Staff turnover

Program design and implementation in least developed (and fragile) countries need to take account of the limited administrative capacity of the government. While ADB designed a program which supported the government in undertaking reforms and sufficient consulting services resources to help bridge capacity gaps, the timeframe for the program was too ambitious and ADB did not provide adequate continuity in the staff providing project supervision. These deficiencies contributed to the underperformance in program outcomes.

Continuity of services of experienced project staff is essential. The project director and account officer positions at the project coordination office experienced high turnover, which affected overall performance, including of project financial management, as evidenced by the outstanding recurring audit issues and multiple delayed submissions.