Tunis, 13 July 2005 - The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional window of the African Development Bank (ADB) Group, approved today in Tunis a grant in favour of Guinea of 14 million Units of Account* (US$ 20.6 million) to finance Support for Development of Basic Education (Education IV Project).
The project will contribute to universal primary education and to the equitable development of the entire education system. The specific objectives of the project are to improve access, equity and quality of basic education and strengthen the management capacity of the education system.
The project has three components, namely:
- Improvement of school coverage, equity and quality of basic education;
- Institutional support;
- Project management.
The project will be implemented in the areas of Boké, Kankan and N'zérékoré which are areas of extreme poverty. The principal beneficiaries of the project are school-age children (about 2,700 additional pupils in primary education), and the populations in the three target zones. In the project areas, 5,000 girls at the primary school level will receive school kits. The construction of 90 classrooms and 5 secondary schools will resolve problems of non-attendance by reducing school distance. The construction of secondary schools will increase intake capacity by about 1,000 additional pupils, which should reduce the phenomenon of deschooling which is a consequence of limited access to the secondary level. All the head teachers (6,500) of public primary schools, and the 500 directors of private establishments will be trained in a skills-based approach. 5000 teachers will also benefit from the training programme.
The project will help improve the boy/girl ratio in the regions of Boké, Kankan and N'zérékoré, through the implementation of initiatives that promote girls' education. Moreover, the project implementation will also help increase the chances of success of the Education for All Programme which seeks to bring the young generation to a level of basic education that is adapted to the socio-political reality and to the needs of the country.
The Bank Group's operations in Guinea started in 1974. To date, the Group has committed a total of US $ 655 million on 64 operations in the country.
Project Information Sheet
- Sources of financing: ADF & Government
- Estimated start-up date and duration: September 2005; 5 years
- Executing Agency: Service National des Infrastructures et Equipements Scolaires (SNIES), part of the Ministry of Pre-University and Civic Education, BP 2201 Conakry, Tel. (224) 45 19 15 / 45 42 05, Fax (224) 41 31 45
- Procurement of Goods and Services: Goods, works and services will be procured in accordance with ADF Rules of Procedure
1 UA = US$ 1.456613 as at 01/07/05
CONTACT: Sabrina Hadjadj Aoul- Tel : +216 71 10 36 98 - E-mail : s.hadjadjaoul@afdb.org