Interview with
Artan
Guxho
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Project Officer of World Bank Group Office in Tirana
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Albania
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Newsletter: Special edition
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January 2011
1. Which are the main financial facilities offered
by the World Bank (WB) for the infrastructure and transport sector
and which of them are mostly used by the Albanian
recipients?
The World Bank is mainly offering its support through loans to
the Central Government for the preparation and implementation of
the priority investment projects, i.e.: roads/highway sector,
energy, water supply and sanitation. The financing of the said
projects is usually coupled with other donors financing and/or
grant funds - the later with the intention to support, but not
limited to, preparation of studies, technical assistance and
supervision, as well as capacity building.
In parallel, through its International Financing Corporation
(IFC) arm, the Bank is supporting private sector participation in
infrastructure, either by being part of a specific concession
agreement and providing funds for that, or acting as a transaction
advisor, on behalf of the Government, in order to realize the
concession agreement proposed by the Government and/or private
sector.
2. How has the financial and economic global crisis
influenced the present WB branches lending and technical assistance
activities in South Eastern countries?
The World Bank is usually supporting countries through setting
and defining in advance a 3-4 year Country Partnership Strategy
(CPS), in which the main directions/areas of support are defined
and potential projects identified, within lending envelope, in
agreement with the Central Government. Saying that, the actual CPS
(2010-2014) and the respective lending envelope for Albania was not
reduced and/or suffered from global crisis. However, the Bank and
GoA are trying to maximize its expected results, prioritize better
the use of
funds, with a special focus on tangible results on the ground,
less transaction costs for the country and beneficiaries, and more
effective use of the available financial resources.