Rural & Social Policy DPL II

The Second Rural and Social Policy Grant (RSRC-2), which is part of a series of Development Policy Lending operations (DPL), will continue to support the Government of Niger in improving service delivery to the poor and in implementing reforms in public sector management to secure adequate financing in critical sectors of the economy. Within a medium-term framework, and building on the previous budget support operation (RSRC-1) as well as ongoing projects in agriculture, education, health, and population (upcoming), this two tranche operation will continue focusing on overcoming policy constraints and institutional bottlenecks in: (i) public sector management; (ii) agricultural growth and rural development; and (iii) human development, including demographic growth and gender issues. This operation, like its predecessor, will support a strategic subset of the Government PRSP policy and reform agenda. In the subsequent DPL (RSRC-3), the human and rural development agenda will be gradually phased out, while policy reforms to promote private sector development (business environment, finance, infrastructure, utilities) will be emphasized.