Summary of Terminal Evaluation
I. Outline of the ProjectCountry: Islamic Republic of AfghanistanIssue/Sector: Infrastructure
Division in Charge: Infrastructure andPeacebuilding Department
Period of
May 2010 – May 2015
Cooperation （60 months）

Project Title: The Project on the Promotion of Kabul
Metropolitan Area Development
Cooperation Scheme: Technical Cooperation Project
Total Cost： 9712.7 million yen(as of Terminal Evaluation)
Partner Country’s Implementing Organization:
Kabul Municipality (KM)
Dehsabz-Barikab City Development Authority (DCDA)
Ministry of Urban Development Affairs (MUDA)
Cooperation Organization (Japanese side): -1-1 Background of the Project
The population of Kabul, the capital city of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, used to be around two
million in 1999, but has already reached over four million at the time of ex-ante evaluation in 2010, exceeding
the population absorption capacity of the city. Therefore, there were escalating urban problems such as
lowering of the groundwater level, contamination of water, air and soil, and rapid increase of residents andtraffic congestion. The development of social infrastructure and improvement of living conditions were
becoming critical issues.
To tackle such issues, JICA conducted the Study for the Development of the Master Plan for the Kabul
Metropolitan Area (hereinafter referred to as “KMA”) from 2008 to 2009. The study was in response to arequest from the Afghan government, aimed at reconstruction and development of the Kabul Metropolitan
Area as a symbol of national integration. The Master Plan sets forth a comprehensive program of activities totackle Kabul’s challenges in transportation, water and sanitation, and urban renewal. At the same time, theplan considers the long-term needs of the city and its population by expanding and integrating the existingcity with a new one, which will be built in Dehsabz and Barikab areas, district that skirt the northern limits of
Kabul.
The main implementing bodies to realize the Master Plan are Kabul Municipality (hereinafter referred
to as “KM”) for existing Kabul City, and Dehsabz-Barikab City Development Authority (herein after referred
to as “DCDA”) for Kabul New City. However, both organizations lacked experience in implementing actual
urban development projects with their own initiatives.
In this manner, in February 2010, technical cooperation project entitled the Project on the Promotion of
Kabul Metropolitan Area Development was launched with the aim of realizing a Master Plan based on therequest of Afghan government. This large-scale, five-year project (2010-2015) was to support improvementof capacity of Kabul Municipality and DCDA in the development of infrastructure, implementation of newcity development and urban revitalization.
1-2 Project Overview(1) Overall Goal
Development of the Kabul Metropolitan Area based on the “KMA master Plan” shall be accelerated.
(2) Project Purpose
Capacity to promote implementation of KMA Master Plan is developed.
(3) Output

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1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Implementation system of urban development for New city is strengthened.
Capacity of DCDA to implement infrastructure development projects for New City is developed andimproved.
Implementation system of urban development for Kabul City is strengthened.
Capacity of Kabul Municipality to implement urban development projects is improved.
Necessary coordination among related organizations for Kabul Metropolitan Area Development(KMAD) is properly made.

(4) Inputs
Japanese sidea) Personnel:

3 long-term and 2 short-term experts for 173.9 person man months.
Aside from above, short-term experts for each of Sub Projectb) Equipment: N/Ac) Training in Japan: 92 C/Ps (52 for KM, 40 for DCDA)d) Local Cost: 5,260.5 million yen (project administration, pilot projects, local experts, etc)
Afghanistan sidea) Personnel: (KM) Technical Deputy Mayor, (DCDA) Three Directors of Finance & Procurement
Division, Marketing & Sales Division and Operation & Maintenance Divisionb) Office space: One Project office from DCDA and Two SP offices from KMc) Local Cost: 362,415 USD (22,800,000 Afghanis) for conducting EIA and demining activities
II. Evaluation Team
Members
Advisor: Mr. Toshiyuki IWAMA (Executive Technical Advisor to the Director General,
Infrastructure & Peacebuilding Dept., JICA)
Leader: Mr. Naomichi MUROOKA (Advisor, Infrastructure & Peacebuilding Dept., JICA)
Evaluation Planning: Mr. Hideaki IWASE (Special Advisor, Infrastructure & Peacebuilding
Dept., JICA)
Evaluation Analysis: Dr. Keiko WATANABE (Senior Policy Analyst, Mitsubishi UFJ
Research & Development (MURC))
Period of Evaluation
17-23 October 2014
Type of Evaluation
Terminal Evaluation
III. Results of Evaluation
3-1 Achievement of Outputs(1) Output 1: Implementation system of urban development for New city is strengthened.
The Team confirmed that the level of achievement of Output 1 was high and Output 1 has a goodprospect to be achieved by the end of the Project. The Project should continuously make efforts to strengthenorganization especially from the viewpoint of sustainability.
Objectively Verifiable Indicators

Achievements

1-1 DCDA organizational structureis established and necessary staff isallocated.

・ Organization of DCDA has been established through the
Project’s inputs such as technical advice and capacity building of
the staff members. Organizationally, the necessary divisions anddepartments have been established after several structural changes.
The establishment of Project Management Division was one of
outputs by the Project after DCDA recognized its importance for
infrastructure development management through capacity building
trainings.

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1-1 (Continued) DCDA
organizational structure isestablished and necessary staff isallocated.

・The number of staff increased from around 60 in 2009 to 151 as of
October 2014 with reinforcement of local experts who assumed
most senior management posts in different divisions. Those local
experts were allocated by the Project as Leading Advisors (LAs). At
the time of the Terminal Evaluation, 26 LAs have been working as
DCDA staff.
・ DCDA status is still in the process to transform from an
independent budgetary unit to a government corporation. The
request to be a government corporation has been submitted to thegovernment by the Independent Board for Kabul New City
development but it was still in the process of authorization at thetime of the Terminal Evaluation.

(2) Output 2: Capacity of DCDA to implement infrastructure development projects for New City isdeveloped and improved.
The capacity of DCDA especially on designing and planning has been significantly upgraded throughconducting OJT and trainings in Japan and third countries. Reaching several contracts with private sectors fordevelopment of New City is one of proofs that DCDA has upgraded their capacity. In addition, throughconducting 12 pilot projects under the “Sub-Project for Regional and Community Development in Dehsabz
Area”, DCDA officials understood the project cycle (plan, implement and monitoring & evaluation) andestablished cooperation with relevant organizations. The capacity development was also confirmed by the
results from the internal assessment by the Project. However, since some planned activities could not be
conducted due to external factors, the Team confirmed that Output 2 has been achieved partly.
Objectively Verifiable Indicators

Achievements

2-1 Private investment is managed
by the initiative of DCDA staff
based on Business Plan andDevelopment Guideline.

・Contract worth about one billion USD private investment fordevelopment of Parcel 1, (pilot project of the Project (830ha)) was
signed with a private developer in September 2013 based on theBusiness Plan and Development Guidelines, which were developedby the Project.
・Besides Parcel 1, DCDA concluded 4 other contracts with local
land proprietors and developers by the initiative of DCDA. It is oneof the proofs that DCDA gained capacity for preparing businessplan and development guidelines and conducing bidding.
・According to DCDA, many inquiries have been posed fromprivate developers inside and outside of Afghanistan about New
City development by the result of public relations efforts initiatedfrom DCDA. Several kinds of promotion DVDs of New City havebeen developed and distributed to interested developers. In addition,
DCDA participated in several international conferences, trade fairs
and EXPOs in USA, Dubai, Turkey and India to promote New City.
・ New City will be joining the “New Cities Foundation” inDecember 2014, which is a well-known non-profit organization.
DCDA will participate in the “New Cities Summit” in South Arabia
next year.

2-2 Interest in investment in New
City from private developers get
increase.

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(3) Output 3: Implementation system of urban development for Kabul City is strengthened.
The Team confirmed that the level of achievement of Output 3 was high considering the achievement of
PDM indicators. However, the Project needs to make continuous efforts to keep the level of achievement.
Objectively Verifiable Indicators
3-1 Revised version of Kabul City
MP is developed and authorized.

3-2 Necessary
divisions/departments in relation to
the urban development are
established in Kabul Municipality.

Achievements
・The revised version of Kabul City MP was completed in June
2011under “Sub Project to Revise the Kabul City Master Plan”.
・Revised version was authorized in March 2013 by the Cabinet.
MUDA facilitated the authorization process.
・ Through capacity building activities by SPs, the senior
management recognized the necessity to establish new divisions. As
a result, the following three divisions and one department have been
established so far.
1) Land Redevelopment Division (Est. August 2013)
2) Land Readjustment Division (Est. August 2013)
3) Urban Transport Division (Est. March 2014)
4) Road Maintenance Department (Est. November 2013)(4) Output 4: Capacity of Kabul Municipality to implement urban development projects is improved.
The Team observed the achievement level of Output 4 was high and it is expected that the Output 4 will
be achieved by the end of the Project period in accordance with PDM. The Project needs continuous efforts toensure those trained skills and knowledge to be sustained after the Project such as through close follow-up
activities. Land readjustment method was highly appreciated by KM and technically appropriate in addressing
urban issues of Kabul City.
However, it was noted that the practical knowledge of the urban development which is necessary for
implement zoning and land readjustment projects has yet to be built for effective implementation of Kabul
City development.
Objectively Verifiable Indicators
4-1 Urban planning system in Kabul
City is improved.

Achievements
・Capacity improved in development of detailed plan based on
Kabul City MP, Land readjustment, Land redevelopment, Urban
Transportation Network and road design, maintenance andsupervision by conducting OJT training and seminars in Kabul aswell as trainings in Japan and third countries. However, thosecapacities are still fundamental level and further strengthening of
the capacity is required for the effective implementation of Kabul
City development.
・In total, more than 70 KM officials have been participated in thein-country and overseas trainings. Among them, 52 KM officials
trained in Japan, 25 for India, 21 for Turkey and 3 for Malaysia.
・ According to the questionnaire to KM, they rated “fully
understood” on road maintenance, “enough” for land readjustment
and Land redevelopment, and “some” for zoning and urban
transportation network.
・Actual land readjustment and redevelopment activities in District 1
has started since November 2013 using upgraded skills andknowledge.

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4-2 By the end of the Project, theresidential improvement projects
have been completed in at least 7
districts of Kabul City.

・Residential improvement projects were conducted in the form of
Kabul Solidarity Program (KSP1). KSP covered a total of 7 districts(3 districts for Phase 1, 4 for Phase 2) at the time of the Terminal
Evaluation.
・With the successful implementation of KSP, it is promising that
KSP method will expand to other districts of Kabul city as well asother four municipalities with the financial assistance from WordBank and Embassy of Japan.
・Initially KSP was operated by the National Staff of KSP SP in PIU
which was established under the Planning Division of KM. The
counterparts were relevant district officials. After the Mayor
recognized effectiveness of KSP, KM allocated four KM officials in
the PIU.

(5) Output 5: Necessary coordination among related organizations for Kabul Metropolitan Area
Development is properly made.
The Team observed that achievement of Output 5 was partly. The concept of development of New City
has been nurtured well among Afghan government, although the interagency coordination issue on
institutional matter on KNC still exists, which was also pointed out at the Mid-Term Review. However, theTeam recognized that coordination efforts by DCDA for New City development have been made with
relevant organizations. At the time of the terminal evaluation, 21 interface agreements have been signed.
Objectively Verifiable Indicators

Achievement

5-1 Common understanding on theconcept of New City has been
nurtured among Afghan
government.

・Overall development for the New City was already understood bycounterpart organizations, which was further enhanced by the joint
workshops in Japan, India, Turkey and Malaysia arranged by the
Project.
・Although a mechanism for the interagency coordination existed at
the high level (i.e., KNC board), it has not been efficient.
・21 interface agreements with relevant ministries and organizations
have been signed for the New City.
・Regarding water resources development of New City, the common
understanding with relevant organizations including of Supreme
Water Council has been reached.
・Outer Ring Road of New City has been agreed with the relevantorganizations.
・There was no activities to achieve this indicators in the Project.

5-2 Knowledge and information on
urban development from theexisting Afghan city has beenshared for New City development.

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KSP is a community development project in urban area which the Project initiated. Community organizes themselves
as Neighborhood Development Council (NDC) or Gozar Development Council (GDC) and identifies the community
project. With the minimum of 25% of contribution from the community, the approved project will be financed from KSP.
KSP contracted with UN-HABITAT to be a facilitator for KSP. In Afghanistan, National Solidarity Project (NSP) has been
conducted in a similar manner but only limited to rural areas.

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3-2 Achievement of Project Purpose“Capacity to promote implementation of Kabul Metropolitan Area Master Plan is developed.”
The Team concluded that the Project Purpose has been achieved partially at the time of the Terminal
Evaluation. While the capacity development for KM will be achieved by the end of the Project, the capacityof DCDA to implement KMA MP has been achieved partially. This was due to the fact that the planned
capacity building through implementation activities for DCDA was hindered by the external factors, namely,
land, security and political issues. It was, however, noted that the capacity was built for DCDA staff members
through series of training by the Project and OJT made by LAs.
Objectively Verifiable Indicators

Achievement(1) Relevant officials of Kabul
Municipality are able to develop andmanage urban planning of Kabul Cityin accordance with Kabul City MP(e.g. capable to implement zoning
and urban development managementby their own initiatives)

・It was found that the basic capacity increased greatly in KM.
Through the capacity building activities, the relevant officials
understood the methods of road maintenance and management,
land readjustment and development, and KSP. For example, therelevant officials are now able to design a road plan using proper
methods and appropriate tools, which they could not do before theProject. That means they could conduct technical assessment of
the drawings which private developers and donors submit. In thisway, the capacity of the total management of urban development
has been steadily upgraded. It was, however, found that more
technical capacity was still in need to use improved methods.
・It was also found that the skills and knowledge which haveobtained by the training were shared to other colleagues byhorizontal trainings, presentation and OJT.
・DCDA is now able to prepare, review and modify structure plan,detailed development plans and designs of the infrastructure andpublic facilities submitted by the private developers.
・Capacity on financial and economic analysis has also been
upgraded.
・Land readjustment procedures was prepared internally within
DCDA and the concept was successfully considered and reflected
in all the contracts signed with private developers for development
of different Parcels.

(2) Relevant officials of DCDA areable to develop and manage urban
planning of New City from their own
initiatives (e.g. formulation ofrealistic
development
plan,
preparation of tender documents,
bidding management, contract withprivate companies, operation andmanagementofdevelopment
projects, etc.)

3-3 Implementation Process
PDM was modified three times during the Project, from PDM 0 to PDM 2. The current PDM 2
streamlined the outputs from six (6) to five (5) and reorganized the Outputs focusing on capacity developmentof DCDA and KM, and its coordination as KMAD.
Experienced local and international experts were recruited and allocated to DCDA by the Project as
Leading Advisors (LAs) since the number and capacity of staff of DCDA at the initial time of its formulation
were very limited to conduct New City development. Those LAs took roles to complement missing technicalskills and serving mediators for technical transfer from Japanese experts. There is a concern from both DCDA
and JICA regarding the support of LAs that may have a bearing on sustainability of DCDA.
Due to the security deterioration since the beginning of 2013, the travel of Japanese experts of SPs to
Afghanistan was restricted. All SPs had to be remotely managed from Japan since middle of 2013. Thevi

Project and the SPs made good efforts to minimize the effect from the remote management, however, someadverse impact such as delay in project implementation and smooth communication were noted.
3-4 Evaluation Results by Five Criteria(1) Relevance (High (A))
The relevance of the project is highly relevant with based on the following points.
The Project was well aligned with Afghanistan overall development strategy of “Afghanistan National
Development Strategy (ANDS) 2008-2013. The government identifies that KMA development is one ofmajor programs in ANDS. It was confirmed that there were urgent needs to solve the rapidly growing
population in Kabul with various urban problems. In cope with the issues, the capacities of implementing
agencies of urban development, namely DCDA and KM, had to be upgraded. The Project was also in linewith the Japan’s Assistance policy and strategy to Afghanistan.
(2) Effectiveness (Medium High (B+))
Effectiveness of the project is evaluated as medium high (B+) although the there are many tangible
outputs from the Project. The Project Purpose is partially accomplished at the time of the terminal evaluation
due to serious external factors such as land, security and political issues. Those hindering factors especiallyaffected to achieve Output 2 for capacity building for the New City development. The prospect to achieve theProject Purpose by the end of the Project period would require intensive efforts from relevant stakeholders.
The Team also acknowledged that the Project brought both organizations the improvement of theirtechnical skills and knowledge in a great deal as well as the changes in attitude during the course of training
and interacting with Japanese experts. Road design and cost calculation could be prepared by the KM officials
by themselves. The actual implementation of the land redevelopment activities of Kabul city has beencommenced since November 2013 using upgraded skills and knowledge. DCDA is now able to prepare,review and modify structure plan, detailed development plans and designs of the infrastructure and public
facilities submitted by the private developers.
In addition to the capacity development, the Team recognized that the Project brought tangible outputs
to the local community by conducting several Sub-Projects (SPs), which enhanced the effectiveness of the
Project. For example, SPs to rehabilitate and construct roads in Kabul City contributed to not only thecapacity building for KM officials but also improvement of the infrastructure for the community. The Project
also conducted community development SPs; Kabul Solidarity Program (KSP) for Kabul city and “SP for
Regional and Community Development in Dehsabz Area” for New City. Those community developments
brought tangible benefits such as roads, schools, water to the rural community. The community developments
targeted women also enhanced their empowerment.
Promoting Factors to Achieve the Project Purpose Leading Advisors (LAs) of DCDA who have been hired by the Project functioned well to promote theProject activities.
 The strong commitment and assistance from Kabul Mayor and Technical Deputy Mayor promoted thesmooth implementation of the activities as well as the changes in awareness of their staff members.
 Trainings in Japan and third countries worked positive to motivate the counterparts. In addition, theshowing and sharing similar experiences enlightened their knowledge and broadened their perspectives.
 Communication and coordination among Japanese experts including experts of SPs facilitated the smooth
implementation of the Project. In addition, joint cooperation between Japanese side and counterparts in adifficult time engendered a high degree of trust with strong leadership of the Project Director with his
team.

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Hindering Factors to Achieve the Project PurposeLand issues in New City still remain the major external obstacle to the Project to conduct New City
development.

Security deterioration since beginning of 2013 hampered the Project activities. The loss of time andcommunication gaps was found to be inevitable.

There is in general sense of optimism by all stakeholders like the government leaders, politicians, private
sector and local community, regardless of the fact that there are too many issues to be solved before
actual implementation of New City development.

Prolonged process to finalize the results of the Presidential election held in April 2014 affected the
project implementation in terms of security and decision making process.
(3) Efficiency (Medium (B))
Efficiency of the project is medium since some factors that affected efficiency were observed.
Inputs from Japanese side
Despite the harsh and difficult conditions, both long-term and short-term experts have properly played
their expected roles in the Project, which have been appreciated by the C/P personnel as well as by the local
community. Due to the security deterioration, however, the number of Japanese experts staying in Afghanistan
had been restricted especially since the middle of 2013 and finally the Project had to be operated remotelyfrom April 2014.
Inputs from Afghanistan side
The absence of C/P personnel for the SP of Regional and Community Development in Dehsabz due togenerally scarcity as well as high turnover of staff members of DCDA especially in the early stage of the
Project was pointed out as one of problems.
The provision of office space in DCDA with office equipment as well as Sub Project offices in KM
facilitated the activities of the Project efficient and smooth.
(4) Impact (Relatively High (A-))
Impact of the Project is evaluated as relatively high. No negative impact by the Project has been
observed.
There is a good prospect that the Overall Goal, “Development of the Kabul Metropolitan Area based on
the KMA Master Plan shall be accelerated” will be achieved if most of the existing hindering factors havebeen settled.
On the other hand, some positive signs of impacts were observed through the interviews with theJapanese experts and questionnaires to the Afghanistan side as well as beneficially survey by the internal
assessment. Firstly, community development SPs (KSP and community development in Dehsabz area)
contributed to empower community themselves including women. In addition, those community projects
initiated by the government built trust in the government by local communities. Secondly, coordination andsynergy effects with other initiatives were also confirmed. For example, construction of Kabul city roads wascoordinated with the World Bank and road markings developed by the SP were used by the Canadian assisted
road safety project. KSP methodology is now expanding to other four major municipalities by the financial
assistance of the Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan. Thirdly, capacity of private sectors in Afghanistan has also
been upgraded by the Project. Through conducting several infrastructure SPs, local contractors acquired theskills and knowledge of outline design and cost estimation as the international standard.

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(5) Sustainability (Medium (B))
The Team found the sustainability was evaluated as medium (B), however, the financial sustainability
was evaluated as relatively low due to several uncertainties mentioned below.
KMA MP was authorized document by the Afghan government and it is anticipated that continuous
political support will be ensured even after the new government is established. New government pro-private
sector approach will support the sustainable development of KMA.
For the institutional sustainability, some concerns remain about future status of DCDA and LAs,
although the DCDA and KM have been strengthened organizationally with the necessary divisions anddepartments.
Regarding technical sustainability, for the development of New City, the sufficient capacities were
installed in DCDA for the design and planning stage of the urban development. For the development of Kabul
city, technical sustainability will be ensured if KM continues to apply new methods of urban development andkeep implementing actual development project.
Regarding financial aspects, external dependency for infrastructure development both in existing Kabul
City and New City were identified. In addition, uncertainty of external funding exists.
3-5 Revision of PDM
The Team suggested the slight modification of PDM indicators of Overall Goal and Output 5.
3-6 Conclusion
Despite the security challenges on the Project site, the Project surely improved the capacity to
implement urban development for both target organizations, namely DCDA and KM, although somechallenges still remain judging from the PDM indicators. It was also confirmed that the Project produced
many tangible outputs through significant amount of inputs including conducting 13 SPs.
Signs of positive impacts especially on the community were observed. The Project helped to build
resilient community and trust to the government through conducting community projects which was very
effective to the post-conflict situation. The coordination effects with other donors and capacity development
for private sector were also seen. The efficiency was evaluated as medium since the Project activities andmanagement were interrupted due to external factors such as land, security and political situation.
Sustainability was evaluated as medium with some concerns especially in institutional and financial aspects.
3-7 Recommendations
The following recommendations to the Project in the rest of the Project period are made by the Terminal
Evaluation Team.
（1） Complete the planned activities.
（2） Efforts should be made to consolidate the capacity built in the individuals into institutional capacity.
（3） Appropriate guidance and advice should be made for the future status of DCDA.
（4） Coordination efforts among Afghan government on urban development should be strengthened.
（5） Advice should be provided to promote the Business Plan of New City.
3-8 Lessons Learned（1） Make sure all the assets are in place before embarking new city development, land being the criticalissue.
（2） Capacity of implementing parties of urban development before embarking the urban development projectis important. In addition, the ambiguity of jurisdiction among various stakeholders makes morechallenging for large scale urban development project.
（3） Positive lessons learned from community development projects through KSP and Regional andix

Community Development Project in Dehsabz. With the strategic community development methods, thegovernment can gain the trust from the community and also achieve the cost effective community
infrastructure. In addition, women’s involvement in the community development produces positive
impact not only on themselves but also on the community.
（4） The method that responds to community needs with high quality of outputs is identified as very
appropriate and effective for trust building towards the government in post-conflict country like
Afghanistan.
（5） In post-conflict situation, the changes in security, political and social circumstances surrounding the
project affects severely to the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. The Project was also affected bythese external factors. However, this did not undermine the significance of cooperation. The joint
cooperation between both the Japanese side and Afghan counterparts in a difficult time with a strong
leadership by the Project Director and his team built the trust and strong ties among them.

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