By Omoh Gabriel, Business Editor

Last week the Independent Evaluation group released its findings on the activities of the World Bank. In this questions and answers Mr Navin Girishankar the main author of the report and a Lead Evaluation Officer with the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank provided insights into the report.

Your report is 4 years behind, why is it so?

The report evaluates the first three years of implementation of the Bank’s Governance and Anticorruption strategy, which was launched in 2007. The findings are current and relevant to the ongoing efforts to develop a new implementation plan for the strategy going forward.
In the last four years things may have changed, how relevant is the report?

Indeed, the governance challenges that the Bank’s partner countries face are continually evolving. It is important to understand whether the strategy is helping make a difference in how Bank responds to country needs. This is the focus of the evaluation.

Governance issues and corruption are still problems in Africa and many others, has the Bank failed in this regard?

Weak governance and corruption are still problems in many countries, developing and also developed.

The report finds that the Bank has been supporting countries in their good governance efforts before and after the launch of the GAC strategy. This is particularly true in Africa. Since the launch of the strategy in 2007, there have been signs of progress including increased reliance in Africa on countries’ own public management systems to deliver bank assistance. Yet, there are many opportunities that are yet to be seized such as the need to improve the Bank’s approach to managing governance and fiduciary risks, measurement of governance results, and use of measures to foster the demand for good governance. There is also need for more consistency in how it responds to governance crises.

What new strategy are you recommending to the Bank to deal with corruption and governance in Africa?

It is imperative that the Bank focus its diverse GAC efforts on what matters most — helping countries develop their own capacities to govern effectively and accountably. To do this, special efforts are needed in the areas of civil service reform, institutional performance in the social and infrastructure sectors, the investment climate, and civil society capacity building.

Africa has had executive seat at the World Bank, what impact has this made on the continent?

The evaluation has not addressed the question of the role of the Board of Executive Directors. However, it did conclude that the Bank’s top management made special – even unprecedented – efforts to advocate, both internally and externally, for the Governance and Anticorruption agenda. But the most important question is how consistently and effectively the Bank engages on governance and anticorruption issues in individual countries.

In this regard, the evaluation finds that more work needs to be done for the Bank to engage consistently and effectively on governance and anticorruption issues, particularly in countries experiencing worsening governance trends that undermine poverty reduction prospects (for example, those facing challenges of increased patronage, clientilism, ethnic conflict, etc.)

What are the available new strategies the World Bank has failed to adopt?
The evaluation argues that more needs to be done in a number of areas to ensure that the Bank achieves the GAC strategy’s objectives. Project support to meet the challenge of institution-building needs to be expanded; high quality political economy analysis needs to be more systematically deployed in policy dialogue with borrowing governments and country stakeholders. The Bank’s country programs and projects can be more systematic in their measurement of governance results, their use of measures to foster the demand for good governance, and their effort to manage fiduciary risks.

Also, the Bank’s operational response in countries experiencing governance downturns needs to be more consistent. Many stakeholders inside and outside the World Bank, hold the view that lending goals conflict with pursuing GAC objectives.

Is it the World Bank that should build social/political institutions or the nationals themselves?
The evaluation reaffirms that ownership by country actors — governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, citizens – is the critical factor in improving governance. The Bank and other donors can provide support to countries that are undertaking efforts to build and reform governance institutions. That being said, it is imperative that the Bank focuses its diverse GAC efforts on what matters most – helping countries develop their capacities to govern effectively and accountably. This will require improved instruments, improved metrics, and improved knowledge of what works.

What are the internal reforms your group wants to see at the World Bank?
The evaluation recommends that the Bank update its approach to institutional strengthening in the core public sector, the social and infrastructure areas, the investment climate, and the demand side of governance. Such an approach requires better financial instruments, improved analytics, and more systematic measurement of results. The Bank can also encourage innovation in these areas by developing a smarter and more streamlined approach to risk management, and by empowering sector and field-based units.