What's an ADP worth?
Obviously its implementation, not size

We believe the debate over ADP size is misplaced, if not superfluous. The resources and expertise available within the government and outside it, among the think-tanks and research organisations, would be much better expended if these were directed to devising ways and means to ensure the fullest implementation of an ADP having been adopted. Anyone conversant with the history of ADP implementation in the country knows it too well, whatever its size, whether original or revised, the implementation deficits remained glaring. The pattern consistently has been that of grandstanding with an ambitious ADP in a new fiscal year, downsizing it in the face of below 25 percent implementation at the half-year point at the most, and then rushing through the remainder six months with the sole objective of meeting financial and physical targets. That way what we got was not only under-performance but also poor quality development work.

Apart from project selection often bearing signature of political rather than economic considerations and thereby affecting implementation, the problems apparently lie with the ministries themselves. In our front page report yesterday on the subject of non-implementation of ADP we find that the government is going to reduce allocation in the foreign aided projects in such priority sectors as power, energy and agriculture by 18-75 percent in the current fiscal year because of their failure to spend the allocated money. For the same reason, the donors which had committed funds are not disbursing. The huge pipeline bulges have been traditionally attributed to non-utilisation of allocations at our end.

The Planning Ministry and Economic Relations Division and the line ministries must hold regular meetings to discuss problems in implementing projects so that solutions can emerge out of effective brain-storming and collective wisdom. It can be easily realised that if powers are adequately delegated to project directors and they are not transferred out for the duration of project-work, implementation is bound to move apace. One other strategic move to help implementation would be to structurally strengthen and empower the Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Planning Ministry.

Comment: Dr Abu Reza

ADP implement ability, as rightly highlighted, is the core issue, not its size. However, implement ability can be enhanced if the ADP is adequately prepared which, in turn, depends on adequate project preparation in each sector -based on engineering designs, quantity estimates and detailed cost estimates. Organization capability of the executing agencies in the sector has to be adequate. Once projects are adequately prepared and approved, procurement process has to be sound and efficient. It is only then that implementation of the approved ADP, assuming that both local and foreign financing are in place, can be expected to be according to implementation schedules. Availability of adequately trained manpower at all levels and stages is sine qua non for successful implementation of the ADP. There is no short cut to efficient implementation of the ADP.

[Source: The Daily Star]