The objective of the RISE project is to improve rural road access and provide employment opportunities for populations in selected rural areas; and to build capacity in the sustainable management of rural roads, incorporating community engagement approaches. Overall, the project aims to increase connectivity between regions and to enable smooth movement of people and services across the country.
The project consists of five components:
BIC, along with our partner Foundation for Environmental Management and Campaign Against Poverty (FEMAPO), identified three main concerns about the project.
1. Limited scope of community outreach and consultation. Although the project aims to incorporate community engagement approaches, monitoring identified that consultations had reached a limited number of stakeholders. For example, at one regional consultation with stakeholders, only 5 people attended. While many of the consultations during project preparation were held during the early COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions on gatherings may have been a factor in permitting in person meetings, it is even more critical for the project team to focus on robust consultation during project implementation. Without broad community participation, it is less likely that the diverse views of the community will be reflected, and there is a greater risk that marginalized groups’ voices in particular will be excluded.
2. Delayed installation of Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs). The project has designed a strong GRM for receiving, evaluating and addressing community concerns, but it has yet to be put in place. Having a functional GRM is particularly important when it comes to addressing land and property compensation issues as well as sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEA/H). Without the GRM in place, there is a possibility of failure to capture community complaints.
3. Lack of transparency and responsiveness to civil society on the part of project implementing agencies. The Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) and Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), the implementing agencies of the RISE project, have shown poor responsiveness and an unwillingness to communicate with civil society. FEMAPO made multiple attempts to contact TARURA through their website to no avail, and could not reach them until going to TARURA’s headquarters in Dodoma for an answer. Even then, the Stakeholder Engagement Officer was ‘hesitant’ to provide information without approval from their bosses. Project implementers should be responsive to civil society and community requests for information.
4. Potential for Gender Based Violence (GBV) and SEA/H. Project documents acknowledge that social risks, including GBV and SEA/H, are substantial. Experience has shown that an influx of workers not from a community where a project takes place often leads to an increase in GBV and SEA/H cases, including child SEA/H (see for example Uganda and Bolivia). The project does have mitigation and response measures in place, along with a commitment to implementing global best practices (which should include the updated Good Practice Note on addressing SEA/H in Investment Project Financing involving Major Civil Works). It is imperative that the prevention and response measures are fully implemented.
The International Development Association is contributing $300 million USD. An additional $50 million USD is being provided by the Government of Tanzania.
