WORLD BANK INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND (IDF) PROGRAMME: AN ANALYSIS OF THE SUSTAINABILITY OF YOLA-JIMETA PROJECT

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Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
It has been observed that, most Institutional and Academic evaluation studies of projects carried out do lay more emphasis on establishing the extent to which set goals are met and their impacts on surrounding influence zone(s). The sustainability of project benefits is rarely given due consideration. This study has however delved into this neglected area by analyzing the sustainability of benefits of the Yola – Jimeta Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) Project. Based on a random choice of infrastructure, analysis was made of the level of performance and determinants of sustainability of benefits of interventions in the solid waste management and water supply sector. The outcome of the research suggests that, the benefits that came with the project could not be sustained to the present. Major shortcomings were traced to the non-implementation of critical areas of the project, long gestation period, lack of community involvement, collapse of cost recovery efforts through property taxation, lack of effective capacity development amongst others which crippled the sustainability of the benefits. The study - 8 - pointed out lessons for future intervention and consideration in urban Infrastructure development projects in Nigeria. Finally, the study decried the use of loans with high interest rates to fund the provision of social services like Urban infrastructure while calling for a diversification and search for other methods of Infrastructure finance to enable the nation cope with the tide of globalization and technical advancement. It also calls for the need for government to set policies that will address issues of urban poverty to enhance the provision of urban infrastructure on cost recovery basis that will guarantee sustainability.