News in brief:
– The African Development Bank has allocated $102.79 million to support sustainable agriculture in West Africa.
– This funding will be used to develop infrastructure for agro-industrial processing zones, enhance agricultural resilience, and empower women in the agricultural sector.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has announced a $102.79 million financing support for sustainable agriculture in Guinea, Senegal, and Togo.
This funding will be used to develop infrastructure for agro-industrial processing zones, bolstering these countries’ agricultural sectors and promoting economic growth.
Expanding upon existing Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) projects, the initiative integrates climate change mitigation and low-greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions strategies.
In Guinea, there is already the Development Program for the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones of Boké and Kankan (PDZSTA-BK). This programme aims to reduce food insecurity and improve nutritional outcomes.
Senegal’s Sénégal Agropole-Sud project focuses on enhancing agricultural productivity and livelihoods through value-added processing of key crops like mango and cashew.
Meanwhile, Togo’s Agro-Food Transformation Project seeks to increase value-added production, processing, and exports while ensuring social inclusion and environmental protection.
These three projects will be used to expand the development bank’s objective of improving agricultural resilience.
The AfDB’s funding will support the installation of small-scale irrigation systems, renewable energy equipment, and biogas production facilities. Additionally, it will provide financial assistance to agricultural value chain actors, including smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and local producers, to adopt climate-resilient practices and develop agroforestry.
The program is expected to benefit over 1.1 million farmers directly and an estimated 5.6 million indirectly. AfDB is committed to gender equality and will ensure that women constitute at least 50% of the beneficiaries. By providing women with access to innovative agricultural technologies, cooperative processing companies, climate information services, and low-carbon processing methods, the initiative aims to empower women in the agricultural sector.
Kazuhiro Numasawa, the bank’s division manager in charge of SAPZ operations, revealed that this is a Green Climate Fund (GCF) funding, a first used to support the processing initiative in Africa.
He adds that the financing is urgent due to the increasing risk posed by climate change on the continent and it will help by deploying verified innovations.
“This intervention is timely to strengthen the support to women and youth in the agriculture and food industries in these countries while leveraging the collaboration with private sector players associated with the SAPZ projects in Guinea, Senegal and Togo,” he concluded.
