The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund has approved $134.71 million to support infrastructure development and improve water resources on the border between the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The financing from the African Development Bank Group’s concessional financing comprises a grant of $118.27 million to Central African Republic and a loan worth $16.44 million to the DRC. The two Central African countries, along with other development partners, will also contribute to funding the project, which has an estimated cost of $257 million.
The regional Project to Support the Development of Infrastructure and Improvement of Cross-border Water Resources between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (PREDIRE) has three components.
The first focuses on improving knowledge, governance and infrastructure assets for water resources in the Ubangi basin, on the border between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the second aims to develop resilient, socioeconomic water infrastructure to support regional integration. The final objective is to build the capacity of institutions at the regional (International Commission for the Congo-Ubangi-Sangha Basin (CICOS) and Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS))and national levels that will manage, conserve and enhance cross-border water resources. Capacity building efforts will benefit 1,300 stakeholders, while 3,400 jobs will be created.
“The project aims to improve people’s socioeconomic living conditions and resilience and the ecosystem in the Ubangi cross-border basin for the long term, against a background of climate change and increased fragility,” emphasised Serge N’Guessan, the African Development Bank’s Director General for Central Africa.
Over 2.4 million people living in the target area, 51 percent of whom are women, will benefit directly from the programme, which will come into effect in November 2024 for a five-year period, ending in November 2029.