Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa Multi Donor Trust Fund: This is a request for an extension of and additional financing for the ongoing Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) (P112600/TF071104). It is currently financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), UK's Department for International Development (DfID); the European Commission (EC); and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and managed by the Agriculture, Rural Development and Irrigation unit (AFTAI). ASARECA, a sub-regional not-for-profit association has been operating based on a 10 year Strategic Plan (2008-2018) developed to support the sustainable competitiveness of Eastern and Central Africa agricultural research systems through support to prioritized areas of research for development. The strategy was designed to be implemented in 2 five year phases with corresponding Medium Term Operational Plans (MTOPs) which detail implementation of the strategy. The ASARECA MDTF was established at the World Bank in 2008 to support the first phase of the strategic plan, OPI (2008-2013). It has been under implementation for the past 4 and a half years and implementation has been satisfactory. It is scheduled to close on December 31, 2013. Donor support has been very strong for the OPI. Original donor pledges totaled $55 million. This target was not only met, but exceeded following an additional contribution of $5.6 million in the second half of 2012. Total contributions to date have passed $60 million. A number of the MDTF participating donors are in favor of and have recommended a 5 year extension of the MDTF to support a smooth transition to ASARECA' second MTOP (OPII) (2014-2018). The associated proposed Additional Financing would support implementation of OPII. Initial confirmed funding to launch implementation has already been secured from two donors. Identification completed on 23 July 2013. Environmental Assessment Category B. US$ 30.0 (CDP4). Consulting services to be determined. Implementing agency(ies) to be determined.
