World Bank approves credit

The World Bank on Thursday approved a credit of some US $28.5 million to support an ongoing decentralisation effort by the Senegalese government, according to a World Bank news release. The National Rural Infrastructure Project (NRIP) will "reinforce the capacity of rural local governments to deliver public services to their populations on a sustainable basis," it said. "The central objective of this project is to contribute to revitalising the rural economy, reducing rural poverty and improving the living conditions of rural populations in Senegal," according to Mahmood Ayub, country director for Senegal. The programme will support the ongoing administrative and fiscal decentralisation process, strengthen the capacity of communities and their governments to prioritise, plan, implement and maintain community-based infrastructures and provide funding to local governments for rural infrastructure and services. Funds are to be distributed directly to local communities who will be responsible for their "proper use," the news release said.