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2.1 Participation in PRS implementation (overall perspective): In the course of the PRSP formulation, two World Bank and UNDP funded Participatory Poverty Assessments (PPAs) were conducted in 2001 and 2002. Design and evaluation saw no civil society participation (Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister 2003: 36). The provisions of the PRSP are only "weak[ly]" coordinated with NGOs at regional and subregional level, as the government self-critically states in its second Progress Report (Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister 2004: 14; see also IMF/IDA 2005: 2). The processes concerning budget monitoring are to be reformed and provided with greater transparency; the parliament is to become a more important player in this regard (Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister 2003, 16-17 and 31-34). 2.2 Participation in Policy Reforms linked to the PRS (specific perspective): Abdoulaye (2002: 3 and 5) reports that civil society actors in the education sector participate in the formulation and implementation of a 10-year-strategy (PDDE-2002-2012), which is a pillar of the PRS. Moreover, a joint analysis of the public spending in the education sector has been conducted. 2.3 Participation in PRS Monitoring: A range of CSOs participated in Progress Report consultations, these included two umbrella organizations embracing more than 80 CSOs: CONGAFEN (Coordination des ONGs et Associations Féminines du Niger) and GAP (Groupement des Aides Privées). However, the government does not systematically request feedback from stakeholders during implementation. The first Progress Report was submitted for information to the National Assembly. 2.4 Participation in PRS Revision: Although
seen by the IFIs as a pressing issue, the revision process with an "active
involvement of all national stakeholders" (IMF/IDA 2005: 6) is not
yet under way.
3.1 Structures: Cooperation between government and donor community has been institutionalized by the Government/Donors Committee. Though, participation of societal actors is not structurally secured. 3.2 Rights: The PRS process is not legally protected. In fact, the democratic Constitution contrasts with a constitutional reality in which freedom of opinion, information, and press are consistently violated. The abolishment of slavery is not yet achieved in all parts of society. 3.3 Legitimacy: After a long period of authoritarian rule, legislature and executive developed under democratic conditions; hence, their legitimacy exists. To what extent the civil society actors involved in the PRS process bear legitimacy is hard to judge. Within the predominantly Islamic society women are underrepresented in politics. In 2003 the National Assembly installed a quota demanding at least 10 percent of the candidates for an electoral office to be female. 3.4 Capacity: Capacity of all stakeholders
concerning formulation and implementation is weak because of the low level
of education and limited administrative skills. With regard to NGOs, the
government already stated in its PRSP that due to institutional and organizational
deficiencies at the most a quarter of the recognized NGOs can be rated
capable (Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister: 63). There
are some ambitions of development assistance agencies to foster the capacity
of stakeholders (service delivery at local level, budget management),
but there is no comprehensive capacity building strategy so far.
4.1 Statistical data a. Developmental status
b. Indebteness In 1998, Niger's debt to export ratio was 340 percent, which is more than twice the level considered sustainable by the World Bank and IMF. For every US$ received in grants the country paid 72 cents in debt servicing. In december 2000 Niger reached the HIPC decision point, the completion point in early 2004. The envisaged nominal debt relief is about US$ 1.2 billion. African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
- Niger country profille Jubilee Research - Niger country profile Paris Club - Niger debt treatments World Bank: HIPC - Niger Case World Bank: Niger Estimated Debt Service Payments c. Further statistical resources OECD (2005): African Economic Outlook 2004/05 - Niger World Bank: Niger Data & Statistics 4.2 Important documents a. Official PRS-related documents IMF/IDA (2005): Niger. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
Progress Report. Joint Staff Advisory Note. January 27. IMF/IDA (2003): Niger. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
- Progress Report. Joint Staff Assessment. October 20. IMF/IDA (2002a): Niger. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
Joint Staff Assessment. January 16. Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister (2004):
Poverty Reduction Strategy (Second Progress Report). June 2003-July 2004.
Permanent Secretariat for the PRSP. Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister (2003):
Poverty Reduction Strategy - Progress Report. Translated from French,
July. Republic of Niger / Permanent Secretariat of the PRSP (2003):
Participatory Poverty Assessment Niger. Republic of Niger / Office of the Prime Minister (2002):
Poverty Reduction Strategy. Full Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, Prepared
by the Government of Niger, Permanent Secretariat of the PRSP, Niamey,
January. Republic of Niger (2000): Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper. October 6. Republic of Niger / Cabinet of Prime Minister, PRSP Permanent
Secretary (undated): Envolving the Poor in Elaborating and Implementation
the PRSP Process in Niger. For the most recent official PRSP documents see b. Major donor-related documents IMF (2005): Niger: Request for Three-Year Arrangement Under
the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. March 7. Niger HIPC Completion Point Document (December 2003) Niger HIPC Decision Point Document (December 2000) OECD/DAC (2004a): Niger. In: Survey on Harmonisation and
Alignment. Paris. World Bank (2004a): Santé et Pauvreté au Niger.
Vers les Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement.
Washington D.C. World Bank: Niger Country Assistence Strategy (CAS) For further donor-related strategy documents see http://www.countryanalyticwork.net 4.3 Reports and analyses a. PRSP-related publications Abdoulaye, Ali (2002): Education for all in Niger: challenges
and ongoing efforts. Speech delivered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Brussels DIMITRA Relaunch Workshops, Brussels, 23 October 2002 Blench, Roger/Robert Chapman/Tony Slayman (2003): A Study
of the Role of Livestock in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Food and
Agriculture Organziation (FAO), Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative,
PPLPI Working Paper No. 1, Rome, May 26. (includes Niger case study) Bojö, Jan et al. (2004): Environment in Poverty Reduction
Strategies and Poverty Reduction Support Credits. World Bank, Environment
Department, Environmental Economics Series, Paper No. 102, Washington
D.C., November. (includes data on Niger) Bojö, Jan/Rama Chandra Reddy (2003): Status and Evolution
of Environmental Priorities in the Poverty Reduction Strategies. An Assessment
of Fifty Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. World Bank, Environment Department,
Environmental Economics Series, Paper No. 93, Washington D.C., November.
(includes data on Niger) Bonnel, René/Miriam Temin/Fith Tempest (2004): Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers: Do They matter for Children and Young People
made Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS? Results of a Joint UNICEF and World Bank
Review. World Bank, Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 78, Washington
D.C., December. (includes data on Niger) Booth, David/Henry Lucas (2002): Good Practice in the Development
of PRSP Indicators and Monitoring Systems. Overseas Development Institute,
ODI Working Paper 172. July. (inlcudes data on Niger) Caillods, F./J. Hallak (2004): Education and PRSPs. A review
of experiences. A review undertaken with the support of DFID, UNESCO,
Interational Institute of Educational Planning, Paris. (includes data
on Niger) Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) (2002):
Diagnostic study of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation
Systems in Burkina Faso, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali and Niger. Synthesis/Summary
of study's key findings. October. Dewachter, Sara (2005): The Participation Conditionality
under Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: The Joint Staff Assessment -experience.
University of Antwerp, Institute of Development Policy and Management,
IDPM-UA discussion paper 2005-6, April. (includes data on Niger) Driscoll, Ruth/Evans, Alison (2004): PRSP Annual Progress
Reports and Joint Staff Assessments - A Review of Progress. PRSP Monitoring
& Synthesis Project. Synthesis Note 9, September. (includes data on
Niger) Eberlei, Walter/Heike Henn (2003): Parliaments in Sub-Saharan
Africa: actors in poverty reduction? GTZ, Eschborn, December. (includes
data on Niger) Egulu, Lawrence (2004): Trade Union Participation in the
PRSP Process. World Bank, Social Protection Unit, Social Protection Discussion
Paper Series, Washington D.C., August. (includes Niger case study) European Commission / SPA Task Team on Contractual Relationships
and Selectivity (2001): Comparative review of I-PRSP Targets and conditionalities
for HIPC Completion Point. Brussels. 4 May. (includes Niger case study) European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD) (2002):
Private Sector Development - Pro-poor, or merely Poor, Service Delivery?
Brussels, April. (includes data on Niger) Fox, James W. (2004): The Treatment of the Private Sector
in African PRSPs and APRs. Report to the Bureau for Africa, USAID, Washington
D.C., November. (includes data on Niger) Heidel, Klaus (2004): Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
- blind to the rights of the (working) child? The (I-)PRSPs' perception
of child labour. A problem outline and annotated collection of source
material. Kindernothilfe/Werkstatt Ökonomie, Duisburg/Heidelberg,
March. (includes data on Niger) Hinchliffe, Keith (2004): Notes on the Impact of the HIPC
Initiative on Public Expenditure in Education and Health in African Countries.
World Bank, Africa Region Human Development Working Paper Series, Washington
D.C., June. (includes data on Niger) Holtz, Uwe (2003): Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and
Country Strategy Papers and their relationship to the combat against desertification.
The role of parliaments. Paper prepared for the Fifth UNCCD Parliamentary
Round Table, 25 August to 5 September 2003. Bonn, 26 May. (includes Niger
case study) Holvoet, Nathalie/Robrecht Renard (2005): Putting the new
aid paradigm to work: challenges for monitoring and evaluation. University
of Antwerp, Institute of Development Policy and Management, IDPM-UA discussion
paper 2005-2, January. (includes data on Niger) IMF/IDA (2002b): Review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP) Approach: Early Experience with Interim PRSPs and Full PRSPs.
Prepared by the Staffs of the IMF and World Bank, Washington DC., March
26. (includes data on Niger) Langdon, Steve/Rasheed Draman (2005): PRSPs in Africa: Parliaments
and Economic Policy Performance. GTZ, Eschborn, February. (includes data
on Niger) Laterveer, Leontien/Louis W. Niessen/Abdo S. Yazbeck (2003):
Pro-poor health policies in poverty reduction strategies, in: Health Policy
and Planning, Vol. 18(2), pp. 139-145. (includes data on Niger) Lucas, Henry/David Evans/Katherine Pasteur (2004): Research
on the current state of PRS monitoring systems. Institute of Development
Studies (IDS), Discussion Paper 382, Brighton, December. (includes data
on Niger) Mamadou, Soumaila (2004): More of the same - Niger's PRSP
experience, in: International Labour Organization (ILO) (ed.): Trade unions
and poverty reduction strategies, Labour Education 2004/1-2 No. 134-135,
pp. 13-15. Mehta, Meera (2002): Water Supply and Sanitation in PRSP
Initiatives. A Desk Review of Emerging Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), Nairobi, January 18. (includes data
on Niger) Mitlin, Diana (2004): Understanding Urban Poverty - What
the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers tell us. London. (includes data
on Niger) Mozammel, Masud/Sina Odugbemi (eds.) (2005): With the Support
of Multitudes. Using strategic communication to fight poverty through
PRSPs, DFID/World Bank, London/Washington DC (case study Niger, p. 119) OECD/DAC (2004b): Role of Infrastructure in Economic Growth
and Poverty Reduction. Lessons Learned from PRSPs of 33 Countries. DAC
Network on Poverty Reduction, Berlin, October 27-29. (includes data on
Niger) OECD/DAC (2003): Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) as of January 2003.
OECD, Global Forum on Knowledge Economy, Paris, 4-5 March. (includes data
on Niger) Steiner, Susan (2002): Strategien sind nur so gut wie ihre
Umsetzung. Eine Einschätzung der PRSP am Jahresende 2002. Institute
of African Affairs, Afrika im Blickpunkt, No. 4, Hamburg, December. (includes
data on Niger) Tan, Jee-Peng/Agnes Soucat/Alain Mingat (2001): Enhancing
Human Development in the HIPC/PRSP Context. Progress in the Africa Region
during 2000. World Bank, Africa Region Human Development Working Paper
Series, Washington D.C., May. (includes data on Niger) Thin, Neil/Mary Underwood/Jim Gilling (2001): Sub-Saharan
Africa's Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers from Social Policy and Sustainable
Livelihoods Perspectives. A report for the Department for International
Development, Oxford Development Management, Oxford, March. (includes data
on Niger). Thornton, Nigel/Marcus Cox (2005): Developing Poverty Reduction
Strategies in Low-Income Countries Under Stress (LICUS). Final Report.
Agulhas, 6 January. (includes data on Niger) Thorpe, Andy et al. (2004): African Poverty Reduction Strategy
Programmes and the Fisheries Sector: Currrent Situation and Opportunities,
in: African Development Review, Vol. 16(2), September, pp. 328-362. (includes
data on Niger) World Bank (2004b): A Review of Population, Reproductive
Health, and Adolescent Health & Development in Poverty Reduction Strategies.
Population and Reproductive Health Cluster/Health Nutrition and Population
Central Unit, Washington D.C., August. (includes data on Niger) World Bank (2002): Aligning Assistance for Development Effectiveness.
Promising Country Experience. Comprehensive Development Framework Secretariat/Operations
Policy and Country Services (OPCS), Washington D.C., February. (includes
short Niger case study) World Development Movement (2005): Democracy and the Poverty
Reduction Strategy process: Country cases. May. (includes short Niger
case study). World Health Organization (2004): PRSPs: Their Significance
for Health: second synthesis report. Geneva. (includes data on Niger) b. Background reading Adji, Souley (2000): Globalization and union strategies
in Niger. International Institute for Labour Studies. Geneva. Connolly, Eileen (2005): Women's representation in national
parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa: an ideational framework for investigation.
Centre for International Studies, Dublin City University, Working Papers
in International Studies 2005/2. Idrissa, Kimba (ed.) (2001): Le Niger: Etat et démocratie. Paris. Ibrahim, Jibrin/Souley, Abdoulaye Niandou (undated): The
rise to power of an opposition party the MNSD in Niger Republic. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Information on the last
elections in Benin, November/December 2004. Masquelier, Adeline (1999): Debating Muslims, Disputed Practices: Struggles for the Realization of an Alternative Moral Order in Niger. In: Comaroff, L./Comaroff, J. (eds.): Civil Society and the Political Imagination in Africa. Critical Perspectives. Chicago/London 1999, pp. 219-250. National Democratic Institute (NDI) (2003): Promotion Politique des Femmes au Niger: Obstacles et Strategies. http://www.accessdemocracy.org/showdoc.asp?lang=2&id={E8DF98E8-D38C-4F41-AA10-A498CFE5BD18} National Democratic Institute (NDI) (undated)): Women in
Nigerien Politics. West African Civil Society Forum on the Millenium Development
Goals (2003): West African Civil Society Position on the Millennium Development
Goals and their Implementation, Dakar 23-24. February 2003. 4.4 Links to stakeholders involved Government of the Republic of Niger Parliament of the Republic of Niger b. Civil society L'Institut de recherche pour le développement Timidria (Anti-Slavery) Directory of Development Organizations (national / international) c. Donors / International actors Aid Harmonization & Alignment Iniatiative - Niger country
profile International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Niger country profile World Bank - Niger country profile United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Niger country
office Sahel and West Africa Club 4.5 General country information "Le Républicain", independent weekly newspaper AllAfrica.com - Niger news Development Gateway Freedom House - Niger country profile The Eldis Gateway to development information provides a comprehensive and up-to-date country website that can be accessed at http://www.eldis.org/africa/index.htm A further comprehensive collection of web links can
be found at Stanford University: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/niger.html 4.6 General links that also provide country-specific information European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) International Monetary Fund (IMF) The World Bank Group Paris Club Source : www.prsp-watch.de (September 2005) © German Version: VENRO |
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