Country Assistance Strategy (CAS)

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.

 

Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Mauritius, 2002 - 2004

The Mauritius Government has embarked on an ambitious economic program, the New Economic Agenda (NEA).  The three key program objectives are: (i) increase competitiveness; (ii) bring about deeper social development and social cohesion; and (iii) preserve and protect Mauritius' fragile environment. Since the Bank supports the objectives and the vision underpinning the NEA, the Government of Mauritius has requested the Bank to provide financing to directly support the NEA.

The Mauritius CAS for 2002 - 2004 puts greater emphasis on Economic and Sector Work (ESW) that is tightly linked to NEA objectives. The ESW will be carried out jointly by a variety of Mauritian institutions, other donors and the Bank, under all CAS scenarios. The Bank lending operations under the CAS will consist of public expenditure reform loans (PERLs) and are designed to fully support the NEA.  The timing of these lending operations will coincide with Mauritius' budget cycle so that proceeds of World Bank loans are available at the beginning of Mauritius' fiscal year. All project-specific investment lending will be phased out. The base case of the CAS consists of financial assistance totaling up to US$80 million for FY02-04. In the high case, the Bank could lend up to US$120 million for FY02-04. In the low case scenario, Bank assistance will be restricted to one operation of US$40 million to support the NEA. The success in implementing policies to support the NEA will determine the volume of the Bank's financial support during the FY02-04 period.

 

For more information, please refer to the Mauritius CAS, 2002 - 2004 (PDF, 4 MB).