Strengthening Government Capacity in the Marshall Islands
CEI has been appointed by the World Bank to conduct an institutional review for the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The assignment, funded through the World Bank’s IMPACT project, aims to help the government manage its development programmes more effectively by reviewing how its ministries, agencies, and project units currently work together — identifying where there are gaps, overlaps, and opportunities to do things better.
This work comes at an important moment for the Marshall Islands. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable island nations, the country faces complex development pressures, including rising sea levels, coastal flooding, infrastructure risks, and the need to protect communities spread across remote atolls. At the same time, global energy instability and fuel supply concerns can place added pressure on small island economies that depend heavily on imported fuel for transport, public services, and essential economic activity.
In this context, strong government systems are not simply an administrative priority — they are central to resilience. Development programmes need to be planned clearly, coordinated across institutions, implemented efficiently, and monitored carefully. CEI’s review will help the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands better understand how responsibilities are currently distributed, where institutional bottlenecks may exist, and how systems can be strengthened to support more effective delivery.
The World Bank’s role through the IMPACT project is to support stronger public sector capacity so that development resources can be translated into practical results. For small and remote countries, this kind of institutional strengthening is especially important. Ministries and agencies are often asked to manage complex programmes with limited staffing, specialized skills, and administrative capacity. Improving how government teams coordinate, manage projects, and measure results can make a meaningful difference in how well external funding supports national priorities.
Building the Foundations for Better Governance
The practical outputs of CEI’s work will include a clear map of roles and responsibilities across government, proposed alternative institutional structures, and new frameworks for competencies, pay, performance management, and change management. Together, these will give the Marshall Islands government the tools it needs to strengthen how it plans, implements, and oversees World Bank-funded projects — building lasting institutional capacity in one of the Pacific’s smallest and most remote nations.
The institutional review will also help clarify how government agencies can work together more effectively. When responsibilities are unclear or duplicated, programmes can be delayed, resources can be stretched, and accountability can become harder to maintain. By identifying practical ways to improve coordination, CEI’s work will support a more coherent approach to programme delivery and help ensure that development efforts are aligned with the country’s long-term needs.
A key part of the assignment is looking beyond immediate project administration to the broader systems that make implementation possible. This includes the skills and competencies required across government, how staff are supported and managed, how performance is measured, and how change can be introduced in a realistic and sustainable way. These foundations matter because strong institutions allow governments to respond more effectively to both long-term development challenges and sudden external shocks.
For the Marshall Islands, those shocks may include climate-related events, rising infrastructure costs, and disruption in global fuel markets linked to wider geopolitical instability. In a country where geography already makes service delivery more difficult, improved institutional capacity can help government plan ahead, manage risk, and maintain essential services under pressure. Better systems can also help ensure that World Bank-funded programmes are implemented in ways that are transparent, accountable, and responsive to local priorities.
CEI’s work will provide practical recommendations that the government and the World Bank can use to strengthen programme management and support future reform. The goal is not only to improve the delivery of individual projects, but to help build lasting public sector capability. By supporting clearer structures, stronger accountability, and better management systems, CEI is contributing to the foundations needed for more resilient and effective governance in the Marshall Islands.
Through the IMPACT assignment, CEI is helping the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands strengthen the institutions that turn development plans into real-world results. In a nation facing rising seas, economic vulnerability, and the demands of managing complex international development programmes, that capacity is essential for protecting communities, improving services, and preparing for the future.
