Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) is a management tool that stipulates strategies and procedures for managing the potential environmental impacts associated with a proposed project or ongoing operations. This tool incorporates various mitigation measures for the potential impacts and provides information on the management of hazards and impacts on the environment associated with the project.

 “An ESMP is a plan which describes the actions that will be taken by the borrower/client (proponent) to enhance positive impacts and to avoid, minimize, mitigate, compensate/offset negative impacts” (AfDB ESIA procedure (Annex 10).

Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) is prepared in order to enhance the positive impacts and to avoid, minimize, mitigate, compensate/offset negative impacts as well as monitor identified environmental and social impacts of the proposed development activities.

The ESMP aims to bring (proposed) project into compliance with applicable national environmental and social legal requirements and the International (Bank’s) safeguards policies and procedures.