What is the role, relevance and effectiveness of PRSPs in supporting post-conflict recovery in Africa? This paper from the Economic Policy Research Centre in Uganda discusses challenges in developing PRSPs using case studies from Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola and Uganda. It concludes that not all post-conflict African countries have successfully developed PRSPs. Emphasis on consumption/social service sectors has led to neglect of productive sectors. The trend for donors to move towards the PRSP as the sole and overarching means of engagement with partner governments may need to be revisited for conflict-affected countries.
PRSPs are the primary tool used by poor, post-conflict African countries to articulate strategies for growth and poverty reduction. However, most post-conflict governance institutions are weak, and many challenges have emerged in formulation and implementation of post-conflict PRSPs. ‘Institutional challenges’ severely compromise the ability of post-conflict poor African countries to formulate and implement an effective PRSP. They include weak institutions, capacity limitations, poor availability and quality of data, low sense of ownership of the PRSP process, and lack of public participation in the process.
Although both African governments and donors see the PRSP as a useful tool to facilitate coordination of aid, however, the case studies suggest that donors in fact paid minimal consideration to the PRSP in determining country assistance.
- The PRSP process may be a necessary but not a sufficient instrument for achieving poverty reduction and peace-building objectives. For long-term change to come about, conflict prevention and peace-building need to be explicitly included in the PRSP.
- In order to achieve poverty reduction, PRSPs must overcome their bias towards funding the social sectors, and instead direct resources towards productive sectors that lay the foundations for wealth creation and long-term growth.
- For a PRSP to have a significant impact on poverty reduction, it should target investment towards poor-dominated productive sectors, such as agriculture.
So far PRSPs have only addressed a few of the challenges of post-conflict recovery. Governance, conflict resolution, security and investment in road reconstruction and other transport infrastructure to support economic growth are so important as to constitute ‘pre-conditions’ for successful implementation of post-conflict PRSPs.
- Reestablishing security is the first priority in post-conflict settings; without security, long-term investment is not possible.
- Another major challenge is establishing political institutions capable of resolving conflicts non-violently.
- Macroeconomic stabilisation is a high priority, but major adjustment costs must be avoided.
- Poverty and inequality raise the risk of conflict, so redistributive policies may be an effective form of conflict prevention.
