E2656 GHANA SKILLS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Public Disclosure Authorized 1. INTRODUCTION The Draft Final Report on the preparation of an Environmental and Social Management Framework for the Education Sector Project of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MOEYS) was executed from 6th October to 12 November 2003 by a team of Consultants from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). The Report was updated on December 8th, 2010 to ensure a wider applicability to the Ghana Skills and Technology Development Project (GSTDP). 1.1. Background of the Assignment 1. The proposed project has three major components, each with multiple sub- components that will: (a) target demand-driven skills investments in State specific economic priority areas, such as construction, ICT, agriculture and tourism; (b) Public Disclosure Authorized provide institutional strengthening to key agencies/ministries; and (c) support an innovative mechanism (competitive fund) to enhance the market for relevant training and provide a platform for other donors (i.e., DANIDA, AfDB, Germany, etc.) to support skills and technology development in Ghana. 1.2. Objectives of the Study The MOEYS required an environmental and social analysis of all components of the EdSeP, with particular attention to civil works activities. This analysis will also be used for the GSTDP project. According to the Terms of Reference (TOR), the purpose of the proposed study Public Disclosure Authorized was threefold. Firstly, the consultants would develop an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) which would enable those responsible for future construction activities to (i) screen for potential environmental and social impacts due to construction activities; (ii) identify and apply appropriate mitigation measures; and (iii) monitor the implementation of these measures. Secondly, the study will assess the relevant institutional capacity for mitigating as well as implementing these measures. Thirdly, the proposed study will include an appropriately budgeted Environmental Mitigation Plan (EMP) for the entire project to facilitate its implementation. 1.3. Scope of the Study Public Disclosure Authorized In developing the ESMF, the consultant would carry out the following tasks: (i) Review the biophysical characteristics of the environment in the urban and rural areas to be covered by the project, and highlight the major constraints that need to be taken into account in the course of project implementations. GIMPA/ MOEYS Environmental and Social Management Framework, November 2003 1 (ii) Assess the potential environmental and social impacts of construction activities in the urban and rural areas and recommend mitigation measures as appropriate, including cost estimates; (iii) Assess the potential environmental and social impacts of the provision of water points and sanitation facilities under the project, and make recommendation; (iv) Assess the need for liquid and solid waste collection, disposal and management under the proposed project, and make recommendations accordingly; (v) Review Ghana’s environmental policies, legislation, regulatory and administrative frameworks in conjunction with the World Bank’s recommendations as to how to close these gaps in the context of the proposed project as appropriate; (vi) Review the Conventions and Protocols to which Ghana is a signatory; (vii) Assess existing environmental assessment and management capacity, as well as the capacity to implement the proposed mitigation measure, and make recommendations as appropriate, including potential capacity building and training needs and their costs; (viii) Prepare an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) to enable those responsible for construction activities to (a) screen for: (i) site selection; (ii) potential environmental and social impacts; (iii) mitigation of impacts; and (b) to outline (i) steps for monitoring of potential impact, with a process for triggering subsequent environmental and / or social assessments, where necessary, and (ii) institutional responsibilities for the afore-mentioned activities. The ESMF should also include references to Ghana’s environmental policies and laws as well as to the World Bank’s safeguard policies to ensure that these are respected during project implementation. (ix) Prepare an Environmental Mitigation Plan (EMP) for implementation. The EMP should outline: (i) potential environmental and social impacts resulting from project activities; (ii) proposed mitigation measures: (iii) institutional responsibilities for implementation of the mitigation measures; (iv) monitoring indicators; (v) institutional responsibilities for monitoring the implementation of the mitigation measure; (iv) cost estimates for these activities; and (vii) time horizons for implementation of the EMP. The full Terms of Reference is given as Appendix 1. 1.4. Output of the Study From the terms of reference the output of the study would be an Environmental Assessment Report containing: • Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) GIMPA/ MOEYS Environmental and Social Management Framework, November 2003 2 • Environmental Mitigation Plan (EMP) for the Implementation of EdSeP and the GSTDP. GIMPA/ MOEYS Environmental and Social Management Framework, November 2003 3 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT 2.1. Summary of Project Components and Sub-Components The GSTDP is currently presented as a packaged project with four main components: A: Institutional Strengthening of Skills Development B: Institutional Strengthening of Science and Technology Development C: Financing of Skills and Technology Development Programs through the Skills Development Fund D: Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation Project components 1. The development objective of the Ghana Skills and Technology Development project is to: improve demand-driven skills development and increase adoption of new technologies in selected economic sectors. The proposed operation is a five-year investment complementing ongoing government reforms and programs. The proposed GSTDP will combine interventions to improve the institutional framework and overall capacities of the TVET and STI systems while promoting demand-driven training opportunities and improved linkages between private sector employers and training institutions through a competitive fund. The project will target programs to provide skills and technology to selected industries. These industry-focused programs would be designed so that they could be replicated in other industries as needs and priorities evolve over the medium and long term, including beyond the duration of the project. 2. Component 1: Institutional Strengthening of Skills Development (estimated base cost US$3 million). The objective of the component is to strengthen the Government and institutional capacities in planning, coordination, quality assurance and service delivery towards improved quality, relevance, accountability and effectiveness in skills development. 3. Sub-component 1.1: Development of COTVET technical capacity, strategic systems, and policies (estimated base cost US$1 million): This sub-component will support the institutional development and the capacity building of the Council of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET). Rather than acting as a provider or regulator of all (public and private) TVET programs, the Government needs to (i) provide overall vision, plans, budgeting, financing guidelines, policies, incentives to stimulate demand and to improve cost-effective responses by public and private providers to this demand; (ii) be a provider of on- time information for decisions, training providers, beneficiaries and stakeholders; and (iii) assure quality across sectors (public and private) and types as well as levels of training through standards, articulation and through qualification/certification guidelines and services. Therefore this sub-component will finance technical assistance for (i) the development and adoption of a national skills strategy to better align TVET with the Government strategy and linked to specific economic (i.e. productivity) and social (i.e. employment) outcomes; (ii) the development of a TVET management information system, processes and organization to coordinate, monitor and evaluate services across sectors and agencies to provide policy makers with up to date information; and ( iii) the GIMPA/ MOEYS Environmental and Social Management Framework, November 2003 4 development of guidelines for standards and qualification/certification and other services to assure quality for training both in terms of inputs and outcomes as well as stronger linkages with the private sector. 4. Sub-component 1.2: Support to skills development institutions across public and private sectors and across supervising government agencies (estimated base cost US $2 million). This sub-component will help improve accountability and institutional effectiveness of formal public and private non-profit TVET providers in priority economic sectors to deliver demand-driven training. It will strengthen a select number (perhaps 5-10, but to be decided by COTVET) of Ghana’s formal TVET providers to deliver relevant training content for priority economic sectors. Technical assistance will be provided to support the development of institutional development plans, capacity to access the skills and technology development fund, and support for key partnerships with