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- u -management and accounting system and the appointaent of ąualifiad accounting ataff.

2.22    1HRAN currently lacks legał autonooy. Modifications to ita present statute would provide budgetary and administratiwe autonozny and enable the Dlrector General to delegata responeibility to selected Staff. This will enable INRAN to flezibly operate and ezecute its research programs.

H. Planning and Management of Research

2.23    At present INRAN ha8 limlted ezperience In research planning and

management. Its personnel management and staff development programs remain to be effectively established. Its intemal organization is characterized by a very centralized linę of command. whereby all manager8 (Program Coordinators. Station Manager8, etc.) report directly to the Director General of INRAN. Functional relationships among individual research programs and between research and eztension need to be clarified and strengthened. In 8everal instances, program content and priorities also need to be defined morę precisely. Government and donors are    we 11 aware of the need for

improvements in staffing and training as a component of overall institutional development. The proposed project would address the above problems. in linę with Govemment*s piane and efforts to support the agricultural sector.

III. THE PROJECT

A. Objectives

3.01    The project would represent the first five-year phase of a long-

term development orogram for agricultural research. One of the principal limiting factors for its design, is that it should be financially and administratiwely manageable by INRAN. The long-term plan aims at developing a national agricultural research institute dealing with crop. livestock. forestry production. and the management of natural resources. while catering to the needs of the different categories of primary producers in the yarious agro-ecoiogical zonęa of the country. Such &n organization would be staffed by trained Nigerien research specialists and a few short-term outside consultants. Accordingly. the basie objectives of this five-year phase would be to strengthen the national capacity for agricultural research planning and implementation byt

(a)    improving priority-setting and resource allocation methodology. taking into account farmera* needs and resource conserwation;

(b)    improving coordination in the formulation and ezecution of national and International agricultural research programs;

improring research prograi

ii ii

ing. budgeting and financial management}

(d) improving staff planning. training. reeruitment and career development in research;