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Home : Regions and Countries : Country Partnership Strategy : Document

Table of Contents
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I. Country Strategy
II. Current Development Trends and Issues
III. Implementation of the Country Strategy and Program
IV. Portfolio Management Issues
V. Country Performance and Assistance Levels
Country Strategy and Program Update 2004-2006: Samoa

IV. Portfolio Management Issues

A. Ongoing Portfolio Performance

20. Three ADB-financed loan projects are being implemented: loans for the education sector7 and small-business development,8 approved in 2000; and a loan for power sector improvement,9 approved in 2001. Project implementation is overall regarded as satisfactory.

21. Implementation of the Education Sector Project has temporarily slowed down due to the recent reforms in the Ministry of Works. The absorptive capacity of the Education Department is a concern; however additional staff positions have been approved to support project implementation. Educational efficiency and institutional capacity have been strengthened through provision of consultants and hands-on training of counterpart staff under the loan and associated TA.

22. The Small-Business Development Project is progressing satisfactorily after some startup delays. Key performance indicators for the small-business loan guarantee scheme have been surpassed, reflecting the level of new businesses that it supports. The pilot microfinance facility is expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2003. The small-business development fund started off well with over 160 small training programs. The establishment of the associated venture capital fund, under the lead of IFC, is now scheduled for early 2004.

23. The Power Sector Improvement Project is behind schedule, due initially to the late appointment of consultants and, more recently, to the need for technical design changes, for which supplementary engineering studies and environment impact assessments are ongoing. Despite the earlier setbacks, Electric Power Corporation, in collaboration with ADB, is now expediting implementation.

B. Performance Monitoring and Evaluation

24. Special units in the Ministry of Finance are responsible for monitoring and evaluating externally assisted development projects as well as the Government’s development programs. However, with improved governance structures in place as a result of the ongoing public sector reforms, coordination between government departments in project implementation is now possible. Shifting responsibility for project execution from the Ministry of Finance to the sector agency concerned would make project management more efficient and allow the Ministry of Finance to focus on strategic issues.

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  1. ADB. 2000. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to Samoa for the Education Sector Project. Manila.
  2. ADB. 2000. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to Samoa for the Small Business Development Project. Manila.
  3. ADB. 2001. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to Samoa for the Power Sector Improvement Project. Manila.
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V. Country Performance and Assistance Levels

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