In a communication to NaFAA recently, the World Bank linked the fishing regulatory body to project abnormalities. NaFAA, has provided clarity to the recent World Bank letter, dated August 16, 2024, which claimed that no official request for the restructuring of the $40 million Fisheries Project was submitted by the Government of Liberia.
Contrary to claims made, the entity noted that in reality, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) submitted a restructuring request on September 12, 2022, to the then-World Bank Country Manager for Liberia, Mr. Khwima Nthara, for further submission and approval by the World Bank’s Board of Directors.
NaFAA further explained, that following the request, the World Bank’s previous Technical Team developed and approved a work plan and budget, pertaining specifically to Component one of the projects. The budget accordingly considered improving Management and Governance of Fisheries, particularly sub-component 1.1, which focuses on institutional strengthening and capacity building. These activities NaFAA maintained, included purchasing vehicles and generators to enhance project implementation in rural Liberia and support NaFAA’s data collection efforts.
However, this allocation reportedly represented only 2% of the total $40 million project budget, with compensation for the project coordinator accounting for just 1.3%.
“This was with the expectation that the World Bank Board would approve the restructuring for the Fiscal Year 2021/2022, even as the World Bank Country Team was transitioning to a new team,” NaFAA maintained.
Attaching documents providing evidence of no objections, annual work plans, the approved annual budget by the World Bank team, and the formal request from the Government of Liberia via the MFDP NaFA additionally asserted that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, which oversees the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU), confirmed that no disbursements were made without prior “no objection” from the World Bank.
It further communicated that the World Bank authorized all project disbursements by Component Four of the Project Implementation Manual (PIM), which outlines the following process including, the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) reviews and provides feedback on draft plans until they are finalized and agreed upon by the implementing departments.
These finalized and consolidated Annual Work Plan Budget (AWPB) and Procurement Plan (PP) were reportedly discussed with the World Bank for an initial review to confirm eligibility for project funding, the reviewed and consolidated AWPB, and PP, including initial World Bank feedback, submitted to the National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) for approval.
NaFAA said the Project Coordinator then submits the cleared AWPB and PP package for ‘no objection’ through the Task Team Leader (TTL) to the World Bank.
Upon receiving the Bank’s No Objection, payments authorized through the PFMU at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), NaFAA reiterates that all project implementation decisions were made in consultation with the World Bank Team.
