The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report AFR RI-Central African Backbone SOP5 (P132821) AFR RI-Central African Backbone SOP5 (P132821) AFRICA | Africa | Digital Development Global Practice | IBRD/IDA | Investment Project Financing | FY 2015 | Seq No: 9 | ARCHIVED on 27-Jun-2019 | ISR37493 | Implementing Agencies: Democratic Republic of Congo, SOCOF - Société Congolaise de Fibre Optique Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 16-Jul-2014 Effectiveness Date: 22-Jan-2015 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 18-Jan-2018 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: 19-Mar-2018 Original Closing Date: 31-Dec-2019 Revised Closing Date: 31-Dec-2020 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The development objective of the proposed project is to contribute to increase the geographical reach and usage of regional broadband infrastructure and to reduce the price of services so that more people in the DRC can access information and communication technology (ICT) services. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Component A - Emergence of an Inclusive Digital Economy:(Cost $13.20 M) Component B - Construction, Management and Commercialization of the CAB5 Infrastructure through a PPP Scheme:(Cost $71.60 M) Component C - Enabling Environment and Regulatory Effectiveness:(Cost $7.30 M) Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Risk Rating Substantial Substantial Implementation Status and Key Decisions This ISR follows the latest supervision mission conducted in February 2019. The performance of the project remains currently rated moderately unsatisfactory due to a still low disbursement rate (18 percent). 1) Progress in project implementation. On March 17, 2019, the Level 2 Project restructuring was finally completed and approved. On April 17, 2019, the Bank issued to the Government the letter/notice confirming and accepting the lifting of the two disbursements condition for the civil work and construction of the West Cluster fiber optic network between Kinshasa and Muanda. Since April SOCOF and Project team have been working for the amendment of the construction contract with the selected vendor to build the fiber infrastructure between Muanda Kinshasa in order to take 6/27/2019 Page 1 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report AFR RI-Central African Backbone SOP5 (P132821) into consideration the cost incurred by the delays incurred between the original date of signature of the contract (February 2018) and the release of the disbursement conditions (April 2019). 2) Safeguards studies, implementation plans and CAB 5 Gender Based Violence (GBV) Retrofitting exercise. As of June 1st, 2019 the EIES documentation is still under revision on Project side following the final comments received from the Bank in February 2019.The GBV risk assessment has rated the project as high-risk, and an action plan for GBV Retrofitting has been developed according to the recommendations and mitigation measures contained in the Good Practice Note. The GBV specialist assigned to the project, in order to support the GBV retrofitting process, has had several meetings with the coordination of the PIU to implement the risk mitigation recommendations, and as result several actions has been taken. Nevertheless, the estimated cost of GBV retrofitting process could vary between 1-4% of the total project budget, because of that a guideline to find out the financing is required. 3) Operating costs of SOCOF. The client raised the issue of the eligibility of SOCOF’s operating expenses incurred between September 30, 2018 (i.e. two years after creation of SOCOF) and the restructuring of the Project. As per the initial financing agreement provisions: the project was designed so as to support the operational costs of the SOCOF for the first two years of the project, after which the revenues from the commercialization of the fiber optic network would ensure that these costs are covered. Therefore the operating expenses between September 30, 2018 and the restructuring of the Project are deemed ineligible and should be covered by counterpart funding. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance -- Substantial Substantial Macroeconomic -- Substantial Substantial Sector Strategies and Policies -- High High Technical Design of Project or Program -- Substantial Substantial Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability -- High High Fiduciary -- High High Environment and Social -- Substantial Substantial Stakeholders -- Substantial Substantial Other -- Substantial Substantial Overall -- Substantial Substantial Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes Project Development Objective Indicators IN00713000 ►Impact on Telecom sector of World Bank Technical Assistance (composite score: 1- low impact to 5-high impact) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 3.00 3.00 4.00 6/27/2019 Page 2 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report AFR RI-Central African Backbone SOP5 (P132821) Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 IN00713001 ►Access to Internet Services (number of subscribers per 100 people) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 2.00 17.00 17.00 20.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 IN00713002 ►Wholesale national Capacity Transmission Price (per Mbit/s per Month, in US$) (Amount(USD), Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 2,000.00 123.00 123.00 200.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 IN00713003 ►Geographical reach of mobile services (percentage of population covered) (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 25.00 52.00 52.00 50.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 IN00713004 ►Direct project beneficiaries (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5,000,000.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 IN00713005 Female beneficiaries (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,500,000.00 Overall Comments PDO The lack of progress in the indicators is due to the inability of the PCU/SOCOF to provide a measure of results during this period. It should be recalled that, between 30 September 2018 and 15 March 2019, SOCOF's activities were reduced to a minimum due to the cessation of the financing of operating costs by the CAB Project. As the deployment of the network has not yet begun and t he PPP has not been signed, it is normal that the related indicators do not show any progress. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components 6/27/2019 Page 3 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report AFR RI-Central African Backbone SOP5 (P132821) Component A - Emergence of an Inclusive Digital Economy IN00713006 ►Number of Manpower Trained under the Project (number of people) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 141.00 141.00 100.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 Component B - Construction, Management and Commercialization of the CAB5 Infrastructure through a PPP Scheme IN00713007 ►Length of Fiber Optic Network Built (km) (Kilometers, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 600.00 0.00 0.00 3,400.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 The construction phase has not started yet Comments: IN00713008 ►Impact on IT/ITES Sector of World Bank Technical Assistance (composite score: 1 # low impact to 5 # high impact) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 3.00 3.00 4.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 25-Apr-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 IN00713009 ►Private Capital Mobilized (Amount(USD), Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 20,000,000.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 The transaction phase has not started yet Comments: IN00713010 ►Number of MoUs reached between DRC and neighboring countries to implement of a regional interconnection Regime (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 Date 24-Feb-2014 13-Nov-2018 07-Jun-2019 14-Mar-2019 The construction phase has not started yet Comments: Data on Financial Performance 6/27/2019 Page 4 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report AFR RI-Central African Backbone SOP5 (P132821) Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P132821 IDA-H9810 Effective USD 92.10 92.10 0.00 15.21 68.00 18% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P132821 IDA-H9810 Effective 16-Jul-2014 25-Jul-2014 22-Jan-2015 31-Dec-2019 31-Dec-2020 Cumulative Disbursements Restructuring History Level 2 Approved on 07-Mar-2019 Related Project(s) There are no related projects. 6/27/2019 Page 5 of 5