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Lesson
In a project of this nature, where there are serious security risks, and a potential for contractors' or consultants' suspension of works, or expected contract variations due to type of terrain, prompt decision making becomes critically important. This can be achieved through exceptional involvement of donors. ADB provided enhanced supervision both from headquarters and Afghanistan Resident Mission (AFRM). Staff were closely involved in identifying and promptly resolving issues.

Project Number: 39467-013
Project Name: North-South Corridor Project
Report Date:
Lesson
In future projects, both the government and donors should prepare realistic project schedules by carefully taking into account (a) the security situation and the time and resources required to carry out remedial actions for the safety of project teams throughout the projects; (b) actual construction period available in a year considering the altitude of the project areas and inclement weather conditions; (c) probability of rebidding due to lack of interest, competition, or exorbitant costs (beyond acceptable limits) offered by some interested bidders; (d) delays in contractor mobilization;

Project Number: 39467-013
Project Name: North-South Corridor Project
Report Date:
Lesson
For projects where multiple government agencies are involved in decision making, it is important to establish coordination through an executive committee made up of representatives of the concerned agencies, chaired by a high-level government official and/or champion. Such a committee can facilitate the provision of overall guidance, ensuring expeditious approvals from various agencies, and in places where security is a major concern, could ensure that the project is implemented uninterrupted with sustained security arrangements.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Combining the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operation and maintenance (O&M) into one package may yield more efficient and cost-effective outputs. On this project, this would have given all the parties a clear understanding of the requirements from the beginning, and risk-mitigation measures could have been built into the contract appropriately. The contractor would also have been particularly vigilant in ensuring the best quality of works during construction.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
For implementing large-scale and complex projects with a strict timeframe, the preferred form of contract can be engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) turnkey. For this project, works were awarded under the EPC turnkey contract using a fixed-price and fixed-delivery schedule with penalties for nonperformance and a bonus for early completion. This provided reasonable economic stimuli for timely project completion.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Experience on several ongoing and completed projects in Afghanistan has shown that project implementation is delayed due to two main factors: start-up delays and adverse security issues. Taking advance actions before grant or loan effectiveness can easily address these problems, as demonstrated on this project. Timely actions were taken to speed up implementation readiness, such as advance procurement of works and consulting services, award of contracts, site handover, and timely establishment of a fully staffed project implementation unit.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Implementing a project of this magnitude and in a strict timeframe was quite challenging. However, this can be achieved through exceptional involvement of donors. ADB provided enhanced supervision both from headquarters and the resident mission. Staffs were closely involved in identifying and promptly resolving issues. Any matter requiring ADB's internal approval was expedited and funds were released with fast-track processing. Furthermore, a fulltime implementation consultant was mobilized by ADB on site to provide coordination, implementation assistance, and independent reporting.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Careful consideration should be given as to whether a project is really qualified for processing under emergency support modalities. In this case, the time saved from rushed preparation was subsequently lost in delays and other problems in implementation.

Project Number: 37075-013
Project Name: Andkhoy–Qaisar Road Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Project management and monitoring during implementation, especially during the initial stages, is also important. This is because at these stages, more data and information on conditions become available and enable changes to be made to the design to mitigate unforeseen factors that may risk the outcome.

Project Number: 36673-013
Project Name: Emergency Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The primary lesson is that emergency support requires additional focus on planning and thorough preparation despite the usual time constraints. Given that conditions in such a situation are often uncertain and unreliable, project design needs to be robust to be able to deliver critical relief to the affected population.

Project Number: 36673-013
Project Name: Emergency Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Special measures need to be taken with respect to timing, cost estimations, and availability of contractors in a difficult conflict environment. Lessons learned from the resettlement component needed to be included.

Project Number: 37136-012, 37136-013
Project Name: Regional Airports Rehabilitation Project (Phase 1)
Report Date:
Lesson
The validation concurs with these issues and would also add that uncertainty remains regarding the Afghanistan private sector‘s overall ability to absorb credit even when available. Another uncertainty is AIB‘s ability to make up, through increased regular lending to private customers and investing in alternative assets overseas, for the inevitable loss of special situations of the sort (e.g. a sharp reduction in the US army deposits), which had provided AIB some measure of its financial success vis-à-vis very wide interest spreads gained by investing idle US Army cash balances in 12+%.

Project Number: 37903-014
Project Name: Equity Investment in Afghanistan International Bank
Report Date:
Lesson
The effectiveness of policy reforms under the program is ultimately determined by the competence of the different Afghan government agencies, which acquired new roles during the reform process. As a result, and in view of the pervasive capacity constraints that affect the government, the sustainability of the program requires substantial follow-up assistance. A second program focused on the implementation challenges created by the program should be considered, as that would also be in line with the current ADB country partnership strategy for Afghanistan.

Project Number: 37393-032, 37393-042
Project Name: Private Sector and Financial Market Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Further assistance to the government, especially the Ministry of Finance (MOF), is crucial in order for reforms under subprogram 1 to become effective and be sustainable. But the approach to the provision of this assistance must also change. Instances have been highlighted in which high levels of technical assistance (TA) have constrained learning-by-doing on the part of local counterparts, and overwhelmed the incentives that normally underpin successful capacity development.

Project Number: 38122-013
Project Name: Fiscal Management and Public Administration Reform Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Close collaboration with Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), International Development Association (IDA), and Department for International Development (DFID) strengthened project design. It allowed for excellent exchange of experience with regard to PRGs, other insurance products, and how they can best be used to fill market gaps, especially in post-conflict countries.

Project Number: 38598-013
Project Name: Afghanistan Investment Guarantee Facility Project
Report Date: