The Economic Competitiveness and Financial Management Support Project (PACEGEF) is an institutional support operation that falls within the implementation of the Bank's Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Niger covering the 2018-2022 period. It therefore complements the Bank's support for implementation of economic and financial reforms under the Support Programme for Reforms and Economic Resilience (PARRE). PACEGEF is divided into three components, namely: (i) Support for improvement of financial management, planning and transparency in public policies; (ii) Support for governance of productive sectors and private sector development; and (iii) Project management. The project will have a positive impact on the macro-economic framework by increasing budget revenue collection from 14.9% in 2018 to 17% in 2023 and improving the quality of public expenditure with a decline in contracts awarded by direct negotiation from 46.03% in 2018 to less than 15% in 2023. The project will also contribute to improving the business environment and increasing the value added of manufactured products in GDP from 5.7% in 2015 to more than 7% in 2023.

The overall goal of the project is to improve Niger's economic competitiveness by strengthening the macroeconomic framework, improving governance in productive sectors (industry, mining and petroleum) and promoting the private sector. The project's specific objectives are to: (i) improve tax revenue collection; (ii) improve strategic planning and public financial management; (iii) improve the business environment and the industrial sector's contribution to GDP; and (iv) reduce gender inequality by enhancing women's economic empowerment.

The main project beneficiaries are: (i) Niger as a whole, which will see its financial resources increased, its budgetary management and planning structures enhanced, and its institutional capacities strengthened; (ii) the central and decentralized structures responsible for collecting public revenue, which will be able to raise additional domestic revenue and direct it towards the social sectors; and (iii) Niger's entire population, which is the ultimate beneficiary of enhanced efficiency in the extractive sectors and its multiplier effect on the other sectors, as well as increased public procurement resulting from local currency expenditure under the project. In addition, import/export companies will benefit from trade facilitation through modernised and more efficient customs services.

LAKOUE DERANT Regis

r.lakoue-derant@afdb.org

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/.