African Development Fund Approves $134.71 M for Infrastructure and Water Resources Development in Central Africa

This financing package includes a grant of $118.27 million to the Central African Republic and a loan of $16.44 million to the DRC.

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund has sanctioned a total of $134.71 million to bolster infrastructure development and improve water resources along the border between the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This financing package includes a grant of $118.27 million to the Central African Republic and a loan of $16.44 million to the DRC. The project, named the Project to Support the Development of Infrastructure and Improvement of Cross-border Water Resources (PREDIRE), has an estimated total cost of $257 million, with contributions from both Central African nations and other development partners.

The PREDIRE initiative comprises three main components:

Improving Knowledge and Governance: Enhancing the management and governance of water resources in the Ubangi basin, which borders both countries.

Developing Resilient Water Infrastructure: Establishing socioeconomic water infrastructure to foster regional integration and resilience against climate change.

Building Institutional Capacity: Strengthening the capacity of regional (International Commission for the Congo-Ubangi-Sangha Basin - CICOS and Economic Community of Central African States - ECCAS) and national institutions to manage, conserve, and enhance cross-border water resources. This component will benefit approximately 1,300 stakeholders and is expected to create 3,400 jobs.

“The project aims to improve people’s socioeconomic living conditions and resilience, as well as the ecosystem in the Ubangi cross-border basin for the long term, against a backdrop of climate change and increased fragility,” stated Serge N’Guessan, the African Development Bank’s Director General for Central Africa.

The program is projected to directly benefit over 2.4 million people in the target area, of whom 51 percent are women. The project is set to commence in November 2024 and will run for a duration of five years, concluding in November 2029.