Southern Highways Investment Program

The TCR should have provided a brief historical context of ADB’s engagement in the South Super Highway—the previous project had an extensive safeguards problem, and an issue with parallel bilateral agency funds. Despite that, ADB continued to engage in the same sector in the same region. However, differing political priorities of subsequent national leadership changed the course of the TA. The TCR could have elaborated how ADB should assess the political risks in starting or conceptualizing a similar loan in a sector that experienced prior difficulties.