component 3). CQP graduates who successfully completed similar modules in their dual training while in apprenticeship will be exempt. 36. In addition, support for the formation of business groups will be provided as well as facilitation to help beneficiaries to pair with existing private sector firms in a micro-franchising approach3. Component 3: Start-up Support ($8.7 million) 37. The skills developed under components 1 and 2 may not be sufficient by themselves for youth to access improved labor market outcomes without complementary support to address other constraints that they typically face. In line with the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group’s 2012 thematic evaluation of youth employment programs whose main operational recommendation was to adopt a comprehensive approach, the project aims to address not only skills constraints through components 1 and 2, but also lack of capital, information, networking, and mentoring. 38. Despite the technical and life skills acquired in components 1 and 2, market failures prevent access to finance for youth and create the need for the Government to support beneficiaries in order to make a successful transition into productive self-employment. The project will help beneficiaries to address capital constraints through two windows: (i) a grant window funded by the project which will provide non-reimbursable start-up funding for individuals and groups for the initial phase of their activities, with priority given to fields with significant capital intensity; and (ii) providing a link to a loan window funded by the Government through the FNPEEJ which will provide larger amounts than under the grant window at a below market interest rate. 39. The grant window will be open to applicants who have successfully completed the mandatory training modules supported in Component 2. The screening and selection of projects to be financed will be done based on a basic business plan. Selection will be carried out by the ANPE or consultants under its supervision, with an external verification of the selection by an international consultant firm. A payment agency contracted by the PCU will deliver the grants to beneficiaries under the supervision of the PCU and Ministry and subject to the Bank’s non-objection.
3 Micro-franchising refers to the provision of an appropriately scaled turnkey business to low-income people, many of whom are “necessity entrepreneurs” withe little formal education or business experience. (Christensen, Lehr, and Fairbourne, 2010)
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40. The component will also provide mentoring to help youth address problems that may confront them as they try to establish their business, to market themselves, and to identify opportunities. Depending on the sector of activity, artisan associations or the ANPE may be tasked to provide such mentoring over time. Component 4: Institutional Capacity Building and Project Management (IDA $5 million) 41. This component would support four of the nine priorities of the National Employment Policy: (i) improving the employment information system; (ii) building capacity among employment actors; (iii) improving the coordination among employment promotion programs; and (iv) building the public and private institutional capacity for employment promotion. 42. The component will aim to:
i. Strengthen the capacity of the Government and other actors (e.g. private sector associations artisanal associations, and training institutions) for the coordination, design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of youth employment activities, including training, study visits, South-South exchanges, and other activities;
ii. Strengthen the capacity of private and public sector institutions to engage in an informed policy dialogue on professional skills and employment on a regular basis, particularly on the alignment of public sector training programs with private sector needs;
iii. Support improved coordination of youth employment activities through analytical work to recommend reforms to rationalize and reduce fragmentation of youth employment activities, and support the functioning of a multi-sectoral Steering Committee on youth employment;
iv. Improve the knowledge base on employment and professional skills through the collection of data on employment in collaboration with the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Analysis (Institut National de Statistique et de l'Analyse Economique – INSAE), in order to address the lack of information faced by youth on market demand and training opportunities for different occupations, and to implementation and design of employment programs;
v. Communications activities to increase awareness of the Project activities amongst youth and other key stakeholders;
vi. Monitoring and evaluation, including technical audits, beneficiary surveys, and the project impact evaluation and related data collection efforts;
vii. Support the Project Coordination Unit’s coordination and management activities.
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B. Project Financing
43. The proposed Investment Project Financing (IPF) project is expected to be financed by an IDA credit in the amount of US$35 million. Government has demonstrated its commitment to the project by announcing an expected FCFA 900 million (US$1.9 million) of counterpart funding to be provided in parallel to the project. The table below summarizes project costs by component and provides the share of each component in the total IDA budget.
Table 5. Project Cost and Financing (US$ million)
Project Components Project cost IBRD or IDA
Financing % Financing
1. Improving Employability through Apprenticeships 2. Support for Self-Employment 3. Start-up support 4. Institutional Capacity Building and Project Management
Expected Government Counterpart
funding
Total Project Costs Front-End Fees
Total Financing Required
6.3 15.0 8.7 5.0 1.9 36.9 0.0 36.9
6.3 15.0 8.7 5.0 -- 35.0 0.0 35.0
100% 100% 100% 100% -- 95% 100% 95%
IV. IMPLEMENTATION
A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 44. The Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women (MCMEJF), as the ministry responsible for youth employment in Benin, will be responsible for supervising the implementation of the project. 45. The project will be implemented by a project coordination unit (PCU) to be established under the MCMEJF. The PCU will be composed of a coordinator, a financial management analyst, a procurement specialist, a specialist in vocational training and apprenticeships, a monitoring and evaluation specialist, and a communications specialist. The implementation of the project components will require the operational implication of a number of other institutions, with whom the PCU would sign partnership agreements detailing the expected implementation arrangements, roles, and responsibilities. Component 1 would require such a partnership agreement with the Direction de l’Apprentissage et de la Formation Professionnelle (DAFoP) in the Ministry of Secondary Education, Technical and Professional Training, and Youth Integration; the Ministry of Culture, Literacy, Artisanship, and Tourism; and FODEFCA. Components 2 and 3 will require agreements with the ANPE.
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46. A steering committee has been established and is responsible for guiding the implementation of the project, ensuring multi-sectoral collaboration, and approving the annual work plan and budget of the project. The committee will meet two times per year to approve project’s work plan and budget to review the progress in the execution of these documents. The steering committee is presided by the MCMEJF and includes representatives of the National Confederation of Artisans, the Union of Interdepartmental Chambers of Trades, the National Association of Communes of Benin, and the Ministries in charge of Development, Agriculture, Labor, Culture, Secondary Education, and Finance. 47. To enable the MCMEJF to be ready to begin project implementation immediately following project effectiveness, the Government has received a Project Preparation Advance. The advance can cover preparation of the Project Implementation Manual and any other necessary studies, recruitment of key contractual staff in the PCU, and coordination of discussions on project design between MCMEJF and key national actors. The MCMEJF has put into place an interim committee to manage the project advance.
B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation 48. The PCU will develop a computerized monitoring system to track all outcome and intermediate indicators as well as other information required for effective project management. Outcome and intermediate indicators are provided in Annex 1. Technical and process evaluations will be carried out at mid-project to examine the quality of training and the extent to which project procedures are effective and respected, and will make recommendations to increase implementation effectiveness. 49. The project will be subject to a rigorous impact evaluation. The impact evaluation will have an experimental design, with a random selection of some beneficiaries and a control group, at the individual or local level. Emphasis will be put on generating evidence on innovative approaches, operationally relevant trade-offs or potentially highly cost-effective interventions within the project. The impact evaluation will focus in particular on interventions favoring young women, in order to lift some of the gender-specific binding constraints in their training and labor market insertion.
C. Sustainability 50. While complete financial sustainability of youth employment initiatives may not be possible without external support in the short to medium term due to the country’s limited revenue base, the Government is highly committed to this area as it represents a key policy priority in Benin. The commitment is evidenced by the continued funding of multiple programs in the area by the Government, including the various programs of the ANPE, the FNPEEJ, Microcredit for the Poorest, FODEFCA, and others. 51. In regard to Component 1, the Government is making available about FCFA 1 billion (US$2 million) per year in financing for apprenticeships under the Continuing Professional Education and Apprenticeship Fund (Fonds de Développement de la Formation Professionnelle Continue et de l’Apprentissage – FODEFCA). FODEFCA was created with support from the
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World Bank’s Labor Force Development Project in 1999 to respond to the increasing demand for new skills in the formal private sector, enhance the employability of job seekers and strengthen capacities of training centers. In order to ensure the sustainability of this structure after the proposed project, the Government would need to ensure that the full amount of resources raised through the Apprenticeship Tax would be allocated to FODEFCA in the national budget as stipulated in the decree creating FODEFCA. 52. In regard to component 3, the Government has also demonstrated a continued commitment to provide financing for the FNPEEJ, despite starts and stops in program execution to implement reforms. It is hoped that a positive result in the impact evaluation of the component 1 could lead to increased domestic and external financing following this project. V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES
A. Risk Ratings Summary Table
Risk Category Rating
Stakeholder Risk Moderate
Implementing Agency Risk
- Capacity Substantial
- Governance Substantial
Project Risk
- Design Substantial
- Social and Environmental Low
- Program and Donor Moderate
- Delivery Monitoring and Sustainability Substantial
- Other (Optional)
- Other (Optional)
Overall Implementation Risk Substantial
B. Overall Risk Rating Explanation
53. In light of Benin’s low ranking in investment climate and ease of doing business, the project takes into account the lack of a dynamic private sector by focusing largely on self-employment and small and microenterprises. While MCMEJF has experience with World Bank projects and knowledge of World Bank procedures, the PCU to be recruited will need to include staff with prior experience in IDA-funded projects, or those who can become quickly operational in working with Bank procedures. The past track record of youth employment interventions is mixed. Some youth entrepreneurship programs implemented in the past by the MCMEJF, such as FNPEEJ, suffered from inefficient use of resources. The Bank will provide support in developing clear implementation procedures, M&E, MIS and in providing capacity building and
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training on fiduciary aspects and management for PCU staff. This will help to mitigate the overall level of risk. The main risks are as follows: 54. Economic uncertainties: With an economy that largely depends on rain-fed agriculture and trade with its big but unstable neighbor Nigeria, there are potential threats to the economic situation in Benin. In the past five years, Benin has suffered its fair share of external shocks including the food price crises, the global financial crisis and economic downturn, as well as climatic disasters such as floods and draughts. Major events in Nigeria (and in the Sahel) could have significant ripple effects in Benin. These uncertainties pose a threat to social and economic policies as prices of basic needs, notably food and fuel, may go up, unemployment may rise and trade with Nigeria could dwindle. 55. Implementation capacity: The PCU will delegate much of the responsibility for implementation to government agencies such as ANPE and FODEFCA. These agencies require strengthened human and material capacity in order to be able to execute the proposed activities. The PCU staff to be recruited may also require capacity building. These capacity building requirements are taken into account under component 4. The Bank will also provide support in developing clear implementation procedures, M&E, MIS and in providing capacity building and training on fiduciary aspects and management for agency and PCU staff, in order to reduce the risks related to project management. 56. Sectoral Coordination : The Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women (MCMEJF) has the main responsibility for youth employment in Benin, but there are over 30 departments or agencies in the Government with some involvement in the area. There might be a risk of poor coordination among those structures, fragmentation of programs addressing youth employment issues or disagreement on the design of the proposed project. To minimize this risk the project will be overseen by a multi-sectoral Steering Committee chaired by MCMEJF. The Steering Committee will ensure continued involvement of key actors and dialogue among main stakeholders and increase coordination with other youth employment initiatives. The Steering Committee is composed of key line Ministries, Government structures, donors, and representatives of private sector and NGOs. The project will provide support for the operation of the committee. VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY
A. Economic and Financial Analysis 57. While a cost-benefit analysis was not possible due to limited data and the difficulty of quantifying the economic value of employability, the three operational components (1, 2, and 3) of the proposed Project are expected to improve youth labor market outcomes and produce important social benefits. The project is expected to have an important direct impact on project beneficiaries as well as an indirect impact on the level and quality of employment in Benin by reinforcing the capacity of the institutions in charge of defining and implementing employment policies. 58. The project will set up a comprehensive set of interventions aimed at supporting targeted youth to access sustainable employment. Those interventions will: (i) reinforce the employability
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of youth by providing basic and technical skills needed to find employment, (ii) facilitate their insertion into the labor market, and (iii) set up accompanying/coaching measures to support the youth during the initial phase of their economic activity. The project will work in close partnership with the private sector in the form of artisans’ associations. Under all components, the project will predominantly target underemployed youth, many of whom have little or no education.
59. The first component will accelerate the expansion of a formalized apprenticeship system. The economic rationale is twofold. First, the lack of regulation of apprenticeship arrangements limits the attractiveness of this form of training for the apprentices. Entering apprenticeship has generally been considered as a last resort option reserved for youth who either dropped out of school or whose schooling performance is too low. Parents place their child in a workshop and pay the master for providing technical training to the apprentice. For the master, having an apprentice may represent a cost in the initial period, when the youth is not productive enough to compensate for the effort put into training him or her. However, after a certain period of time, the incentives for the master to retain the apprentice are strong as apprentices become skilled workers who pay for working at the master’s shop rather than getting paid. In the traditional system, an apprentice would stay at a master’s workshop until they are deemed skilled enough to leave and establish themselves, a decision that is entirely at the master’s discretion and does not follow any clear criteria. At this point, apprentices further need to pay a liberation fee and organize a costly liberation ceremony, which requires resources and often leads to even longer apprenticeships, as long as five or even ten years. Formalizing the apprenticeship system can help to improve its attractiveness. A standard contract will be established for each trade, including the standard duration and a list of core competencies that have to be acquired by the apprentice. This information will be public. Enforcement of the standard duration will be further done through the trade associations, which may see the formalization as a means to ensure an adequate supply of apprentices. 60. The second economic rationale for component 1 relates to the validation of skills from apprenticeship. With heterogeneity in productivity levels, information asymmetry generates inefficiencies on the labor market. In the case of technical training, there is the need to provide a signal on worker’s quality just like academic degrees provide signals on the level of formal education and related productivity. Not being able to signal one’s productivity can be a disincentive for getting trained and acquiring skills, or for entering an occupation altogether. Delivering a nationally recognized certificate based on a clear set of skills will contribute to solving this signaling problem that affects informal jobs. Pay-offs for this investment are therefore not only in the form of better earnings for skilled workers, but also in the form of a better functioning market for goods and services delivered by these trades. 61. The economic objective for component 2 is to overcome the mismatch between the skills acquired during formal education or technical training, and the skills required for conducting a successful business. A set of competencies have been identified as crucial for job productivity, such as life skills, small business management skills, and the ability to think in the medium term and structure the development plans in a business plan. Such training modules are relevant even for those of the beneficiaries who successfully completed primary education or more as the skills are typically not delivered in the formal education system.
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62. Component 3 aims at mitigating imperfections on the credit market. The lack of information and the absence of collateral hamper the provision of credit to the bottom of the distribution by financial institutions. Self-employed youth in the informal sector have practically no access to finance at the start of their work career, which makes it difficult to mobilize a start-up capital necessary to purchase tools, set up a workshop or market their small business. By providing start-up grants or referrals to financial institutions offering microloans, component 3 will help youth overcome this barrier. Grants will be capped at a maximum of US$400 per person, depending on demonstrated needs, regardless of whether the person is applying as an individual or as part of a group. This is the same level as the value of kits provided by the ILO in Benin, and similar to start-up support in other West African countries. The fact that it is restricted to young people who have successfully completed the relevant training modules in Component 2 reduces the moral hazard and enhances the likelihood that capital is put to productive use. 63. Without assistance, those youth will most likely find work in an economic activity with very low productivity. According to the national statistics about 60 percent of youth aged 15-24 and 47 percent of youth aged 25-34 earn less than the poverty line while working full time. The median wage is estimated at around 20,000 FCFA per month for youth with no education and 25,000 FCFA per month for youth with primary education, compared to 45,000 FCFA per month for youth with higher levels of education. By strengthening the human capital of selected youth and supporting their transition into the labor market, the project is expected to have a positive impact on their productivity and future revenues. 64. Beside the impact on the direct beneficiaries the project is expected to have important indirect positive effects, by contributing to improve the functioning of the labor market and reinforcing the institutions in charge of defining and implementing employment policies. Under component 1 the project will support the Government in operationalizing the nascent CQM. This represents a nationally-recognized certification accessible to youth with lower levels of education after completion of apprenticeship programs. This certificate will potentially benefit the entire vocational trades sector (artisanat), by increasing the qualification, and therefore the productivity, of the actors working in this sector. The vocational trades sector represents 13 percent of employment in Benin and 51 percent (or 70,000) of the existing non-farm enterprises, according to the latest general enterprise census (2008). Under component 4 the project will provide direct support and capacity building to the national institutions responsible for youth employment.
B. Technical 65. The project’s design is based on the lessons learned from previous youth employment projects. A recent report prepared by the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank suggests, in fact, that a comprehensive approach involving complementary interventions to remove key constraints to youth employment can maximize the impact of youth employment programs. Known factors that contribute to success of a comprehensive approach include participation of the private sector, monitoring and follow up of individual participants, and complementary interventions, such as training combined with financing, job search and/or
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placement assistance, rather than isolated interventions. In particular, skills building programs are more effective when three features are present. They include: (i) private sector involvement in training; (ii) classroom instruction combined with employer attachment (internship, apprenticeship); and (iii) training combined with other services, such as financing or job counseling. Those elements are present in the proposed project in Components 1, 2 and 3. Evidence on the impact of youth employment programs is still scarce and impact evaluations conducted so far provide mixed results. For example, according to the above mentioned IEG study, entrepreneurship support and training appear to be promising in Uganda and Colombia, but they had a negligible effect in Tunisia. However most of the projects analyzed so far lack significant private sector involvement. 66. The project design also aims to support strengthening and consolidation of country systems to the fullest extent possible. For this reason, the project will aim to build the capacity of existing agencies such as the ANPE, FNPEEJ, and FODEFCA rather than to create new structures.
C. Financial Management 67. As part of project preparation, a financial management assessment was carried out in accordance with the Financial Management Practices Manual issued by the Financial Management Board on March 1, 2010. The objective of the assessment was to determine whether the implementing agency, the Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women (MCMEJF) has acceptable financial management capacity for the project. The conclusion of the financial management assessment (see Annex 3 for further details) is that financial management arrangements for the Project are being established in order to satisfy the World Bank’s minimum requirements under OP/BP10.00, after which they will be adequate to provide, with reasonable assurance, accurate and timely information on the status of the Project as required by the Bank. 68. Key actions to be taken to strengthen the current FM system for the implementation of the project will be financed on the project preparation advance. They include inter-alia: i) the recruitment of a FM analyst with experience and qualification satisfactory to the Bank; ii) the drafting of the project operational manual including relevant description on FM tasks and the limits of time for their completion by each layer on the public expenditure chain; iii) the acquisition of a computerized FM software. 69. In accordance with the gradual approach agreed upon by the Bank with the government to promote the use of country systems, the FM system of the project will be based on the country FM system with the support of a FM analyst who will help in complying with the Bank FM requirements. 70. In order to mitigate fraud and corruption risks inherent to the public sector in Benin and reinforce the governance of the project, the following measures have been incorporated into the Project design: i) regular ex-post reviews carried out jointly by the General Inspectorate of the ministry with the support of the IGF (General Inspectorate of Finance) ; ii) the completion of regular technical audits on the activities to be executed by some government agencies
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(FODEFCA and ANPE) to ensure that activities have been executed pursuant to the agreed procedures and that funds were used for the purposes intended. 71. The overall FM risk rating for the project is assessed as Substantial at preparation stage and is expected to be moderate once the mitigation measures are implemented.
D. Procurement 72. The Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women (MCMEJF), as the ministry responsible for youth employment in Benin, will be responsible for supervising the implementation of the project. 73. The implementation of the project components will require the operational implication of a number of other institutions, with whom the PCU would sign agreements detailing the expected implementation arrangements, roles, and responsibilities. Component 1 would require such a contractual agreement with FODEFCA, and partnership agreements with the Directorate for Apprenticeships and Professional Training in the Ministry of Secondary Education, Technical and Professional Training, and Youth Integration and the Ministry of Culture, Literacy, Artisanship, and Tourism. Components 2 and 3 will require contractual agreements with the ANPE and a payment agency to handle the payment of small grants to eligible individuals or cooperative groups. 74. Formal assessments of the capacity of MCMEJF have been conducted through PRAMS in accordance with procurement Services Policy Group (OCSPR) guidelines. The assessment reviewed among others, the organizational structure for implementation of the project, the institutional arrangement, the staffing, the control systems, the procurement methods and procedures applicable to each component, and the record keeping and document management system. The assessment outlines the main issues and recommendations. The procurement institutional arrangement and committees required by the national procurement code are formally established under the MCMEJF, with staff having relevant procurement experience, but not skilled with Bank's project implementation and procurement procedures. The procurement Committee and the internal procurement review Committee (respectively Commission de Passation des Marchés Publics (CPMP) and Cellule de Contrôle des Marchés Publics (CCMP)) meet regularly and are operational.
75. The main risks identified are the lack of experience with Bank’s project implementation and the lack of a procurement manual within the MCMEJF. The mitigation measures agreed upon are therefore to: (a) recruit a Procurement Specialist skilled with Bank’s projects; (b) organize procurement training for staffs which will be involved in the project procurement process and (c) prepare a project procurement manual as part of the project’s administrative and financial procedures manual. The recruitment of a procurement specialist acceptable to the Bank will be an effectiveness condition of the project. The project’s overall unmitigated risk for procurement based on the assessment through PRAMS is considered Substantial.
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E. Environment and Social (including Safeguards) 76. The project is classified as a category C project, meaning that it is expected to have minimal or no adverse environmental impacts. The project will finance apprenticeships for selected youths who may be working with a master crafts person acquiring skills and work experience. This skill acquisition might involve occupational health impacts to both the apprentices and the masters. Therefore, a manual will be produced to outline safe occupational health and safety procedures. Business plans prepared under component 2 will be screened to ensure that proposals with environmental and social impacts are not financed under component 3.
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Annex 1: Results Framework and Monitoring
.
Project Name: BJ-Youth Employment (FY14) (P132667)
Results Framework .
Project Development Objectives .
PDO Statement
The objective of the proposed project is to improve access to employment skills and employment opportunities for underemployed youth in Benin.
These results are at Project Level .
Project Development Objective Indicators
Cumulative Target Values Data Source/ Responsibility for
Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure
Baseline YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 End
Target Frequency
Methodology Data Collection
Direct project beneficiaries Number 0 0 5000 11000 17500 17500 Annual Admin. data PCU
Female beneficiaries Percentage Sub-Type Supplemental
0 na 50 50 50 50 Annual Admin. data PCU
Youth supported by the project receiving the Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP)
Number 0 0 800 1600 2500 2500 Annual Admin. data PCU
(FODEFCA, DEC)
Youth completing small business and life skills training under the project
Number 0 0 5000 10000 15000 15000 Annual Admin. data PCU (ANPE)
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Number of youth starting or expanding microenterprises with support from the project
Number 0 0 3000 6000 10000 10000 Annual Admin. data PCU
.
Intermediate Results Indicators
Cumulative Target Values Data Source/ Responsibility for
Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure
Baseline YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 End
Target Frequency
Methodology Data Collection
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs
Number 0 0 5000 11000 17500 17500 Annual Admin. data PCU
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs - Supporting entrepreneurship
Number Sub-Type Breakdown
0 0 3000 6000 10000 10000 Annual Admin. data PCU
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs - Female
Number Sub-Type Breakdown
0 0 2500 5500 8750 8750 Annual Admin. data PCU
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs - Training and re-training
Number Sub-Type Breakdown
0 0 5000 11000 17500 17500 Annual Admin. data PCU
Number of occupation streams offering new post-apprenticeship exams leading to the CQP or CQM
Number 0 0 10 20 30 30 Annual Admin. data PCU (DEC)
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Number of master artisans receiving skills upgrade training
Number 0 0 200 400 500 500 Annual Admin. data PCU
(FODEFCA)
Number of training centers receiving new equipment
Number 0 0 10 10 10 10 Annual Admin. data PCU (DAFOP)
Number of communes offering exams leading to the Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers (CQM)
Number 29 29 40 50 60 60 Annual Admin. data PCU (DEC)
Number of youth with low levels of literacy receiving support for creating business plans
Number 0 0 200 400 5000 5000 Annual Admin. data PCU (ANPE)
Number of women supported by the project in occupations with traditionally low numbers of women
Number 0 0 300 600 1000 1000 Annual Admin. data PCU (ANPE, FODEFCA)
Number of cooperative groups formed
Number 0 0 200 400 500 500 Annual Admin. data PCU (ANPE)
Number of youth partnering with existing businesses in “microfranchise” arrangement
Number 0 0 200 400 500 500 Annual Admin. data PCU (ANPE)
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Number of youth receiving start up grants
Number 0 0 4000 8000 12000 12000 Annual Admin. data PCU
Percentage of direct project beneficiaries who were underemployed, or neither in school or in employment, at the beginning of training
Percentage 0 na 90 90 90 90 Annual Admin. data PCU
.
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.
Country: Benin
Project Name: BJ-Youth Employment (FY14) (P132667) .
Results Framework .
Project Development Objective Indicators
Indicator Name Description (indicator definition etc.)
Direct project beneficiaries Direct beneficiaries are people or groups who directly derive benefits from an intervention (i.e., children who benefit from an immunization program; families that have a new piped water connection). Please note that this indicator requires supplemental information. Supplemental Value: Female beneficiaries (percentage). Based on the assessment and definition of direct project beneficiaries, specify what proportion of the direct project beneficiaries are female. This indicator is calculated as a percentage.
Female beneficiaries Based on the assessment and definition of direct project beneficiaries, specify what percentage of the beneficiaries are female.
Youth supported by the project receiving the Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP)
No description provided.
Youth completing small business and life skills training under the project
No description provided.
Number of youth starting or expanding microenterprises with support from the project
No description provided.
.
Intermediate Results Indicators
Indicator Name Description (indicator definition etc.)
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs (number) This indicator measures the number of individual beneficiaries covered by passive and active labor market programs (ALMPs) – including entrepreneurship programs - supported by the Bank.
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs - Supporting entrepreneurship (number)
Includes programs promoting entrepreneurship and aiming at creating income generation opportunities such as microcredit, start-up incentives, small business grants, micro-franchising, value chain integration programs, training to support self-employment and entrepreneurship, mentoring , counseling and networking.
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Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs - Female (number)
This indicator measures females’ participation in ALMPs. It has the same definition as "Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs" but applies only to women. This indicator will yield a measure of coverage of ALMPs disaggregated by gender in absolute numbers.
Beneficiaries of Labor Market programs - Training and re-training (number)
Includes vocational and life skills training, re-training for workers, internships and apprenticeships.
Number of occupation streams offering new post-apprenticeship exams leading to the CQP or CQM
No description provided.
Number of master artisans receiving skills upgrade training
No description provided.
Number of training centers receiving new equipment No description provided.
Number of communes offering exams leading to the Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers (CQM)
No description provided.
Number of youth with low levels of literacy receiving support for creating business plans
No description provided.
Number of women supported by the project in occupations with traditionally low numbers of women
No description provided.
Number of cooperative groups formed No description provided.
Number of youth partnering with existing businesses in “microfranchise” arrangement
No description provided.
Number of youth receiving start up grants No description provided.
Percentage of direct project beneficiaries who were underemployed, or neither in school or in employment, at the beginning of training
No description provided.
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Annex 2: Detailed Project Description
Benin Youth Employment Project Component 1: Improving Employability through Apprenticeships ($6.3 million) Diagnostic. In Benin, as in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, apprenticeship represents one of the main means of acquiring skills for youth, in particular youth with low levels of education. Apprenticeship, where youth learn a trade under the guidance of a master craftsman, are much more accessible from a financial and academic point of view than formal technical and vocational training institutes. In Benin, the topic of vocational training and apprenticeships has been accorded significant attention in public policy, and as a consequence Benin has a more developed formal apprenticeship framework than most other neighboring countries. Benin has created formal apprenticeship programs, including for youth with low levels of education, and has worked to modernize the apprenticeship sector. In this regard, a Professional Qualification Certificate (Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle – CQP) program was established in 2005, with technical assistance from Swisscontact, an international NGO, and the Bureau d’Appui aux Artisans (BAA), a private firm, and became operational in 2008. Open to youths who have at least completed primary school, the CQP is the culmination of a three year “dual-type” apprenticeship combining work experience with classroom training. Apprentices in the CQP program are selected on the basis of an entry exam. Candidates admitted into the program benefit from the payment of 90 percent of the costs from the Government through FODEFCA. This support is paid directly to the training center, and the beneficiary is responsible for payment equivalent to 10 percent of the cost of the classroom training from his/her own resources. Since 2008, about 12,000 apprentices have applied to take the CQP entry exam to qualify to begin the CQP dual curriculum and about 8,000 of them have received the CQP certificate. Today the curriculum covers 12 trades—motorcycle mechanics, hairdressing, tailoring, refrigeration and air conditioning, electricity, plumbing, masonry, carpentry, metalworking, auto mechanics, weaving, and photography. FODEFCA was initially financed through a combination of national budget resources and external support, with a preponderance of the former. However, the gradual reduction of donor funding, including the closing of the Bank’s Labor Force Development Project, left the Government as FODEFCA’s main financier, and overall funding levels have declined. In 2013 the institution’s budget was only FCFA 800 million (US$1.6 million), compared to FCFA 2.3 billion (US$4.6 million) in 2005. The reduction in external support for FODEFCA was supposed to have been compensated by revenue from the Apprenticeship Tax, which was intended at the creation of FODEFCA to ensure its financial sustainability. Unfortunately, while the tax is collected, the full value of the tax receipts has not been transferred to FODEFCA, depriving the institution of the financing required to fulfill its mandate. The second nationally recognized certification of skills gained through apprenticeship is the Occupational Skills Certificate (Certificat de Qualification aux Metiers - CQM), which aims to
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modernize traditional apprenticeship for youth without primary school education. It is therefore well suited to youth without formal education or early school drop-outs. The apprenticeship training is carried out by the master artisan in his workshop, and does not necessarily include theoretical content. They are registered for the exam by their master artisan at the end of a period defined at the onset between the master and the apprentice (or his parents). The practical exam is organized at the local level by trade associations with the logistical support of local authorities and the State. The first CQM exam session took place on October 14, 2013 in the 29 communes of Benin where modern end-of-apprenticeship exams were already in place, through the Swiss Cooperation-supported Examen de Fin d’Apprentissage Traditionnel (EFAT) system. Forty-eight communes do not yet organize CQM or EFAT exams. Many challenges remain to be met to improve the apprenticeship system in Benin. The CQP track offers only 12 occupations, when the actual classification of craftsmanship trades counts 210. The range of occupations in the CQM is larger, but still limited to around 40 trades. Moreover, the classification of trades itself is outdated, and most trades lack the materials required to hold exams, such as chartes and matrices de compétences (skill charts and matrices). Ongoing efforts to develop new skill charts and matrices are being carried out by the Projet de Renforcement des Compétences pour l’Emploi des Jeunes et le Développement Rural en Afrique de l’Ouest (CEJEDRAO), implemented by the International Labor Office in Benin. In their respective programs, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Swiss Cooperation are also planning on developing new exam materials. All these efforts should lead to the availability of around sixty skill matrices, meaning that a large number of matrices still remain to be created. Another weakness of the apprenticeship system is the limited number of training centers and their insufficient equipment. The concentration of training centers in certain areas limits professional opportunities for youth and leads to massive rural exodus to zones with training centers. The quality of the training itself needs to be improved. Master craftsmen often work in a traditional manner and with outdated tools, and their teaching is not up to the level of what their apprentices learn in their dual training. The technical gap between the master’s and the training center’s teaching hampers the efficacy of dual training. The opposite is true also in some trades where the training centers are themselves not sufficiently well equipped compared to the workshop. In addition, apprenticeships do not usually include life, behavioral and business skills, which are crucial for graduates who are often very young and must be able to manage their own business and clientele. For these reasons, apprenticeship has become less and less attractive and master craftsmen have difficulty recruiting apprentices in their workshop even though youth unemployment and school drop-out rates are high. During project preparation, a survey was carried out by phone on a sample of 536 graduates of the CQP in October and November 2013. Results show that the traditional features of the system persist in many workshops. The duration of unpaid apprenticeship averages five years. About 80 percent of apprentices had to pay their masters apprenticeship fees, for a total amount of 85,000 FCFA. More than 72 percent of the graduates had to organize a traditional liberation ceremony during which an average of 92,000 FCFA was
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paid. These features contribute to making apprenticeships an unattractive choice for youth. Labor market insertion of young graduates of apprenticeship and their installation as independent self-employed workers is extremely difficult. One year after their graduation, 48 percent of the respondents declared being out of employment and more than 40 percent declare not being financially independent. This contributes to discouraging them before even starting apprenticeship. The primary constraint cited is the lack of resources to start their own business. Objective. The objective of this component is to support improved access for underemployed youth to apprenticeships of improved quality in skilled trades, and help the Government and private sector trade associations to expand and improve nationally recognized certification for skills learned in such apprenticeships. It would be expected to improve the employability of young Beninese with little or no education, by giving them the opportunity to upgrade their skills through apprenticeship, and to contribute to the modernization and reform of the apprenticeship system in Benin. Coverage. The project has a country wide scope. Component 1 will target:
• 77 communes of Benin; • 6 Préfectures (future regions) and 12 Departements (soon to be 29).
Approach. The component has three sub-components: Sub-component 1.1: Scaling Up Apprenticeship Certifications. This sub-component will support scaling-up apprenticeship certifications in new trades and improving access to classroom training for apprentices to complement the on-the-job training received.
a. Developing the machinery of formalized apprenticeship (CQP and CQM)
The project will first support the development of new « matrices and chartes de competences » both for the CQP and the CQM systems, so that the formalized apprenticeship system covers a larger number of trades and may therefore attract a larger number of apprentices. This activity will be conducted jointly with the relevant government entities that may use external consultants to carry out the technical aspect of the work. They will complement efforts made by other development partners in the area (Coopération suisse, Swisscontact, AFD, ILO, etc.). The project will consider carrying out a short labor market study to identify sectors with the largest numbers of potential beneficiaries and relatively higher potential for inclusive productive employment, which would then become priorities for the expansion of the formalized apprenticeship system. This exercise may be undertaken jointly with other development partners involved in labor market policies.
As 90 percent of the costs associated to the theoretical part of the CQP training is covered by the Government (the rest being paid by the apprentice), the number of CQP trainees is limited by the Government’s budget constraint. The Bank’s financial support will be used to open more CQP positions, thereby increasing the number of trainees. The project will work with the Direction de
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l’Apprentissage et de la Formation Professionnelle (DAFOP) and FODEFCA, which have been in charge of supporting and developing apprenticeship in the country.
A core feature of the CQM is the development of a standardized apprenticeship model that will improve the whole experience for the apprentice. Particularly problematic are the duration of the apprenticeship, which masters tend to extend in order to recoup their initial training costs and benefit longer from cheap and productive labor, and the fees. Apprenticeship contracts are typically not in written form, which makes their enforcement difficult for apprentices or their parents. As part of the CQM, standard durations and standard fees will be determined for each occupation sector. The project will support this effort as well as the establishment of a standard contract between the apprentice or her parents and the master artisan. This will be done in close collaboration with other technical and financial partners, especially the French Development Agency’s Projet d’Appui à la Formation professionnelle et à l’Insertion des Jeunes (AFPIJE).
Support may also be provided for the organization of the CQM exam, as the exam fees collected from apprentices do not allow the trade associations to deal with the logistics, the compensation of jury members and examiners and other expenses. Attention will be devoted to ensuring the future sustainability of the exam organization.
b. Promoting the new system
The formalized apprenticeship system is an opportunity to revive apprenticeship as a viable path to success and to reverse the trend of declining interest from youth. Communication activities may include radio advertisements, development of outreach material for the trade associations, efforts to build the CQP/CQM brand with material made available for young graduates to advertise their certification. As part of an effort to improve the public perception of apprenticeship and artisanal activities, and emphasize the national validation process, results of the CQM would be expected to be broadcast on the radio.
In order to foster the adoption of the new apprenticeship system across the country, the project will provide an arena for aspiring apprentices to meet and possibly find placement with young CQP/CQM masters. This will ensure that the formalized model gains steam and that CQP/CQM graduates have an advantage in finding apprentices. This may take the form of networking events, forums, or be carried out by the trade associations.
Sub-component 1.2: Support for improving the quality of apprenticeships. This sub-component will support improving quality of apprenticeships through (i) equipping training centers, and (ii) supporting training to update the technical and pedagogical skills of master artisans. Evidence points to the issue of a gap between the training received by CQP apprentices at the workshop and the training received in the training center. Better adequacy between skills taught in the training center and the master’s workshop will be achieved by increasing the involvement of masters in the dual training of their apprentices. Master craftsmen with apprentices in the dual system will be asked to spend a day per month at the training center to upgrade their skills, be updated on the curricula and discuss what is expected of apprentices.
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The project will support the upgrading of equipment in a few public and private technical and vocational training centers, as a mean to improve the quality of apprenticeships. In parallel to the development of curricula and exam criteria for new trades in the CQP system, support will be provided for the equipment of corresponding public training centers so that apprentices can follow the dual training in adequate conditions. The support for upgraded equipment will help ensure that relevant tools are available to accompany the theoretical training during the CQP training cycle, in particular for trades newly covered by the CQP. No support to construction or civil works would be eligible under the project. Sub-component 1.3: Support for girls in non-traditional trades. This sub-component will aim to increase access of young women to apprenticeships in a wider range of trade sectors through incentives. Although girls are well represented in the traditional apprenticeship system, they are typically confined to a handful of trades such as hairdressing or tailoring that are not the most productive. Encouraging girls to be trained in more productive sectors may require using and combining innovative approaches such as information campaigns, networking facilitation and direct monetary incentives. Retention of girls in apprenticeship who have chosen to cross over to male dominated trades is another potential issue as they may be more likely to quit the apprenticeship before completion due to bad working conditions, gender based discrimination in the workshop or sexual harassment. Information campaigns and awareness raising activities at the level of the workshop and the classroom (for girls doing the dual training), and targeted both at girls, boys, masters and teachers are interventions that can ensure a safer and more comfortable working environment for girls. The impact evaluation may be used to generate the evidence needed to identify efficient solutions. Component 2: Developing Small Business Skills ($15 million) Diagnostic. Two of the ANPE’s programs, the PAEI (for first-time job seekers) and RCDE (for those seeking to change occupations), aim to support youth to develop small business skills and create and carry out a business plan. The programs have primarily targeted highly-educated youth with university diplomas, or at least secondary schooling. Even though such youth have high levels of human capital and economic potential, they also only represent a minority of the total population, and a smaller share still of the vulnerable and underemployed. Objective. This component would support the ANPE to scale up and improve the quality of its existing programs to assist predominantly underemployed youth to develop skills related to establishing and managing a small business, while opening the programs to cover beneficiaries with a broader range of education and income levels. This component will be designed as a set of training modules that youth can apply to, depending on their initial training and career goals. Some of those modules will be pre-requisites for applying to the start-up support provided in Component 3. Coverage. Like component 1, beneficiaries of this component can come from any the 77 communes of the country. The target group will consist in recent graduates of apprenticeship programs (CQP or CQM) who feel the need to hone their skills in certain areas, but will also
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consist of predominantly underemployed youth with lower levels of education, especially young women. Approach. The project will support the ANPE to strengthen PAEI and RCDE to make them better adapted to a wider range of educational backgrounds. Entrants into the program will include CQP and CQM graduates, as well as other underemployed youth seeking to launch household or small businesses. Modules will be developed in two separate tracks depending on the literacy of participants (high or low). Modules will include life skills training and business training, and training in business plan preparation. Completing those modules will be mandatory for being able to apply to start-up support (Component 3). Beneficiaries of Component 2 who have not been through an apprenticeship and wish to learn a new set of technical skills may apply for a short technical training in addition to the business skill training modules, through the RCDE program or potentially through other actors such as the Agence nationale de la Formation Professionnelle pour la Reconversion et de l’Insertion des Jeunes (ANFPRIJ), the Direction de la Reconversion et de l’Insertion des Jeunes (DRIJ) and other actors. Activities under this component will be undertaken in close collaboration with the UNDP and Government-promoted Business Promotion Centers (BPCs) which are resources centers for small businesses. The ANPE will take the lead in coordinating the all actors providing services under the component. Youth will be permitted, if they prefer, to receive support in groups. Support for the formation of business groups will be provided so that they can pool resources and access capital intensive trades with relatively higher costs of entry initially, but higher productivity and significant economies of scale. The support would consist in networking sessions to match young graduates according to their sectors, legal advice on establishing co-ownership and profit-sharing mechanisms, or simply information on the advantages of clustering and resource pooling for obtaining financing, purchasing equipment, renting operating space, providing mutual support or guaranteeing continuous customer service. Facilitation will also be offered to help beneficiaries pair with existing private sector firms in a micro-franchising4 approach to help them establish themselves in a productive and sustainable market niche with ongoing support from the partner firm. Finally, mentoring arrangements will provide just-in-time advice to deal with problems that may confront youth as they try to establish their business, to market themselves, and to identify opportunities. While the component is open to other youth, CQP and CQM graduates will be offered preferential access to the training modules in this Component. The objective is to make CQP and CQM graduates ready to integrate into the labor market and start developing an activity. To this end, complementing technical training with general non-technical courses may go a long way in making graduates able to find employment in another enterprise (formal or informal) or to start a productive activity. To ensure sufficient participation in the program, specific communication campaign, targeting and awareness raising activities will be funded under Component 2.
4 Microfranchising refers to the provision of an appropriately scaled turnkey business to low-income people, many of whom are “necessity entrepreneurs” withe little formal education or business experience. (Christensen, Lehr, and Fairbourne, 2010)
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Information on the availability of such training will be provided to all apprentices who graduate at the most appropriate location and time, such as at the examination center, or when exam results are given out. Specific activities to increase female participation in the program will be carried out. These may include interventions to relax some specific constraints, for example providing free child care at the training center. Communication on the program will also be tailored to reach each target group, to ensure participation of women and youth with a low level of education. The communication campaign will work on changing the image of the PAEI to attract a wide variety of beneficiaries, rather than only the more educated, and on promoting the short technical training modules that may allow women to access more productive sectors than the traditionally female ones. As a specific track for the illiterate will be provided, targeted beneficiaries must be made aware of the existence of such a program. Component 3: Start-up Support ($8.7 million) Diagnostic. One of the main constraints faced by the youth in starting their own business, even after their apprenticeship, is the lack of financial resources. This is essentially the result of market failures. The survey of recent CQP graduates shows that many of them were never able to set up or join a workshop to practice what they have learnt. The primary reason they cite for that outcome is the lack of resource to start their own business. A few projects have tried approaches to correct this situation. Among them is the CEJEDRAO project, which equips CQP and EFAT graduates with an installation kit, comprised of a tool set that is expected to help the young graduate to start his or her business. Swisscontact has also piloted, with funding from AFD, an experience with 300 CQP graduates and local microfinance institutions to develop specific products aimed at providing access to finance for CQP graduates. However, this experience has shown mixed results because collateral requirements for microfinance have remained high. Experiences from other countries, such as Uganda, show that cash grants can have a significant impact in resolving this problem. Small grants also allow beneficiaries to purchase exactly the equipment needed for their specific situations, as opposed to standardized kits. The possibility that grants will be spent for non-productive purposes is a risk, but start-up kits, especially if they do not meet the beneficiaries’ needs, can also be sold on the market for a fraction of their initial cost if beneficiaries are not well selected for their motivation and suitability. Objective. The objective of this component is to (i) provide non-reimbursable start-up funding for individuals and groups who have graduated from the small business and life skills program under Component 2 for the initial phase of their activities, with priority to individuals and groups in fields with significant capital intensity; and (ii) provide mentoring to help youth address problems that may confront them as they try to establish their business, to market themselves, and to identify opportunities. Coverage. Like the component 1 and 2, beneficiaries of this component can come from any the 77 communes of the country. Beneficiaries could be individuals or cooperatives of artisans
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whose business plan has been selected. Besides basic eligibility criteria set for benefiting from components 1 and 2 (such as establishing their age, residence and nationality), beneficiaries of component 3 are required to:
- Show evidence of graduation from the small business and life skills program under Component 2;
- Prepare a basic business plan that is judged to be acceptable under criteria to be described in the Project Operations Manual.
- Attest that they have not already benefitted from previous grant or in kind support from Government, donors, or NGOs to start a small business.
- If part of a group, the members of the group must participate in group dynamics training under the project.
Approach. The skills developed under components 1 and 2 may not be sufficient by themselves for youth to access improved labor market outcomes without complementary support to address other constraints that they typically face. Therefore, the project aims to take a holistic approach that not only addresses skills constraints through components 1 and 2, but also capital, lack of information, networking, and mentoring. Despite the technical and life skills acquired in components 1 and 2, failures of the credit market create the need for the Government to support beneficiaries in order to make a successful transition into productive self-employment. Most occupations require some capital investment, but the amount varies greatly across occupations. Occupations with low capital intensity such as hairdressing and tailoring have been popular due to the ease of entry, but higher capital intensity occupations such as auto mechanics or metalworking pose much greater difficulties for individual youth to establish themselves. Such occupations may however, offer the potential for higher earnings. The project will help beneficiaries to address capital constraints through two windows: (i) a grant window funded by the project which will provide non-reimbursable start-up funding for individuals and groups in fields with significant capital intensity; and (ii) providing a link to a loan window funded by the Government through the FNPEEJ which will provide larger amounts than under the grant window at a below market interest rate. 77. The grant window will be open to applicants who have successfully completed the mandatory training modules supported in Component 2. This will ensure that basic life skills and business skills have been acquired by applicants, and that applicants are serious about starting a business activity. The screening and selection of projects to be financed will then be done based on a medium term business plan including the proposed use of funds. Selection will be carried out by the ANPE or consultants under its supervision, with an external verification of the selection by an international consultant firm. A payment agency contracted by the PCU will deliver the grants to beneficiaries under the supervision of the PCU and Ministry and subject to the Bank’s non-objection. Component 2 will also support coaching for writing those proposals so that poorly educated or vulnerable youth can also be considered. Depending on their particular needs, applicants may also be directed to the Government programs for larger loans, such as the FNPEEJ, funded by domestic resources.
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Finally, start-up support will be accompanied with mentoring and follow-up. Past experience suggests that periodic coaching after the initial support is critical to ensuring a sustainable and productive use of the start-up funding. Mentoring can also be used to increase the networking capacity of newly established professionals and foster business transactions among peers. Depending on the sector of activity, artisan associations or the ANPE may be tasked to provide such mentoring over time. Component 4: Institutional Capacity Building and Project Management ($5 million). This component would support four of the nine priorities of the National Employment Policy: (i) improving the employment information system; (ii) building capacity among employment actors; (iii) improving the coordination among employment promotion programs; and (iv) building the public and private institutional capacity for employment promotion. The purpose of this component is to (i) strengthen the capacity of private and public sector institutions to engage in an informed policy dialogue on skills and employment on a regular basis, particularly on the alignment of public sector training programs with private sector needs; (ii) support improved coordination and reduced fragmentation of youth employment activities; and (iii) improve the knowledge base on employment and skills. In order to achieve these objectives, the component will fund the following activities:
i. Strengthen the capacity of the Government and other actors (e.g. private sector associations artisanal associations, and training institutions) for the coordination, design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of youth employment activities, including training, study visits, South-South exchanges, and other activities;
ii. Strengthen the capacity of private and public sector institutions to engage in an informed policy dialogue on professional skills and employment on a regular basis, particularly on the alignment of public sector training programs with private sector needs;
iii. Support improved coordination of youth employment activities through analytical work to recommend reforms to rationalize and reduce fragmentation of youth employment activities, and support the functioning of a multi-sectoral Steering Committee on youth employment;
iv. Improve the knowledge base on employment and professional skills through the collection of data on employment in collaboration with the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Analysis (Institut National de Statistique et de l'Analyse Economique – INSAE), in order to address the lack of information faced by youth on market demand and training opportunities for different occupations, and to implementation and design of employment programs;
v. Communications activities to increase awareness of the Project activities amongst youth and other key stakeholders;
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vi. Monitoring and evaluation, including technical audits, beneficiary surveys, and the project impact evaluation and related data collection efforts;
vii. Support the Project Coordination Unit’s coordination and management activities.
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Annex 3: Implementation Arrangements
Benin Youth Employment Project Project institutional and implementation arrangements 1. The Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women (MCMEJF), as the ministry responsible for youth employment in Benin, will be responsible for supervising the implementation of the project. 2. The project will be implemented by a project coordination unit (PCU) to be established under the MCMEJF. The PCU will be composed of a coordinator, a financial management analyst, a procurement specialist, a specialist in vocational training and apprenticeships, a monitoring and evaluation specialist, and a communications specialist. 3. A steering committee has been established and is responsible for guiding the implementation of the project, ensuring multi-sectoral collaboration, and approving the annual work plan and budget of the project. The committee will meet two times per year to approve project’s work plan and budget to review the progress in the execution of these documents. The steering committee is presided by the MCMEJF and includes representatives of the National Confederation of Artisans, the Union of Interdepartmental Chambers of Trades, the National Association of Communes of Benin, and the Ministries in charge of Development, Agriculture, Labor, Culture, Secondary Education, and Finance. 4. To enable the MCMEJF to be ready to begin project implementation immediately following project effectiveness, the Government has received a Project Preparation Advance. The advance can cover preparation of the Project Implementation Manual and any other necessary studies, recruitment of key contractual staff in the PCU, and coordination of discussions on project design between MCMEJF and key national actors. The MCMEJF has put into place an interim committee to manage the project advance.
5. For each component, partnership agreements (in the case of Ministries) and contractual arrangements (in the case of agencies and consultants) will be signed between the PCU and key actors in the implementation of the project to set forth the expected implementation arrangements, roles, and responsibilities. This choice is made to ensure sustainability of the project. For each of these components, a lead public agency or agencies will be selected and will coordinate relationships with other agencies to ensure the achievement of the project objectives (DAFoP and FODEFCA for Component 1, and ANPE for Components 2 and 3). The following paragraphs describe in details the role expected from each key actor.
Component 1: Developing skills through apprenticeships
6. The Direction de l’Apprentissage et de la Formation Professionnelle (DAFoP) within the Ministry of Secondary Education and Technical and Vocational Training will be the main partner for the implementation of component 1. The DAFoP will ensure coordination of actions with the FODEFCA for the preparation and the administration of selection test for apprentices
45
willing to take the CQP certification. The DAFoP will continue will its role of supervision of Professional training center (centres de formation professionnelle - CFP), ensuring their compliance with quality standards and providing them accreditations. The DAFoP will contribute in collecting needs of beneficiary CFP’s for equipment under the project. Likewise, the DAFoP will coordinate with Artisans associations and other partners the process of developing skills matrices and charts of competencies. DAFoP will analyze in coordination with the Project Coordination Unit needs for consultants and facilitators for the development of new matrices and charts of competences.
7. FODEFCA, which is part of the Ministry of Labor and Public Administration, will continue with the funding of CQP candidates, i.e. the payment of the 90 percent of the cost of apprentice’s classroom training to the CFPs. The project’s resources to support classroom training in CFP’s will be channeled through FODEFCA, which performs the same function for Government resources. In addition, the FODEFCA will work with the DAFoP the accreditation of qualified CFPs. Both organizations with follow-up on the quality of the training provided. The relationship between the FODEFCA and the PCU will be clearly articulated in a contract which will be signed by the two actors.
8. Swisscontact, an international NGO, which has supported the Government from the beginning (in 2005) in launching the CQP certifications, will remain a key partner in the implementation of component 1. Specifically the organization will keep a quality assurance role as it has always played in the development of matrices and charts of competences.
9. The Directorate for Official Tests (Direction des Examens et Concours - DEC) which is in charge of organizing the CQP and CQM certification tests will remain in this role in coordination with the DAFoP. The needed resources will be planned jointly between all parties involved in the organization of the CQP test and formalized in a partnership agreement. The DEC will also deliver the CQP and CQM certificates to successful candidates. Component 2: Developing small business skills
10. The main partner for the implementation of component 2 is the National Employment Agency (ANPE), which will coordinate the implementation of the component with other key actors such as the Direction de la Reconversion et de l’Insertion des Jeunes (DRIJ). Under its PAEI and RCDE programs, ANPE has developed experience in training youth and equipping them with entrepreneurship skills, especially using the ILO’s GERME approach. ANPE will thus sign a contract with the PCU to lay out its role in leading the support for the enrollment, the training, and follow up of youth preparing to become micro-entrepreneurs. ANPE is already playing this role with the FNPEEJ. The project will take advantage of this experience and capitalize on the roster of ILO accredited GERME trainers to provide additional training on life skills, small business management, business plan preparation skills to young graduates with CQP or CQM. Beyond the CQP and CQM graduates, ANPE will support youth who are seeking additional entrepreneurial competences to start their business. ANPE will also collect all applications for grants from the project and direct the applications to the appropriate mandatory trainings before they can benefit such grants.
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11. The project and ANPE will work closely with ILO for its expertise in accrediting expert consultants and trainers in the GERME approach. Collaboration with ILO will benefit the project in the fact that additional modules could be adapted into a GERME-type of approach to reach the projects goals to equip beneficiaries with life skills and other essential skills needed by youth to become successful micro-entrepreneurs. 12. ANPE will coordinate delivery of training and advisory support, to the extent possible, with other existing Government initiatives such as the Business Promotion Centers (BPCs), which are regional one-stop resource centers for young people aspiring to become entrepreneurs. BPCs currently exist in only 3 communes in Benin (Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Parakou), but are expected to expand to Abomey-Calavi, and Bohicon in the center of the country.
Component 3: Start-up support 13. ANPE will be contracted as the lead partner in collecting applications for grants. All applications will be directed to ANPE which will conduct a first screen to preselect only applicants that have successfully completed component 2. The selection process for beneficiaries will be shared between ANPE and external consultant firms, as described in the Project Operations Manual, to ensure independence of the selection process. 14. A payment agency will be recruited under this component to disburse the proceeds of the support to startups. This payment agency will be an external decentralized financial institution with broad coverage of the territory. The final list of beneficiaries with the amount of the grant will be provided to the payment agent, who will be remunerated accordingly to a results-based contract. 15. Artisans associations will be mobilized to identify successful members who can provide mentoring to startups. Artisans associations are the best to know who is in good position to provide mentoring and support to startups. Resources will be made available by the project to facilitate networking events under the leadership of such associations. 16. FNPEEJ will not have a direct link role in the provision of start-up funding to beneficiaries under the project. However, ANPE will refer to FNPEEJ potential beneficiaries whose financing requirements are higher than the limit of funding that can be provided under the project. Component 4: Institutional Capacity Building and Project Management 17. The PCU will manage all activities under Component 4. Financial management and disbursements 18. The project will be implemented by the MCMEJF with the support of fiduciary agents from the ministries of finance and development as the project will rely on the country PFM system. The FM analyst to be located in the project coordination unit will ensure the timely completion of tasks devoted to each layer of the public expenditure chain. He will also act as
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adviser on FM issues and will particularly support Financial and material resources department (Direction des Ressources Financières et du Matériel – DRFM) of the MCMEJF in coordinating the preparation and execution of budgeted annual work plans, ensuring the quality of the financial management and submitting of periodic financial reports on the project activities. Budgeting 19. The budgeting arrangements for the project will follow the government’s budgeting system. In Benin, budget based programs are systematically prepared. Multi-year expenditure Programs are integrated into the budget formulation process. Spending ministries and the Parliament are systematically consulted for the budget formulation adhering to a fixed budget calendar. The DRFM with the support of the FM analyst will be responsible for provision of sufficient allocation of funds in the government annual budget for the project activities. 20. The annual cash budget will be broken down quarterly in support of project activities as reflected in the approved work plan and procurement plan. Accounting 21. Project accounts will be maintained on a cash basis, augmented with appropriate records and procedures to track commitments and to safeguard assets. 22. During the first years of the project implementation, an accounting software from the private sector will be used in parallel with the government integrated FM system (IFMIS). The project will support customizing of the government IFMIS so that it is able to generate financial reports in a form acceptable to IDA. The project will from then rely only on the government IFMIS. 23. Annual Financial statements will be prepared in accordance with the accounting standards of OHADA adapted to the needs of donors funded projects. The ROSC Accounting and Auditing identified some differences with the International Accounting Standards but they are not expected to impact the project. Accounting and control procedures will be documented in the FM Manual. Disbursement and Funds Flow arrangements 24. The disbursement and Funds flow arrangements for the project will follow the Government funds flow arrangements already in place to finance its budgetary expenditures with some specificity to be described in the project implementation manual. The Project funds will flow from the Credit Account through a Designated Account (DA) to be opened at the Central Bank (BCEAO) and which will function like the government ordinary payment account managed by the public accountant named “Receveur Général des Finances”. Payments at central level for significant amounts will be made directly from this account whereas payments at decentralized levels will be funded with transfers from the DA to an account of the Public Treasury pursuant to monthly reconciliation statements.
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25. The Caisse Autonome d'Amortissement (CAA) is the assigned representative of the Recipient for the mobilization of IDA funds. Withdrawal Applications requests will be prepared by the DRFM with the support of the FM analyst, signed by a designated signatory or signatories (the signature authorization letter is signed by the Minister of Finance), and sent to the Bank for processing. The signatories will have the option to submit electronic applications using the “eDisbursement” module available on the Bank’s Client Connection website. This procedure applies to all Bank financed projects in Benin. 26. The ceiling of the advance in the Designated account (DA) will be set to CFAF 1 billion (about US$2.1 million) estimated to cover four months of eligible project expenditures during the highest disbursement period. 27. Disbursements under the project would be transaction based. After project effectiveness and upon receiving a Withdrawal Application, IDA will disburse an initial advance (up to the ceiling of the DA) to the designated account. Subsequent advances to the DA will be made against withdrawal applications with supporting documentation (Statements of Expenditures (SOE) or records) reporting eligible expenditures paid from the DA. In addition to making advances to the Designated Account, other disbursement methods (such as reimbursement, direct payment and special commitment) will be available for use under the project. The minimum value of applications for these methods is 20 percent of the DA ceiling. Further instructions on the withdrawal of proceeds will be outlined in the disbursement letter and details on the operation of the DA will be provided in the Project Financial and Accounting Manual. 28. The proceeds of the credit will be disbursed in accordance with project categories of expenditures as shown below. The percentage of financing is 100 percent inclusive of taxes in line with the current Country Financing Parameters approved for the Republic of Benin.
Disbursement Table
Category Amount of the
Credit Allocated (expressed in US$)
Percentage of Expenditures to be Financed (inclusive of
Taxes)
(1) Goods, Non-Consulting Services, Consultants’ Services, Operating Costs, Workshops and Training for the Project
28,920,000 100%
(2) Subgrants under Part 3(a) of the project
5,200,000 100% of amounts disbursed
(3) Refund of Preparation Advance 880,000 Amount payable pursuant to Section 2.07 of the General
Conditions Total Amount 35,000,000
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Figure 1: Flow of Funds
CAA: Caisse Autonome d’Amortissement DP: Direct Payment WA: Withdrawal Application
BCEAO: Central Bank
Reporting 29. The DRFM with the FM analyst will produce the IFRs no later than 45 days after the end of each quarter and Annual Financial Statements, and these statements will comply with International Accounting Standards (IAS) and World Bank requirements. 30. These Financial Statements will comprise :
i. A statement of Sources and Uses of Funds; ii. A detail on payment orders issued on the designated account ( ranked by type of
beneficiaries) ,
Designated Accounts (BCEAO)
Managed by the RGF (With administrative support
from the PCU at the line ministry level)
CAA
WA (Funds) DP IDA Account
(Washington) at the World Bank
Implementing entity/Agencies Accounts
(FODEFCA, ANPE, FNPEEJ…)
Beneficiaries / Suppliers / Consultants
Suppliers / Consultants Accounts
WA / DP
Funds
Reports, Goods, etc.
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iii. The situation of the pre-financed expenditures on the ordinary public treasury account; iv. A balance sheet showing accumulated funds of the Project, bank balances, other assets
and liabilities and commitments of the project, if applicable; v. The accounting policies adopted and explanatory notes;
vi. The list of fixed assets acquired with the project funds.
Audit arrangements Internal Audit and internal controls 31. Project activities are part of the MCMEJF’s activities, and the country internal control and audit mechanisms already in place for any public expenditure will apply. Given the weak of capacity of the general inspectorate of the ministry, it is agreed that regular internal audit missions will be organized by the general inspectorate of the ministry jointly with general inspection of finance. The scope of internal audit will include at least periodic i) reviews of Project activities, assets, systems, records and accounts; ii) control of the effectiveness of financial and accounting policies and procedures, as well as checking of compliance with internal control mechanisms, procurements and contract management; and ii) completion of other functions as stated in their approved mandate. 32. With regard to the internal controls, the expenditure initiation and related controls will follow the authorization and approval processes in use within the MCMEJF. The payment authorizer (DRFM) has a functioning internal control mechanism which helps to ensure a sound control environment for transaction processing both for government and donors funded activities. This internal control is complemented by the control made by the financial controller (délegué du contrôleur financier). The latter and the DRFM agents of the ministry will be made aware of the need for diligent processing of the program operations submitted for their clearance. To accelerate processing of the program activities at DRFM and Delegation Financial Controller levels, appropriate focal points have been identified and will be assigned to the program. External audit 33. The project will submit audited Annual Financial Statements within six months after year-end. 34. Since project expenditures form part of the budget approved by the legislature, the Supreme Audit Institution is mandated to audit those in the normal course of their audit. External audits are performed by the Chamber of Accounts with general adherence to international auditing standards, but State accounts are audited with huge delay. To avoid delay, qualified, experienced and independent external auditors will be appointed, based on TOR acceptable to the Bank. The auditor will report to the Chamber of Accounts. By expressing an opinion on the Annual Financial Statements and in compliance with International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), the auditor will be required to prepare a Management Letter giving observations and comments, and providing recommendations for improvements in accounting records, systems, and controls.
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35. In addition, technical audits will be carried out as regards the activities executed by the implementing entities such FODEFCA, ANPE and FNPEEJ. These audits will review project performance, i.e: project progress, quality and timeliness in relation to milestones and objectives stated in the Project Document, as well as the economy and efficiency with which the project is being implemented. Procurement 36. Guidelines: Procurement for the proposed project will be carried out in accordance with; (a) the Bank “Guidelines: Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits” dated January 2011; (b) the Bank “Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers” dated January 2011; (c) the Bank “Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants”, dated October 15, 2006 and revised in January 2011 (“Anti-Corruption Guidelines”) and (d) the provisions of the Grant Agreement. 37. Procurement Documents: Procurement will be carried out using the Bank’s Standard Bidding Documents or Standard Request for Proposal (RFP) respectively for all International Competition Bidding (ICB) and selection of consultants. For National Competitive Bidding (NCB), the Borrower could use the national Standard Bidding Documents provide that the first using of each type of bidding documents has been submitted to the Bank for prior review. The Sample Form of Evaluation Reports published by the Bank will be used; 38. Procurement of Goods and Non-consultant Services: Goods and non-consultant services procured under this project will be carried out under ICB or NCB using the IDA’s Standard Bidding Documents for all ICB and National Standard Bidding documents agreed with or satisfactory to the IDA for all NCB. Small value goods and non-consultant services may be procured under shopping procedures. Direct contracting may be used where necessary if agreed in the procurement plan in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3.3 to 3.4 of the Procurement Guidelines. The prequalification processes for all the contracts to be procured using NCB are subject to prior review by the IDA. The first contract for goods and non-consultant services will be subject to prior review by the World Bank 39. Selection and employment of Consultants: The selection method of consultants will be Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method whenever possible. Contracts for specialized assignments estimated to cost less than US$200,000 equivalent may be contracted through Consultant Qualification (CQS). The following additional methods may be used where appropriate: Quality Based Selection (QBS); Selection under a Fixed Budget (FB); and Least-Cost Selection (LCS). 40. Short lists of consultants for (i) all consultancy assignments estimated to cost less than the equivalent of US$100,000 per contract and (ii) engineering & contract supervision estimated to cost less than the equivalent of US$300,000 per contract may be composed entirely of national consultants in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2.7 of the Consultant Guidelines. However, if foreign firms express interest, they will not be excluded from consideration.
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41. Single Source Selection (SSS) may be employed with prior approval of the IDA and will be in accordance with paragraphs 3.8 to 3.11 of the Consultant Guidelines. All services of Individual Consultants (IC) will be procured under contracts in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 5.1 to 5.6 of the Guidelines. 42. The use of civil servants as individual consultants or a team member of firms will strictly follow the provisions of Article 1.9 to 1.11 of the Consultants Guidelines. 43. Operating Costs: Operating costs shall consist of operations and maintenance costs for vehicles, office supplies, communication charges, equipment, utility charges, travel expenses, per diem and travels costs, office rental, training costs, workshops and seminar and associated costs, among others. Operating costs will not include salaries of civil servants. 44. Training and Workshops: Training and workshops will be based on capacity needs assessment. Detailed training plans and workshops activities will be developed during project implementation, and included in the project annual plan and budget for Bank’s review and approval. Procurement Implementation Arrangements 45. The implementation of the project components will require the operational implication of a number of other institutions, with whom the PCU would sign partnership agreements detailing the expected implementation arrangements, roles, and responsibilities. Component 1 would require such a partnership agreement with the Directorate for Apprenticeships and Professional Training (DAFoP) in the Ministry of Secondary Education, Technical and Professional Training , and Youth Integration; the Ministry of Culture, Literacy, Artisanship, and Tourism; and FODEFCA. Components 2 and 3 will require agreements with the ANPE. 46. Formal assessments of the capacity of MCMEJF have been conducted through PRAMS in accordance with OPCS guidelines. The assessment reviewed among others, the organizational structure for implementation of the project, the institutional arrangement, the staffing, the control systems, the procurement methods and procedures applicable to each component, and the record keeping and document management system. The assessment outlines the main issues and recommendations. The procurement institutional arrangement and committees required by the national procurement code are formally established under the MCMEJF, with staff having relative procurement experience, but not skilled with Bank's project implementation and procurement procedures. The procurement Committee and the internal procurement review Committee (respectively Commission de Passation des Marchés Publics (CPMP) and Cellule de Contrôle des Marchés Publics (CCMP)) meet regularly and are operational.
47. The main risks identified are the lack of experience with Bank’s project implementation and the lack of a procurement manual within the MCMEJF. The mitigation measures agreed upon are therefore to: (a) recruit a Procurement Specialist skilled with Bank’s projects; (b) organize procurement training for staffs which will be involved in the project procurement process and (c) prepare a project procurement manual as part of the project’s administrative and financial procedures manual. The recruitment of a procurement specialist acceptable to the Bank
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will be an effectiveness condition of the project. The project’s overall unmitigated risk for procurement based on the assessment through PRAMS is considered Substantial.
48. Frequency of Procurement Reviews and Supervision: The Bank’s prior and post reviews will be carried out on the basis of thresholds indicated in the table below. The Bank will conduct bi-annual supervision missions and annual Post Procurement Reviews (PPR); the ratio of post reviews will be at least one out of five contracts. The Bank could also conduct an Independent Procurement Review (IPR) at any time until two years after the closing date of the project.
Procurement and Selection Review Thresholds
Procurement/selection methods
Prior review threshold (US$)
Comments
1. Goods and non-consultant services ICB
≥ 1,000,000 Method can be applied for any amount, but is
mandatory for contracts above the prior review thresholds
LCB ≥ 500,000 Review of all contracts NCB N/A Review of the first two contracts independently of
amount. The method is applicable only for contracts less than US$1,000,000 for goods
Shopping ≥ 100,000 Review of the first two contracts independently of amount. Method applicable for contracts less than US$100,000 for off-shelf goods and commodities and US$500,000 for vehicles and fuel
Direct Contracting All amounts Review of all contracts 2. Consulting Services
QCBS ≥ 500,000 Review of the first two contracts independently of amount
LCS ≥ 200,000 Review of the first two contracts independently of amount
Selection under a Fixed Budget (FBS)
≥ 200,000 Review of the first two contracts independently of amount
CQS (for contracts ≤$US200,000) ≥ 200,000
Review of the first two contracts independently of amount. Method could be applicable for contracts less than US$300,000
Individual Consultants (IC) ≥ 200,000 Review of the first two contracts and other contracts chosen on a case-by-case basis, independently of amount.
Single Source Selection (SSS) All amounts Review of all contracts. 3. Training and Workshops
Training and workshops ≥ 10,000 On basis of detailed and approved annual plan (with indication of venue, number of participants, duration, detailed budget, etc.)
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49. All training, terms of reference of contracts estimated to more than US$10,000, and all amendments of contracts raising the initial contract value by more than 15 percent of the original amount or above the prior review thresholds will be subject to IDA prior review. All contracts not submitted to the prior review will be submitted to IDA post review in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 4 of Annex 1 of the Bank’s Consultant Selection Guidelines and Bank’s procurement Guidelines. 50. Procurement Plan: All procurement activities will be carried out in accordance with approved original or updated procurement plans. The Procurement Plans will be updated at least annually or as required to reflect the actual project implementation needs and capacity improvements. All procurement plans should be published at the national level and in the Bank website according to the Guidelines. The Government and the Bank have agreed that the Project will prepare a procurement plan covering the first eighteen (18) months of the Project. Tables (a) and (b) below represent the summary of this procurement plan a) Summary of goods and non-consulting services 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ref. No.
Contract (Description)
Estimated Cost US$
Procurement Method
Review by Bank (Prior / Post)
Comments
1 IT equipment for PCU
63,830
Shopping prior
2 Office furniture for PCU
38,298 0
Shopping prior
3 Office supplies and maintenance products for PCU
21,277
Shopping post
4 2 4x4 vehicles for PCU 148,936
Shopping
prior
5 Insurance for vehicles 8,511
Shopping
post
6 Printing of project documents 31,915
Shopping
post
7 Security for PCU 12,255
Shopping
post
8 Janitorial services for PCU 10,213
Shopping
post
9 Purchase and installation of management information system
31,915
Shopping post
10 Rental of office space for PCU 38,298
Sole source prior
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(b) Summary of Consulting Assignments
(c) Summary of Capacity building activities
51. Anti-Corruption Action Plan: The following measures will be carried out to mitigate corruption risk:
• Publication of Advertisements and Contracts: All publications of advertisements and contract awards, will be done in accordance with the Guidelines requirements and published through client connection system, on external websites, i.e. UNDB and dgMarket websites;
• Debarred Firms: Appropriate attention will be given to the need to ensure that debarred firms or individuals are not given opportunities to compete for Bank-financed contracts; and
• Complaints: All complaints by bidders will be diligently addressed and monitored in consultation with the Bank.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Ref Description of Assignment Estimated
Cost US$ Selection Method
Review by Bank (Prior / Post)
Comments
1 Recruitment of Project Coordinator
31,915
Individual Consultant
prior
2 Recruitment of FM and Procurement Specialists
42,553
Individual Consultant
prior
3 Recruitment of individual consultant for the Project Manual
14,362
Individual Consultant prior
4 Recruitment of consultant for administrative procedures manual
14,362
Consultant qualifications
prior
5 Recruitment of consultant for preparation of manual on workplace safety
14,362
Individual Consultant
post
6 Recruitment of financial auditor
21,277
Consultant qualifications
prior
7 Recruitment agency for hiring of project staff
19,149
Consultant qualifications
prior
1 2 3 4 5 6 Ref Activity Description Estimated
Cost US$ Review by Bank (Prior / Post)
Estimated Duration
Start Date Comments
1 Launch workshops 34,000 prior 3 days
July 1 2014
2 Training workshops 30,000 prior 3 days na 3 Validation workshop for project
manual 10,000 prior 1 jour
February 2014
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52. Procurement Filing. Procurement documents must be maintained in the project files and archived in a safe place for at least two years after the closing date of the project. The project procurement Specialist will be responsible for the filing of procurement documents. Environmental and social (including safeguards) 53. The project is classified as a category C project, meaning that it is expected to have minimal or no adverse environmental impacts. The project will finance apprenticeships for selected youths who may be working with a master crafts person acquiring skills and work experience. This skill acquisition might involve occupational health impacts to both the apprentices and the masters. Therefore, a manual will be produced to outline safe occupational health and safety procedures. Business plans prepared under component 2 will be screened to ensure that proposals with environmental and social impacts are not financed under component 3. Monitoring & evaluation 54. The PCU will develop a computerized monitoring system to track all outcome and intermediate indicators as well as other information required for effective project management. Outcome and intermediate indicators are provided in Annex 1. Technical and process evaluations will be carried out at mid-project to examine the quality of training and the extent to which project procedures are effective and respected, and will make recommendations to increase implementation effectiveness. 55. The project will be subject to a rigorous impact evaluation. The impact evaluation will have an experimental design, with a random selection of some beneficiaries and a control group, at the individual or local level. Emphasis will be put on generating evidence on innovative approaches, operationally relevant trade-offs or potentially highly cost-effective interventions within the project. The impact evaluation will focus in particular on interventions favoring young women in apprenticeship, in order to lift some of the gender-specific binding constraints in their training and labor market insertion.
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Annex 4: Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF)
Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF)
Benin: BJ-Youth Employment (FY14) (P132667) .
.
Project Stakeholder Risks
Stakeholder Risk Rating Moderate
Risk Description: A high number of stakeholders work on youth employment and vocational training issues in Benin (Government agencies, NGOs, private sector and partner organizations). There might be a risk of disagreement on project design among key stakeholders or lack of coordination and/or duplication with existing programs implemented by the Government or other donors. Weak capacity of stakeholders at central and local level could have some impact on the implementation of project activities.
Risk Management:
The design and preparation of the project will continue to be carried out in a consultative and participatory manner. Main government institutions and development partners have been consulted during project identification and will continue to be involved in project preparation. The proposed project complements and scale up the efforts done by other donors (Swiss cooperation, DANIDA, AFD, and ILO) and by the Government and avoids duplication. Overall the risk of disagreement on project design is relatively low as the proposed intervention is in line with the national Employment Policy which represents the official framework for youth employment recently agreed and validated by all national stakeholders.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both In Progress Preparation 30-Jun-2014
Risk Management:
The project will undergo a review of main actors involved in youth employment in order to provide recommendations on how to rationalize public support for youth employment and how to improve efficiency and coordination. The Government will also identify an inter-ministerial Committee to ensure continued involvement and dialogue among key stakeholders and increase coordination with other youth employment initiatives.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Client Not Yet Due Implementation
Risk Management:
The project (under component 4) will include significant capacity building activities at central and local levels.
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Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both Not Yet Due Implementation
Implementing Agency (IA) Risks (including Fiduciary Risks)
Capacity Rating Substantial
Risk Description: Risk Management:
The project will be implemented by a project implementation unit (PIU) to be established under the supervision of the Ministry of Microfinance and Employment of Youth and Women (MCMEJF). The MCMEJF has some previous experience with World Bank fiduciary procedures as it was responsible for the PNDCC project (closed in 2012).
An assessment of procurement and financial management risks and proposed implementation arrangements will be prepared by appraisal. While MCMEJF has experience with World Bank projects and knowledge of World Bank procedures, the PIU to be recruited will need to include staff with prior experience in IDA-funded projects, or those who can become quickly operational in working with Bank procedures. Appropriate capacity building and training activities will be proposed and financed by the project in order to increase the capacity of the PIU according to World Bank procedures.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Bank Not Yet Due Preparation
Governance Rating Substantial
Risk Description: Overall poor governance in the country and a weak implementation of rule of law has affected ministry agencies in practicing good governance. Lack of centralized guidelines and leadership and unclear definition of role and responsibilities among agencies working on youth employment and collaborating on the project might affect the implementation of the project.
Risk Management:
The Bank provides support to Government to improve public systems, public finance management and governance through PRSCs and AAA.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Bank In Progress Both
Risk Management:
An implementation manual will be elaborated before project effectiveness. The manual will define a clear governance structure and will detail roles and responsibilities of involved stakeholders. The Bank will provide technical assistance in the preparation of the manual if necessary. An inter-ministerial steering committee will aim to enhance collaboration among ministries and agencies.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both Not Yet Due Preparation
Risk Management:
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Clear selection criteria will be established and will be detailed in the project implementation manual. MIS will be developed and will monitor the compliance of beneficiary youths with the selection criteria defined in the manual. In addition social accountability measures will be introduced such as appeals, complaints mechanisms. Close bank monitoring and supervision will also contribute to minimize risk of fraud.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both Not Yet Due Both
Project Risks
Design Rating Substantial
Risk Description: Main risks relate to component 1 and 2: On component 1: Support to apprenticeship has been piloted on a small scale and limited geographic coverage so far. The project proposes a national coverage of the program which might be difficult to implement for the PIU. In addition CQM is a relatively new instrument, the development of curricula and operationalization of trainings for multiple trades will require competencies and strong knowledge of the sector. Component 2: this component will complement and scale up some of the activities already done by the ANPE, which may need support in scaling up existing programs.
Risk Management:
Scale-up to national level will be done progressively, the project will start in a limited number of districts during the first year and then increase its geographic coverage. The development of CQM will be done by the PIU in close collaboration with the structures already working in the sector. If necessary consultants with deep knowledge of the context and previous experience in the sector will be hired by the project or by the Bank to support the PIU in project preparation and implementation.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both Not Yet Due Both
Risk Management:
An assessment of the capacity to absorb additional funds to finance youth entrepreneurship/self-employment initiatives was done during project preparation. The bank will provide technical assistance to improve the current entrepreneurship support programs implemented by the ANPE.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Bank Completed Preparation
Social and Environmental Rating Low
Risk Description: Risk Management:
The project will finance apprenticeships for selected youths who may be working with a master crafts person acquiring skills and work experience. This skill acquisition might involve occupational health impacts to both the apprentices and the masters.
The project will not undertake any activities or works that have negative environmental and social impacts. Proposals under component 2 will be screened to ensure that proposals with environmental and social impacts are not financed. Manuals will have to be produced to outline safe occupational health and safety procedures.
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Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both Not Yet Due Preparation
Program and Donor Rating Moderate
Risk Description: Risk Management:
Multiple donors are supporting youth employment initiatives in Benin. There is a risk of fragmentation and poor coordination among donors.
Consultations with other donors have been ongoing since project identification and will pursue during project preparation. The risk of fragmentation is limited as the proposed project is designed to complement some of the activities initiated by other development partners.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Bank In Progress Preparation
Delivery Monitoring and Sustainability Rating Substantial
Risk Description: Risk Management:
Monitoring and evaluation capacity are relatively weak. Both ANPE and MCMEJF have limited capacity to collect and analyze data, maintain an updated database of the beneficiaries of their employment programs, or conduct in-depth program evaluations.
An MIS system and M&E guidelines will be developed and training will be provided to the staff of the project implementing unit.
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Both Not Yet Due Both
Other (Optional) Rating
Risk Description: Risk Management:
Resp: Status: Stage: Recurrent: Due Date: Frequency:
Overall Risk
Overall Implementation Risk: Rating Substantial
Risk Description:
While MCMEJF has experience with World Bank projects and knowledge of World Bank procedures, the PCU to be recruited will need to include staff with prior experience in IDA-funded projects, or those who can become quickly operational in working with Bank procedures. Some youth entrepreneurship programs implemented in the past by the MCMEJF, such as FNPEEJ, suffered from inefficient use of resources. The Bank will provide support in developing clear implementation procedures, M&E, MIS and in providing capacity building and training on fiduciary aspects and management for PCU staff.
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Annex 5: Implementation Support Plan
BENIN: Youth Employment Project
Strategy and Approach for Implementation Support 1. The ISP outlines specific actions to manage the risks outlined in the ORAF. The members of the Bank team will be selected to ensure that all relevant areas are adequately covered or technical assistance provided to implementing agencies as needed. While the Government and its implementing agencies retain responsibility for the implementation of the Project, the responsibility for resolving any issues that could threaten the achievement of the PDO will be shared by all stakeholders, including the Government and the Bank. The Bank will lead implementation support missions at least biannually. 2. In addition to implementation support missions, there will be a mid-term review to assess whether the project’s design and implementation arrangements remain valid. Missions will be supplemented by external reviews, for example in the following areas: financial management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation and technical audits. 3. The Task Team Leader of the World Bank will ensure the timely provision of support and inputs of IDA and adherence to the policies of the World Bank. 4. The main focus in terms of support to implementation at different stages of the project, as well as the skills mix required, is summarized is the tables below.
Time Focus Skills Needed Resource Estimate Partner Role First twelve months
- Technical assistance and capacity building on beneficiary selection - Technical assistance for M&E - Financial management capacity building and recruitment of internal and external auditors - Procurement support - Inter-agency coordination -Impact evaluation design
- Knowledge in setting up systems including: beneficiary selection and registry, payments, M&E, MIS, and GRM - FM - Procurement - Institutional coordination -Impact evaluation
US$120,000 Technical Assistance
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12-48 months - Monitoring and evaluation of programs - FM and procurement support - Inter-agency coordination -Impact evaluation implementation
- M&E - FM - Procurement - Institutional coordination -Impact evaluation
US$120,000 per year
Technical assistance
5. Financial Management and Procurement: The PCU will recruit staff experienced in World Bank and Government procedures to ensure the respect of procedures not only at the PCU level but also through the agencies contracted to perform services under the project, and other Ministries partnering with the project. At the beginning of the project, there will be need that adequate provision is made for adequate implementation support to the client. This support will be provided as frequently as warranted, with frequency of supervision reduced or increased depending on the evolving assessed project FM risk during implementation. The supervision mission will be complemented by desk review of IFRs submitted to the Bank at the end of each quarter. In addition the FM team will review also review the audited project financial statements and reports and the associated management letter for thereon each year. The Bank will conduct bi-annual supervision missions and annual Post Procurement Reviews (PPR); the ratio of post reviews will be at least one out of five contracts. The Bank could also conduct an Independent Procurement Review (IPR) at any time until two years after the closing date of the project.
Skills Mix Required
Skills Needed Number of Staff Weeks Per Year
Number of Trips Comments
Task Team Leader 8 3 HQ based Sector Specialist/IE specialist
10 3 HQ based
Sector Specialist 8 NA Country Office based Procurement Specialist 4 NA Country Office based Financial Management Specialist
4 NA Country Office based
M&E Specialist 2 1 HQ or field based Impact Evaluation Specialist
8 3 HQ based
Communications Specialist
3 NA Country Office based
Poverty Economist 1 NA Country Office based Partners
Name Institution/Country Role Swiss Cooperation Benin Knowledge sharing and
coordination of activities ILO Benin Knowledge sharing and
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coordination of activities AFD Benin Knowledge sharing and
coordination of activities Swisscontact Benin Knowledge sharing,
quality assurance for CQM chartes de competences and CQM matrices de competences, and coordination of activities
Borne Fonden Benin Knowledge sharing and coordination of activities
Technical Working Group on Technical and Professional Training
Benin Knowledge sharing and coordination of activities
Bureau d’Appui aux Artisans
Benin Knowledge sharing