Madagascar: Government of Madagascar gets Euro 4 million from African Development Fund for Sahofika hydropower project

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

22-May-2020

The African Development Fund has approved a 4.02 million euro loan with a grant component to finance the Government of Madagascar’s 30 million euro equity investment in the Sahofika hydropower project, which will generate affordable, clean energy benefitting some 8 million people.

The Sahofika project is located on the Onive River, 100 km southeast of the capital Antananarivo. It entails the construction of a 205 MW hydroelectric power plant on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis and includes the construction and rehabilitation of 110 km of access roads and construction of a 75 km, 220 kV transmission line. Once commissioned, the Sahofika project is expected to contribute to the avoidance of 900,000 tons of CO2 equivalent annually.

The government has committed to plough back the returns from the project to reduce electricity tariffs for the people of Madagascar.

Additional funding for the project is expected to come from the European Union and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

“The support to the Sahofika project exemplifies the Bank’s commitment to delivering quality, affordable energy access across the continent for sustainable and inclusive growth, while helping member countries to responsibly harness their vast, yet underdeveloped renewable energy resources. As the largest hydro power project under development in the country, the Sahofika project will unlock Madagascar’s hydropower potential, and diversify its energy mix in favour of renewable at 90%”, said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, the Bank’s Vice-President for Power, Energy, Climate Change & Green Growth.

In December 2019, acting as Mandated Lead Arranger, the Bank approved a Partial Risk Guarantee of $100 million towards the Sahofika project to mitigate liquidity risk. The Bank is also supporting the Power Transmission Network Reinforcement and Interconnection Project, aimed at reinforcing and expanding Madagascar’s transmission network in order to  evacuate the additional power generated by this large hydro project.

“The Sahofika project is a cornerstone of the Bank’s strong support to the power sector in Madagascar. The commissioning of Sahofika would enable national utility (JIRAMA) to save around 100 million euros annually in fuel costs, while phasing out the need for state subsidies,” said Mohamed Cherif, the Bank’s Country Manager for Madagascar.

The Sahofika project is aligned with the Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa, and the Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan, whose collective goals include expanding green energy infrastructure for sustainable and inclusive growth. It is also in line with the Government of Madagascar’s energy policy.

The African Development Fund (ADF) is the concessional financing window of the Bank Group that provides low-income Regional Member Countries (RMCs) with concessional loans and grants in support of projects that spur poverty reduction.

Mauritius: African Development Bank lends €188 million for COVID-19 fight

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

22-May-2020

The African Development Bank has approved a €188 mllion euro loan to the Republic of Mauritius to finance a national budget support programme to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Group’s Board of Directors said Friday.

The main aim of the Covid-19 Rapid Response Facility (CRF), established by the Mauritian Government, is to support the national response fighting the ongoing outbreak, and to mitigate the adverse economic and social effects of the disease. The response is based on three pillars: to consolidate health systems; to protect livelihoods, income security and access to essential goods and services; and to build a resilient private sector as a prelude to the recovery of the economy.

Mauritius reported its first three cases of COVID-19 on 18 March 2020. On 6 April 2020, the number of locally-transmitted cases had reached 133 (54.5% of all reported cases), before reaching 332 cases by the end of April. The figure has not risen since then.

The CRF aims to bolster preparedness and support for vulnerable groups and the informal sector, while also funding social protection schemes, reducing job losses, and strengthening the resilience of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

While the most vulnerable will be the main beneficiaries of this programme, it will also cover workers in the informal sector, people facing layoffs as well as other vulnerable groups.

Moving decisions from ‘authorities to the streets’ – Webinar explores how civil society can ensure accountability amid COVID-19

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

22-May-2020

Billions of dollars have been allocated to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but how can we ensure that the funds are used in the most effective way, with the necessary accountability?

This was one of the questions that emerged from a 14 May webinar hosted on by the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) and the African Development Bank’s Civil Society and Community Engagement Division.

The session was one of a series of talks on the role of civil society in ensuring accountability amid the pandemic.

Thomas Ouedraogo, Executive Director, Centre pour la Gouvernance Démocratique in Burkina Faso, said his organization started discussions around COVID-19 funding after certain sectors received bigger allocations than healthcare.

“Decisions were removed from authorities to the streets. This was the first initiative, organizing something in terms of response. We had to agree on a roadmap, so funds are directly sent to the proper target – treatment and healing,” he said.

Mthandazo Ndlovu Hlahla, member of the Budget Justice Coalition and Governance Coordination at Oxfam South Africa, said the role of civil society organizations was to cooperate with governments and state actors.

“We are pushing more for governance and accountability…we have also been quite visible in highlighting different impacts on the most vulnerable members of society like non-nationals, migrants…Most of them are not documented, so we ensure that they also access humanitarian assistance, food parcels and more. We ask governments to be non-discriminatory.”

Amira El Fadil Mohammed, Commissioner of Social Affairs, African Union Commission, said a joint continental strategy on COVID-19 was adopted by the Commission’s Assembly on 26 March. The heads of states had formed committees on health, finance and transport to follow through with implementation. “Our policy framework now, what we are currently implementing, is: we agreed to act together as one continent, seeing as 55 member states will do this fight together in full coordination and collaboration, with enhanced communication.”

Alan Bacarese, Director, Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption at the African Development Bank, pointed out that two-thirds of the Bank’s funding would be in the form of direct support to countries’ budgets, which makes it harder to monitor accountability and transparency.

He noted, however, that the Bank continues to work with governments to improve internal and external auditing.

“They should also publish procurement processes being used and some ideas around beneficial ownerships,” said Bacarese.

The Bank has created a $10 billion COVID-19 Response Facility to assist its regional member countries and the private sector.

Bacarese cited Nigeria as an example of a country that had taken steps to enhance accountability.

“The deferral audit authority there has a portal and they produce stats daily on funding. Weekly and monthly audits are made publicly available,” he said.

Zéneb Touré, a Bank division manager for Civil Society and Community Engagement as well as the webinar’s moderator, said past webinars had shared good practices and innovative solutions that participants had deployed in the field in addition to state response mechanisms to the crisis.

Future webinars will assess life beyond the pandemic, specifically recovery initiatives and opportunities for civil society organizations to remain at the forefront of the reconstruction agenda.

Launch of 2019 Africa Regional Integration Index

Event location: 

Addis Ababa

Organiser: 

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), African Development Bank, African Union Commission (AUC).

WHO: Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), African Development Bank, African Union Commission (AUC).

WHAT: Webinar to launch Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII 2019) report 

WHERE: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

WHEN: 22 May 2020; 13:00 (Addis Ababa time)

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank and the African Union Commission (AUC) will jointly host a webinar to launch the second Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII 2019) on Friday, 22 May 2020.

The Africa Regional Integration Index assesses the regional integration status and efforts of member states of the eight regional economic communities recognised by the African Union. 

Regional integration holds tremendous promise for Africa and the ARII’s role is to provide benchmarking and monitoring data that policymakers can use to realise that promise.

The webinar also presents an opportunity to discuss the key findings and recommendations of the report.

Launch of publication on land reform

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

Rethinking land reform in Africa: new ideas, opportunities and challenges

What:	Launch of publication and policy platform on land reform
Who:	African Natural Resources Centre (ANRC)
When:	Tuesday 26 May 2020 at 10.00 am
Where:	Digital on www.afdb.org

The African Natural Resources Center (ANRC) of the African Development Bank Group will launch  a publication containing a series of articles by leading international scholars whose ground-breaking research and analysis have shaped policy on land reform in Africa for more than two decades.

Titled Rethinking land reform in Africa: new ideas, opportunities and challenges, the publication follows the November 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa organized by the ANRC in Abidjan, during the 10th anniversary of the African Union Declaration on Land.

The initiative is expected to inspire innovative and critical insights, and provide a thought-leading platform of inquiry, analysis, and research for breakthrough progress in land reform policy.

The publication includes contributions from: Liz Alden Wily, Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society at University of Leiden; Thomas Bassett, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Sara Berry, Johns Hopkins University; Uchendu Eugene Chigbu, Technical University of Munich; Horman Chitonge, University of Cape Town, among other authors.

A list of all 14 authors is available here.

The authors will also be available for virtual interviews.

Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, ANRC’s Director and co-author of the publication believes a re-examination of fundamental assumptions and perspectives underlying policies on land reform is a key part of the platform for progress.

“We want this to be the beginning of an inspirational debate, and for others to add their voices. We welcome new research, papers and dialogue on this important subject.”

The publication is available 

As COVID-19 takes jobs overnight, African Development Bank partners with ECOWAS Commission to share employment plan

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

15-May-2020

The African Development Bank, in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held a virtual stakeholder forum to outline the regional bloc’s human capital strategy.

The forum, which rallied more than 100 stakeholders from across Africa on 30 April, has become imperative because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Millions of jobs have been threatened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some job functions now extinct – almost overnight,” said Martha Phiri, Director of the Bank’s Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department, in opening remarks at the forum.

She said one of the Bank’s High Five strategic priorities – Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa – recognizes the need to train Africa’s youth for the jobs of today and the future.

Other speakers made presentations on the strategy and invited feedback on its goals and action plan from the participants, who included representatives of government ministries, departments and agencies from the 15 ECOWAS countries, development partners, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector.

According to a recent African Development Bank report on the fourth industrial revolution in Africa, automation will replace about 47% of current jobs by the year 2030. Disruption, digitalization and globalization are causing rapid changes to the education, skills and labour landscape. These changes highlight the growing gap between the current skill level of prospective workers in the region, and employer demand for relevant skills.

“In order to anticipate and prepare the resilience of our states to cope with all situations, it has proven important to take stock of the situation on human capital, define a strategy and an action plan for the region,” Finda Koroma, ECOWAS Commission Vice President, told attendees.

The ECOWAS strategy, being developed with support from consulting firm Ernst & Young Nigeria, focuses on education, skills development, and labour challenges and opportunities in the subregion. Feedback will be incorporated into the final report, which will present strategies and solutions for investing in human capital to accelerate development and economic prosperity.

Also at the forum were: ECOWAS Commissioner for Education, Science and Culture Professor Leopoldo Amado, ECOWAS Director for Education, Science and Culture Professor Abdoulaye Maga and Dr. Sintiki Ugbe, ECOWAS Director, Humanitarian and Social Affairs.  

The African Development Bank and the Government of Japan co-funded the ECOWAS Human Capital Strategy. The final version is expected to be published in June 2020.

Zimbabwe: African Development Bank approves $13.7 million to strengthen health system, boost anti-COVID-19 efforts

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

15-May-2020

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a $13.7 million grant to finance the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe. The funds will provide an immediate lifeline for targeted frontline responders and health personnel and boost the country’s Global Health Security Index in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Approval for the grant was made on May 13, after a request from the Zimbabwe Government. The funds, from the African Development Fund (ADF) 14 Transition Support Facility, will go to Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 Response Project (CRP), which aims to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a country which is facing many economic and social challenges.

The CRP will focus on 15 high-density urban suburbs in Harare the capital, satellite townships and targeted health facilities in other areas of the country.

Activities under the project include boosting capacity in COVID-19 prevention and management protocols for healthcare personnel and populations in targeted regions, and increasing access to COVID-19 hand washing facilities in Harare, satellite townships and other affected regions.

The project will also supply COVID-19 medical equipment and laboratory test kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs); set up handwashing facilities through rehabilitation/construction of boreholes; and training of healthcare personnel and laboratory technicians at community level on COVID-19 prevention and case management protocols.

The project  which will be implemented by the World Health Organization, with the country’s Ministry of Health and Child Care acting as executing agency, is expected to directly benefit over 680,000 people. It will leverage on planned activities to contribute to strengthening the resilience of the health system, while protecting the livelihoods of the vulnerable population in Zimbabwe beyond the end of the pandemic.

Zimbabwe is currently facing additional vulnerability challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The nation like many other across the globe, has responded with a raft of measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus, including restricting movement of people and ordering social distancing in public places like shopping malls and public transport. The country’s current national lockdown includes school closures, restricted movement of people, restricted business operating times and the closure of pubs, restaurants and churches. Public gatherings have been limited to 50 people.

African Development Bank joins Sanitation and Water for All’s global call to action for safe and accessible water amid COVID-19 pandemic

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

40% of the global population doesn’t have basic handwashing facilities with soap and water available at home.

14-May-2020

Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) -  a global partnership of governments, donors, civil society organizations and other development partners today launched an international campaign to expand access to water, sanitation and hygiene – a key part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The platform urged governments and global development partners to incorporate a more robust focus on water, sanitation and hygiene in the fight against the pandemic, a call to action that more than 50 Heads of State, leaders of United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions, civil society, the private sector and academic institutions have endorsed. 

The Hon. Kevin Rudd, SWA’s High-level Chair, said in a press statement, “Access to clean water and sanitation is absolutely crucial to slow the spread of COVID-19. This is particularly important in countries with fragile healthcare systems or where social distancing is harder. The support from world leaders for this Call to Action is a strong demonstration of their support for the work of the United Nations’ partnership Sanitation and Water for All.” Rudd added, “Now we need to make sure this political message turns into additional practical action on the ground, especially as the risk of a third wave of this virus across a number of developing countries increases.”

The SWA statement(link is external) invited global leaders and communities to join in making water, sanitation and hygiene available to everyone, eliminating inequalities and leaving no one behind. The statement also calls for all stakeholders to work in a coordinated and collaborative manner; ensure that water and sanitation systems are resilient and sustainable; prioritize the mobilization of finance to support countries in their response to this crisis; and deliver accurate information in a transparent manner.

In response, a number of global leaders including African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina endorsed(link is external) the pledge.

According to the statement, “water, sanitation and hand hygiene, together with physical distancing, are central to preventing the spread of COVID-19, and a first line of defense against this serious threat to lives and health systems. Handwashing with water and soap kills the virus but requires access to running water in sufficient quantities.”

“400 million Africans lack access to safe water and nearly 800 million do not have access to basic handwashing facilities – a massive challenge in the face of COVID-19.” said Dr. Jennifer Blanke, Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “The African Development Bank is leading the fight in support of African nations to mobilize resources and support from partner organizations as well as the private sector to reduce the water and sanitation access gap.”

The African Development Bank has taken a lead role in African responses to the crisis and its effects. The Bank last month rolled out its COVID-19 Response Facility, which will serve as its primary channel for efforts to address the crisis by providing up to $10 billion to governments and the private sector.

The Bank has over the last decade invested an estimated $6.2 billion in water supply and sanitation services, and mobilized an estimated $150 million in climate finance from the Global Environmental Facility and the Green Climate Fund to co-finance water sector projects. As a result, roughly 52 million Africans have gained access to improved water supply and sanitation services.

One such project, the Integrated Urban Water and Sanitation Project for Mzimba Town in Malawi, co-financed by the African Development Bank and the OPEC Fund, received in April the prestigious Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development. “The recognition is timely given that the project is rapidly expanding access to water supply and sanitation to communities, while promoting good hygiene practices such as hand washing with soap,” said Adesina. 

The SWA statement emphasizes that “COVID-19 is not the first and will not be the last epidemic that countries will face. Resilience to future crises depends on actions taken now, as well as on policies, institutions and capacity put in place during normal times. Let us ensure this threat is not a missed opportunity to achieve our vision of universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene.”