Nghe An and Ha Tinh exchange experiences in implementing projects using World Bank capital.

Attending the meeting, on behalf of Nghe An province, there were comrades: Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of departments, branches, and localities.

On the side of Ha Tinh province, there were comrades: Hoang Trung Dung - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Tran Tien Hung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Tran Tu Anh - Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; leaders of relevant departments and branches.

Working session scene. Photo: Pham Bang

Currently, Nghe An province has been implementing 2 projects using capital fromWB. These are the Medium-sized Urban Development Project in Vietnam - Vinh Sub-project and the Priority Infrastructure and Urban Development Project adapting to climate change in Vinh city, Nghe An province.

The Medium-sized Urban Development Project in Vietnam - Vinh Sub-project has a total investment of more than168,484 million USD, of which the WB loan is 98 million USD. The project has 4 components, including: Improving services and upgrading basic infrastructure; Improving environmental sanitation; Urban bridges and roads; Strengthening technical capacity and technical assistance.

Leaders of Vinh City People's Committee exchanged experiences in the project implementation process. Photo: Pham Bang

The project aims to enhance the infrastructure services of Vinh city through investment in basic infrastructure, improving environmental sanitation and traffic routes of the city. Improving environmental conditions and areas of canals, ditches, lakes, schools to improve the living conditions of people, contributing to the completion and development of infrastructure; meeting the general development requirements of the city.

The project has completed all items and been handed over for use; the Government Inspectorate and State Audit Office Region II have conducted audits and approved the final settlement of all project items.

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at the meeting. Photo: Pham Bang

For the project on Priority Infrastructure and Urban Development Adapting to Climate Change in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, the total investment is 168 million USD, of which the WB loan is 130 million USD, with an implementation period of 5 years, from 2021 to 2025.

The project consists of three components: Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development; Comprehensive Urban Improvement to Climate Change Adaptation; and Adaptability Management and Project Implementation Support.

In March 2019, the People's Committee of Nghe An province sent a dispatch to the Ministry of Planning and Investment proposing the "Priority Infrastructure and Urban Development Project adapting to climate change in Vinh city, Nghe An province" and by November 2019, the World Bank had a Memorandum of Understanding to pre-determine the proposed project.

Currently, the Provincial People's Committee has sent an explanatory document to the Government Office; it is expected that the Government Office will synthesize and submit the project proposal to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval in January 2021.

Leaders of the Department of Construction of Ha Tinh province spoke at the meeting. Photo: Pham Bang

At the working session, the comrades in the Ha Tinh province delegation asked many questions and raised concerns about issues in the process of accessing and implementing projects using WB capital.

Leaders of departments, branches, localities, and the People's Committee of Nghe An province shared experiences on the initial survey process, document preparation, close coordination with sponsors, and development of plans and implementation roadmaps.

Comrade Hoang Trung Dung - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Ha Tinh province spoke at the meeting. Photo: Pham Bang

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung emphasized that Nghe An and Ha Tinh used to be one province. Therefore, the two provinces must stick together and share with each other to develop together and go further together. In the spirit of openness, he emphasized 3 issues to note when accessing capital and implementing projects using capital from the World Bank (WB).

According to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, the first issue is project selection and preparation. This work must be done closely and thoroughly, meeting the criteria of the province and the criteria of the sponsor. In addition, there must be a long-term vision with the development trend of the cities to select effective projects. If the project is selected and prepared well, the project will be implemented well.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at the meeting. Photo: Pham Bang

The second issue is capital, we must evaluate the province's debt repayment capacity and the conditions for borrowing and repaying the debt. From there, we can select and propose suitable projects to effectively implement the project.

Third, when choosing to implement a project and access capital, it is necessary to pay attention to the application procedures; closely follow up with ministries, branches, the Government and donors to promptly resolve and handle related issues.

After the working session, the delegation of Ha Tinh province visited the project of Medium-sized Urban Development in Vietnam - Vinh Sub-project.