Joint Review of Poverty Reduction Strategy Budget Support Programmes

Detailed description of project Back

After a first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2003-2005), Benin has recently entered the second phase of the PRSP process with the development of a new strategy for the period 2007-2009. The strategy provides the overall and unique framework for public interventions of the government and thus for the harmonisation of development partners’ support.

Each year, the development partners and the Government of Benin agree on timing between September and October to undertake a review of the overall budget support as well as of the implementation of the PRSP as part of the preparation of the annual progress report. A first joint review took place on 20^th September 2007. From 2003 to date; the Dutch Embassy did provide successive budget support for a total of some 25 millions Euros.

The current review mission aims at analyzing jointly with development partners the overall performance realized in 2007 and 2008, possibly justifying continued budget support to the PRSP, on the basis of criteria to be determined, and to examine perspectives for 2009.

Type of services provided

• Evaluation of the status of implementation of the recommendations of September 2007;
• Analysis of the progress of the budget reform process;
• Review implementation PRSP through level of execution of (i) the plan of priority actions, (ii) programmed structural reforms, (iii) effectiveness of the new M&E framework and alignment of sectoral policies with the SCRP;
• Assessment on the basis of sectoral reviews, progress and projections for the new MTEF with respect to withheld strategic objectives;
• Formulation of a budget support programme in line with the budget under preparation and the MTEF, and define an overall performance monitoring framework.