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CSV
Lesson
A narrow sector and geographic focus is more suitable for projects in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). In FSM, multistate and multisector projects bring added complexity and interdependence between institutions that do not otherwise have incentives to support each other. Future projects should consider a narrower focus in terms of sector and geographic scope, allowing for less dispersed efforts on physical and nonphysical project targets. This approach has been adopted for the ongoing Chuuk Water Supply and Sanitation Project.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Timelines for policy changes and major reforms should also be realistic, knowing that building understanding and ownership can take time and the passage of legislation can be a lengthy process. Two municipalities declined to participate in the project because of their objection to the transfer of ownership and management of assets to a state government agency.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Lack of tariffs and insufficient operation and maintenance (O&M) budgets threaten the sustainability of water supply and sanitation facilities in FSM. The water supply and wastewater components are unlikely to be sustainable because of the unwillingness to charge for services, and the insufficiency of annual O&M budgets.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The political economy of the country as well as of the local areas where projects are to be sited needs to be thoroughly understood and considered in the design of projects. The project assumptions that institutional and financial reforms would be adopted within a reasonable time frame and that demand for the improved water supply services could be established in Kosrae state proved false. Project preparation could have supported a more thorough understanding of the political economy, and the scope based on a stronger rationale and expressed demand.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A well-thought-out project communications plan, backed by local capacity building, is needed for the successful implementation of projects in FSM. Information is often not widely shared in the FSM, and securing support for reforms can be particularly complex in this context. The Chuuk Public Utilities Corporation was able to effectively carry out its communications and outreach activities and secure support for reforms with the help of a well-defined operation, maintenance, and management contract. Project delays affected the momentum of activities in the other three states.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The ability of all participating utilities to successfully adopt and implement organizational changes to meet the project requirements should be assessed, with specialized external support in utility management provided as necessary.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The risks posed by conditions for loan effectiveness and disbursements should be carefully assessed and considered in the project timeline. Project implementation was delayed by about 18 months as the conditions for loan effectiveness required the passage of appropriation bills in the National Congress and at least three of four state legislatures. Such projects can provide the required pressure for positive legal changes but can lead to startup delays.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
There are challenges in integrating intermittent renewable energy sources in the electricity system without affecting grid stability, e.g. while electricity storage and grid control technologies can help improve grid stability, due to technical constraints, diesel generation capacity is still required to balance the fluctuations of solar and wind energy sources.

Project Number: 44469-013
Project Name: Yap Renewable Energy Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
As it poses challenges to energy security in terms of reliability, integrating renewable energy in FSM’s system translated into a tradeoff between fuel efficiency and grid stability.

Project Number: 44469-013
Project Name: Yap Renewable Energy Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Alternative demand side management measures could have also been contemplated by the project given that the major energy security aspect confronting FSM had to do with affordability, i.e. the need to save on fuel costs.

Project Number: 44469-013
Project Name: Yap Renewable Energy Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ascertaining legislative support at both the national and state levels is an important aspect of determining project readiness in the FSM. The unexpected delays in obtaining national and state legislative authorization delayed the loan approval and loan effectiveness, each by 1 year, respectively. Reform momentum was lost during the long interval between appraisal and program inception.

Project Number: 33314-013
Project Name: Federated States of Micronesia: Private Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
IT-related project components need extra attention from ADB in small, remote countries with low capacity. From the start, the IT components for the land management administrations and FSMDB were not properly scoped and resourced. They did not adequately consider the limited capacity of internal IT departments and local IT providers. They also failed to address such related problems as the need to provide implementation support throughout the first year of operation.

Project Number: 33314-013
Project Name: Federated States of Micronesia: Private Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Program implementation arrangements in the FSM need to recognize the limited authority of a program implementation unit at the national level over state administrations.

Project Number: 33314-013
Project Name: Federated States of Micronesia: Private Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Consider targeting support for reform initiatives in the FSM at individual states. Decentralized practices among the four states (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap) make coordination and communication on policy issues a challenge. This challenge was compounded by the weak capacity of various implementing agencies and different views and levels of political commitment regarding the reform agenda. These resulted in varying degrees of performance.

Project Number: 33314-013
Project Name: Federated States of Micronesia: Private Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
A design and monitoring framework can be an effective instrument to attain results only if it is properly shared with implementing agencies and provides clear performance targets with appropriate timelines, monitoring mechanisms, and baseline data. Sufficient resources and time should have been allocated for consultation with implementing agencies in determining program inputs, outputs, and outcomes, as well as in setting and monitoring performance targets.

Project Number: 33314-013
Project Name: Federated States of Micronesia: Private Sector Development Program
Report Date:
CSV