The objectives of the training is to: 1) Teach on the design and implementation of OBA and SIBs; 2) Assist the three governments, through embedded clinics, to draft the concept notes of their own initiatives using results‐based approaches. Government representatives submitted in advance their project outlines that they wished to work on during the workshop.

A joint team of GPOBA and WB Leadership, Learning and Innovation group travelled to Krakow, Poland, on September 22‐27, at the invitation of the Polish, Czech and Lithuanian governments, to hold a workshop on results‐based  approaches,  Output‐Based  Aid  (OBA) and Social Impact Bonds (SIB) in particular. The three governments requested assistance in developing their own RBF initiatives in the social sectors, mainly as part of   the   European   Social   Fund   projects,   and   in infrastructure   sectors.   The   25   participants   at   the seminar   included   representatives   from   the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, Krakow Regional  Labor  Office,  Czech  Ministr of Labor and Social  Affairs,   European Social   Fund   Agency   of Lithuania,  and  one  representative  of  the  European Social Fund Agency of Belgium.

The seminar has three main objectives: (i) to communicate to participants the OBA mechanism and how it has been used in water and energy projects to extend basic services to poor; (ii) present specific case studies to show the variety of applications of these mechanisms, its benefits and results; and (iii) incentivize the audience to present their project ideas where the OBA approach could be applied to identify potential projects and partnerships.

GPOBA organized a session on OBA approach for access to water within the World Water Week. This session was well received and the organizers invited GPOBA to do a longer session in the next World Water Week in August 2015.

GPOBA partners with ODPs, sharing experiences and lessons learnt about OBA and playing an advisory role to provide support at the institutional and operational levels to enable ODPs to mainstream OBA in their country programs. OBA experts focus on advisory work aimed at transferring OBA knowledge and capacity to staff and country teams from ODPs.
 

This activity consists of six areas designed to increase the knowledge base within GPOBA to better support effective project design, collaboration, and knowledge sharing with all GPOBA stakeholders: learning strategy, e-learning, learning guidance on knowledge tools, core knowledge for GPOBA (capacity and environment for staff to share and collaborate), networking and inquiry among staff. 

The activities have been completed. The work catalogued the deliverables from past knowledge exchanges and other forms of technical learning. For example, the approach to a knowledge exchange was successfully applied to a Timor-Leste knowledge exchange visit to Sri Lanka in August 2018. In addition, knowledge exchange experiences were applied to the Burkina Faso/Cameroon exchange. The activity was extended from August to December 2018 to allow more time for completion.  Similar to the strategic approach to content management above, a multi-year budget proved useful and specific lessons have been reflected in the completion document.

The project will identify and map the major players in results-based financing (RBF), understand how the scope of RBF has evolved and the current recognized definition, and analyze general trends in RBF. The work will include a specific component on hybrid projects that combine RBF with PPPs and other specialized instruments. The analysis is designed to expand GPOBA’s network and generate opportunities for GPOBA to collaborate with important RBF thought leaders and practitioners to share knowledge and experiences, and develop a baseline of information on the RBF universe. The outcome of the assignment will be a report or a presentation.

The activities were completed and the funding was fully disbursed in the previous reporting periods. The timeline was extended from June to December 2015 to embed the materials in a range of OBA Center of Expertise activities and the GPOBA strategy.

This activity consists of five main areas chosen to stimulate innovation amongst OBA/RBF practitioners on OBA/RBF concepts and potential projects: crowdsourcing, competitions, ideas/innovation submissions, knowledge silo-breakers (World Bank’s mechanism for facilitating collaboration), and hackathons (competition for graphic designers/software designers whose contribution can be used for results monitoring, civic engagement and social accountability). 

In this reporting period, innovations from Indonesia’s Local Government Decentralization Project were highlighted through two podcasts and an e-zine. The project improved reporting and accountability of the government of Indonesia's intergovernmental transfer system for the infrastructure sector. Also, GPOBA hosted the fourth annual "Inn-OBA-tions Awards" in January 2017, where the Nepal Village Micro Hydro Project was presented with the top prize for its innovative use of RBF. The RBF instrument was linked to greenhouse gas reduction as a result of the micro-hydro plants for remote mountain communities. 

This application focuses on GPOBA’s overall Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation (KMLI) strategy as well as the “Collaboration” component involving developing, refining, maintaining, monitoring, and improving upon collaborative tools for knowledge flows and exchanges with OBA implementers (external and internal), donors, and external stakeholders using GPOBA experience and data.

A Working Paper was prepared to summarize the Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation supported by this activity in 2015-2017. GPOBA Knowledge: Strategy and Collaboration Working Paper was prepared to serve as a record of activities and key lessons. The KMLI Strategy was formulated effectively with positive results. Collaboration component was an important pillar of the KMLI approach with regards to community networking and bringing together practitioners to share knowledge through activities or products. The supported KMLI activities aligned GPOBA with the new World Bank approaches to collaboration which in turn enabled GPOBA to better use platforms/blogs, events and learning activities within the World Bank. 

This activity supports the Beneficiary Assessment (BA) for the completed OBA subsidy project of Solar PV Systems to Increase Access to Electricity Services in Ghana that was closed in September 2014, having disbursed $4 million against verified deliverables.

As planned, the BA was carried out by the Government of Ghana, while the output of this activity was a draft lesson learned which is under review. The World Bank Africa Region is considering preparing a working paper based on the experience of Solar PV Systems in Ghana.

This activity focuses on the dissemination of lessons from the Sector Analyses in Energy and Water packaging lessons into knowledge products for targeted audiences.

The activities included integrating findings of the energy and water  sector analyses (highlighted in section  (1.2)  TA  to  support  RBF  projects  above)  in GPOBA knowledge products and operations. A short paper on access to infrastructure was prepared in the reporting   period and will  be available for dissemination early in FY17.

The aim of this rapid study was to present the findings and framework for output-based aid/results-based financing (OBA/RBF) options in the municipal solid waste sector in Zambia. For maximum impact, the rapid study focuses on Kabwe, as the municipality presents a microcosm of issues faced across the country.

The study comprised of the following main activities: (i) a rapid assessment of the municipal solid waste (MSW) current legal and regulatory framework, sector policy and financing to  propose reform recommendations for improving the solid waste management system in Zambia; (ii) an assessment of the current design and performance of municipal solid waste service in  Kabwe; (iii)  an initial development of a customized OBA/RBF  project  design which takes into account  households  willingness to pay (WTP) and improves access and outcomes of MSW management in Kabwe municipality; and (iv)  presentation to discuss the findings and the proposed MSW options in Kabwe.

The rapid assessment study identified regulatory, technical, and financial challenges that constrained the management of Kabwe’s solid waste system. Particularly, the study and the dialogue with the government and other sector stakeholders noted a lack of by-laws to enforce waste regulation including discarding, sorting at source, disposing, and administering fines.

Among the technical challenges, capacity of Kabwe Municipal Council and waste haulers would need to be improved, including staffing, waste collection and transportation equipment (trucks and bins), etc.

As to financing challenges, the fee structure needed to be revised to allow cost recovery, and an efficient fee collection mechanism was to be put in place.

Lastly, a gap analysis needed to be completed to allow for an informed decision on the applicability of an RBF operation in Kabwe. This included, among others, an assessment of the capacity of private contractors, a market sounding and a survey on households’ willingness and ability to pay.