Joint Assistance Strategy (JAS)

The Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) is the most important World Bank country document. It is tailored to the needs and circumstances of each country and lays down the World Bank Group's development priorities, as well as the level and type of assistance the Bank will provide for a period of three years.

The CAS preparation is a participatory process. Before the adoption, key elements of the strategy are discussed with government representatives; and to ensure the widest possible involvement, public dialogues are also held, with Internet-based discussions taking place in many countries.

However, the CAS is not a negotiated document. Any differences between the country's own agenda and the Bank's strategy are highlighted in the CAS document. A progress report is issued in the intervening year. More information is available at the  World Bank CAS website.

Joint Assistance Strategy (JAS) for The Gambia

In The Gambia, both the World Bank and the African Development Bank have aligned their support in a Joint Assistance Strategy (PDF, 6 mb) which was completed in February 2008 and covers the period of four years (FY08-11) . The Joint Assistance Strategy (JAS) lays out how the World Bank and the African Development Bank intend to support the implementation of The Gambia's second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for 2007 to 2011 (PRSP II; PDF, 1.1mb). The JAS strategic objectives are in line with the PRSP. Taken into consideration limited resources for project support, the JAS focuses on two major areas of intervention: (i) strengthening the institutional framework for economic management and public service delivery, and (ii) enhancing growth and competitiveness and the productive capacity of the poor.

In addition to the ongoing IDA-funded operations, two new projects will be prepared during the FY09 and FY10: A Public Sector Reform and Growth project (Development Policy Operation embedded in 3-years multi-donor support) to promote efficient and transparent use of public resources, support civil service reforms and initiate the restructuring of the groundnut sector (FY09), and a Growth and Competitiveness project to strengthen private sector development (FY10). A funding proposal, backed by donors working in the education sector, for an important support to improved access to high quality basic education has been submitted to the Education-For-All/Fast-Track-Initiative Secretariat.  

For more information, please refer to  The Gambia JAS  (PDF, 6 mb).