Geomatics Firm BGJLR Maps New Plan
with World Bank in Africa

It's not unusual to hear about Canadian companies providing their engineering expertise for the development of hydroelectric projects financed by the multilateral development banks (MDBs). It's a little more unusual to hear about expertise aimed at assisting the people affected by a hydro-line. But that's exactly what geomatics firm Groupe BGJLR was hired to do in Sierra Leone in its first World Bank (WB) project in 2004. Joining forces with a WB-experienced consultant to map out a resettlement plan for residents living along a major transmission-line corridor, BGJLR is now on the way to mapping a path for itself with the World Bank.

Created in 1994 from a consortium of six companies, and based in Québec, Groupe BGJLR is a geomatics firm that specializes in all aspects of cadastral matters. The 60-employee company also provides services in managing natural resources using modern information technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and artificial intelligence. A major provider of land mapping services to the Government of Quebec, Groupe BGJLR has also offered its services in more than 15 other countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Turkey, Honduras, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina and other countries in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe.

It was with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 2000, 2001 and 2002 that the company won several contracts in Honduras and Bolivia, where it developed cadastral and tax administration systems for various municipalities. Rather than working solely at the administrative level, BGJLR prefers to meet with residents and their representatives to ascertain what land they own and to convince them of the benefits of registering their land and paying taxes. The main advantage for the residents is that they then have clear title to their land.

"When you arrive at people's doors and say, ‘You're now going to pay taxes,' you're not very popular," says Groupe BGJLR president Michel Côté. "We have to sell the idea that if everyone puts some money into their community, it will come back to themselves in increased services. We also tell them that if they have clear deed to and registered ownership of their property, they will be in a position to ask for a loan from their bank to undertake their own projects."

Judging from its success on the CIDA contracts, the company is clearly skilled at dealing with people on sensitive topics. So, although mapping a resettlement plan in Africa was outside the company's usual realm of experience, gaining the cooperation of residents on a sensitive issue was not.

The Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project is located on the Seli River 225 kilometres northeast of the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown. The project was 85 percent complete in the early 1990s when it was suspended for a decade because of the civil war, which ended in 2002. The Sierra Leone government, in collaboration with the World Bank and its other financial partners, is now committed to completing this important project, which will bring electricity and services to Freetown, as well as to other major towns located along the transmission-line corridor.

An essential part of the project entails providing fair and equitable resettlement and compensation for the people living in the 225-kilometre-long, 30-metre wide corridor, which stretches from Bumbuna to Freetown. Approximately 3,500 households are affected. The World Bank wants to ensure that each person will be resettled and/or compensated in a way that puts them in an equivalent or better situation.

BGJLR had no previous experience bidding on World Bank projects. It was approached by Quebec consultant Paul Willcott, an international project manager who had been satisfied with a previous collaboration. BGJLR was therefore able to rely on, and learn and benefit from, Willcott's experience in submitting proposals to the World Bank.

The US$280,000 project, carried out from July to October 2004, involved preparing and undertaking a survey of all the people affected by the hydro project to establish the value of their land and assets, and preparing a Resettlement Action Plan based on the results. Using remote sensing technology, BGJLR also mapped all the land in the corridor, as well as land not far from the corridor for potential resettlement.

The consortium had actually also bid on second, similar project at the same time, but was awarded only the one. However, "when the World Bank saw how we were achieving our results, they were very happy with us, in comparison with the consultant who was carrying out the other project," says Côté.

With the confidence of knowing how satisfied the World Bank is with its work, BGJLR plans to visit Bank representatives in Washington in the near future "to present ourselves and to explain who we are and what we can do other than what we have already done for them – which was only a small part of our business."

The president knows the importance of keeping in contact with the MDBs and keeping them informed about your area of expertise. Equally important, he says, is to keep tabs on MDB concerns and upcoming projects. "It's important to know what their priorities are so you can work with them and meet their needs, rather than bringing new project ideas to them. The cadastre and the environment are primary concerns of the MDBs. Our expertise dovetails well with their needs."

In Latin American countries such as Honduras, Côté also stresses the importance of having an agent to be your eyes and ears on the ground. "It's impossible to do business over the phone. It's okay to start something that way, but in order to continue, your clients and partners want to have physical contact with you and develop a relationship with you. It's not the same as in North America, where we use e-mail and the Internet all the time. They still want face to face contact in Latin America countries. A handshake is more important than knowledge from the Internet."

Maintaining an agent in Honduras, who is on always the look-out for new opportunities, Groupe BGJLR is also currently pursuing a contract in that country with the Inter-American Development Bank, from contacts established on an Industry Canada-led mission in fall 2004.

For more information, contact:

International Financing Division
International Trade Canada
Tel.: (613) 995-7251
E-mail: ifinet@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

or

Marc Girard, CMA, General Manager
Groupe BGJLR
Tel.: (418) 522-0060
Fax: (418) 522-6084
E-mail: mgirard@bgjlr.com