According to the Bank’s website, the project development objective (PDO) is to improve the planning and delivery of irrigation policies, investments, and services in Eastern and Southern African countries.

RISE-RAP supports Eastern and Southern African countries in planning and delivery through informing programs and supporting regional alignment. Countries leverage RAP-curated regional knowledge systems, coordination platforms, and TA to inform irrigation policies, investments and services. Rather than develop approaches in isolation, countries can develop shared regional resources including analytics, tools, and lessons learned and adapt them to their specific contexts, fostering efficiency and consistency while preserving country ownership of decisions. In support of achieving the overall Africa RISE MPA PrDO, the Project will support countries across Africa RISE components through facilitating country-facing acceleration activities on learning and knowledge, regional alignment and cooperation, and implementation and innovation. It supports innovation in support to Farmer-Led Irrigation Development, Performance in public service delivery and water security, and addresses the constraints of fragmented, single-project interventions by enabling alignment, shared delivery models, capacity enhancement and stronger partnerships across countries.

Beneficiary countries: Angola, Burundi, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, Federal Republic of, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

No civil work is envisaged under this program, but in subsequent individual country programs. Thus, the policy dialogues and TA activities are unlikely to create significant direct or indirect environmental risks or impacts to the biophysical environment or the institutional stakeholders or other potentially affected parties at the regional and local levels. Nevertheless, low to moderate negative impacts and risks are expected, primarily associated with the generation of both general as well as electronic waste respectively from general office operations and from acquiring and operating data center hardware for the MIS, insignificant increase in energy usage in offices including the regional hub/data center, and occupational hazards related to ergonomic conditions for project workers both in office settings and from work-related travels. The outputs of TA type activities, including for irrigation programs and investment plans, will have downstream environmental, safety and health impacts and risks when implemented at country levels. Given the envisaged low to moderate magnitude of the environmental risks and impacts of the program and implementing entities experience with Bank standards and past performance, the environmental risk is considered Moderate.

Social risk are considered Substantial. Direct project risks includes: i) risks of unfair treatment, discrimination, and non-compliance with labor standards among project staff, consultants, and partners. ii) occupational health and safety (OHS) concerns, especially for those involved in fieldwork, data collection, or training activities. iii) risks of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEA/SH). iv) the potential exclusion of vulnerable groups—including women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals living in remote areas—from fully accessing and benefiting from project interventions. v) the reforms may increase the cost of water for irrigation or alter access to resources for vulnerable and low-income groups. vi) a risk of elites’ capture of the reform rather than reaching smallholders or marginalized communities. While the RISE-RAP itself does not finance land acquisition, future projects influenced by its outputs may involve land acquisition, resettlement, or changes in land use, with associated risks of displacement, loss of livelihoods, and social disruption.

Total Project Cost: US$ 10.00 million
IDA Grant: US$ 10.00 million

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Pieter Waalewijn
Title: Lead Water Resources Management Specialist
Email: pwaalewijn@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: Si Gou
Job Title: Senior Water Resources Management Specialist
Email: sgou@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: Jeren Kabayeva
Job Title: Senior Agriculture Specialist
Email: jkabayeva@worldbank.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

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ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint