ADB OKs P11.2 million funding to boost NEDA’s functions

MANILA, Philippines — Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $225,000 (P11.2 million) technical assistance grant to improve capacity development of the Philippines’ economic planning agency.

The grant, which comes from ADB’s Technical Assistance Special Fund, is meant to support the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)’s improvement plan and capacity development.

ADB said the technical assistance would provide policy advisory and knowledge support to assess NEDA’s organizational structure and support the development of a strategy for change management and re-engineering internal business processes.

This would include improving the business process for infrastructure development from infrastructure planning, approval, budget allotment, monitoring to evaluation.

In capacity development, the assistance would provide support to NEDA staff to enhance technical skills and knowledge in data science and analytics in application to evidence-based policy and program formulation, monitoring, and evaluating, including for the economic recovery program.

Right now, NEDA is undertaking internal organizational reforms and capacity development to strengthen its institutional capacity and staff capabilities to formulate evidence-based policy reforms and programs and to effectively monitor and evaluate impact.

The agency implements structural policy reforms aligned with its long-term development plan AmBisyon Natin 2040.

The assistance aims to review, develop and implement selected activities of NEDA’s improvement plan, improve public infrastructure program business process, and commence a science and analytics capacity development at the agency.

The sector involved is in public sector management, particularly economic affairs management and public administration. The assistance targets inclusive economic growth.