Tonga and the World Bank have committed to a time-bound action plan following their latest portfolio review.
The government of Tonga and the World Bank held a joint Country Performance Portfolio Review (CPPR) earlier this month in Nuku‘alofa, aimed at strengthening delivery of World Bank-financed projects in the kingdom.
The review assessed the overall performance of existing projects, identified key challenges and cross-cutting issues impacting implementation, and resulted in agreement on a time-bound action plan to address those issues and enhance project delivery.
The session was co-chaired by Kilisitina Tuaimei’api, Chief Executive Officer of Tonga’s Ministry of Finance, alongside Suzy Yoon‑Yildiz, Senior Operations Officer for the World Bank’s South Pacific operations.
Representatives from government ministries, implementing agencies and project management units presented their project issues and proposed action plans. They reaffirmed their commitment to implement the agreed actions within established timeframes with the Ministry of Finance providing coordination and oversight under a memo-of-agreement in place and subject to review within 12 months.
In addition to the current project portfolio, Tonga is preparing to sign two new regional World Bank-supported projects this month: the US$13 million Pacific Healthy Islands Transformation (PHIT) Project tackling non-communicable diseases, and the US$9.5 million Accelerating Trade Facilitation in the Pacific (ATFP) Project to reduce time and cost of cross-border trade among Pacific island countries.
Currently five World Bank-supported projects are helping Tonga strengthen resilience and preparedness across transport, education, health and data systems. For example, efforts include making 8,000 students’ schools safer, building a new facility for the Tonga Meteorological Services and the National Emergency Management Office to be commissioned next year, and upgrading climate-resilient health services including a new hospital in Vava’u.
The signing of the memorandum was held at the Tanoa Hotel in Nuku‘alofa, marking the partnership’s commitment to a more resilient and prosperous future for the people of Tonga.
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