Benin: a project financed by the African Development Bank enables a significant increase in agricultural yields and farmers' income

 AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

11-Nov-2020

Implemented from 2015 in Benin, the Food Production Support and Resilience Building Project in the Departments of Alibori, Borgou and Collines ( PAPVIRE-ABC ) has made it possible to improve significant farm yields.

The project, funded to the tune of US $ 24 million by the Global Program for Agriculture and Food Security (“GAFSP”) via the African Development Bank, has set itself the objective of improving security. food and nutrition and reduce the poverty of the populations of Benin. It has notably made it possible to increase agricultural productivity on more than 24,000 hectares in the country, according to the report on the status of implementation and results (EER) published on November 2 by the African Development Bank.

The establishment of high-performance seed varieties, the combined training of leader producers and supervisory staff and close monitoring-support-advice have thus boosted yields in the corn and rice fields. In fact, the average maize productivity rose from 1.5 tonnes per hectare in 2016 to 2.6 tonnes, an increase of 73%. That of rice reached 4.2 tons per hectare, against 3.3 tons in 2016. As for the volume of food production marketed, it reached almost 83,000 tons in 2020, while it was less than 5,000 tons. in 2016.

This performance has a positive impact on the annual income per food farm, underlines the Bank report. This is $ 345 and could reach $ 458 by the completion of the project in 2021. In 2016, this income was $ 238.

"The levels of productivity and production recorded as well as the marketing mechanism for producers and the organizational mechanism of the territorial agricultural development agencies have made it possible to improve incomes," explains the report. The enhancement of infrastructure will allow actors to create more added value. "

In order to ensure the follow-up of the project and its sustainability, 222 young entrepreneurs were trained in the incubation centers. Ultimately, the objective is to increase this number to 400. In addition, 90 technicians have attended various workshops and training in monitoring and evaluation, while 18,260 farmers have been trained in resilient technologies. In addition, 150 producer organizations and women's economic interest groups benefited from post-harvest equipment. This equipment is made up of a rice kit (two threshing machines, a huller, a husked rice sizer and two seamers) and a maize kit (two gins, two sizers and a mill).

"The effective start of rehabilitation works for water reservoirs, downstream facilities and labor-intensive investments, coupled with scaling up of the results obtained at the level of demonstration units and field schools for farmers, will consolidate the achievements and act significantly on food security and poverty reduction in the project intervention area ”, concludes the African Development Bank report.

Integration: the road corridor between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, financed by the African Development Bank, improves the mobility of goods and people

 

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

09-Nov-2020

At the Ivorian-Malian border, work on the road corridor between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali is almost complete. But even before its completion, the infrastructure is already relieving transporters and neighboring populations in both countries.

The Bamako-San Pedro Corridor, whose works were launched in 2015 for completion scheduled for June 2021, has been funded to the tune of US $ 233 million by the African Development Bank, including US $ 198 million from its window. concessional rate loan, the African Development Fund. The book is part of the implementation of the Program of roads development and transport facilitation on the Bamako corridor Zantiébougou-Boundiali San Pedro.

Work on the Zantiébougou-Ivorian border route (140 km) on the Mali side has been completed and provisionally delivered. On the Ivory Coast side, the works of the Kani-Fadjadougou section (lot 1) have been finalized and those of lot 2 (Fadiadougou-Boundiali section) are 86% completed. The two lots represent a distance of 135 km.

According to an execution and results report (EER) published on October 27 by the Bank, the impact of the project is already being felt on the beneficiary populations with regard to the volume of traffic on the roads completed or in progress. Classes.

Travel times, which were six hours in 2014 on each of the sections going from Zantiébougou to the border with Côte d'Ivoire and from Boundiali to Kani, were now reduced to between 1 hour 40 minutes and 2 hours last May. . This represents a total gain of $ 3.6 million per year for carriers.

According to the report, the processing time for container traffic at the port of San-Pedro, Côte d'Ivoire, will drop to three days compared to ten days in 2014, once the interconnection of customs IT systems, the establishment of a single port window at the port of San-Pedro and an electronic tracking system for goods and vehicles along this corridor will have been implemented. In addition, the transit time of a freight truck at the border between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali is expected to drop from a full day to around three hours after the construction of the single border checkpoint.

As for the operating cost of three-axle vehicles, it has been cut in half, from $ 1.8 per kilometer in 2014 to almost 90 cents. The rural access index in the project intervention area is close to 60% in 2020, which concerns, for half, women, against 25% in 2015. This index measures the proportion of the rural population under two kilometers of a passable road in all seasons.

By the end of the project, four centers and six multifunctional platforms dedicated to women will be built. In addition, five schools, five health centers and two bus stations will be renovated, as well as five local markets and a border cattle market.

The project also provides for the construction of twenty boreholes (ten per country), managed 100% by women. Ten solar lighting systems will be installed, ten processing tool kits and intermediate means of transporting agricultural products will be provided to the populations, 80% of which will be women. Twenty tricycle vehicles and four ambulances for transporting sick and pregnant women will be delivered to ten health centers. Finally, around 200 kilometers of rural tracks will be rehabilitated in various localities on both sides of the two countries.

"At the end of the works, the project will notably allow an increase in the volume of trade crossing the land borders between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali from 59,200 tonnes to 392,400 tonnes, ie a growth rate of 34%" , concludes the report of the African Development Bank.

African Development Bank Group approves $440,000 emergency relief assistance for flood victims in South Sudan and Sudan

 AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

31-Oct-2020

The African Development Bank Group has approved an emergency assistance relief package of $440,000 to fund ongoing humanitarian and emergency relief efforts in areas recently hit by floods in South Sudan and Sudan.

The package, from the Bank’s Special Relief Fund, will be split nearly equally between the two countries and will be used to purchase food items and water, and to cover the implementation costs to be incurred by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The funding is part of a multinational emergency response to provide relief to flood victims in both countries, where torrential rains have caused rivers to overflow their dykes and banks, disrupting trade routes, damaging crops, killing livestock and submerging houses.

By the end of September, the Food Security Technical Secretariat reported that heavy rains and flooding had affected more than 860,000 people (over 480,000 of them children) in Sudan. Over 125,000 refugees and internally displaced people are among those affected in that country since the start of the rainy season in July. The states most affected by floods are Khartoum, North Darfur, Blue Nile, West Darfur and Sennar. More than 100 people have reportedly died as a result of the flooding.

In South Sudan, the UN has estimated that more than $80 million is needed for the overall flood response, including $46 million for immediate assistance to 360,000 people until the end of the year. Vast areas of the country along the River Nile are now under water, affecting more than 600,000 people since July in Jonglei, Lakes, Unity, Upper Nile, and Central and Western Equatoria. Entire communities have fled to higher ground to escape the rising waters.

African Development Bank Country Manager for South Sudan, Benedict Kanu, said more than 100 people died through the disaster in the country, with about 25,000 internally displaced.

“The situation is particularly critical given the COVID-19 preventive measures in place, insecurity in some of the affected states and the financial constraints faced by the government and humanitarian agencies, despite the growing needs of the flood-affected communities,” Kanu said.

The FAO, the implementing partner for the Bank’s emergency relief assistance operation, already has a well-established network and long-standing operational presence in both countries for food relief assistance.

In Tunisia, Souk At-tanmia expands the horizon of possibilities for entrepreneurs in times of crisis

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

28-Oct-2020

Known under the name of Cilium under the Roman Empire, Kasserine is a city with a singular heritage. A city located in the center-west of Tunisia where, through the generations, a craftsmanship that has made its reputation endure.

Najet Salhi is from Kasserine. Seated, determinedly, she holds two tufts of esparto in her hands. Used since the 19 th century, this fibrous plant must be handled with care. Cut, dried then braided, the material is transformed into baskets and containers of all shapes. It is labor that can take hours to get to the finished product. “Before, we prepared the esparto and sold it as is to the paper mill,” recalls Najet.

“Today, we harvest it and make artisanal products that we sell. Our income has increased and preparation seems less difficult, ”she explains. This craftswoman is one of the women who have benefited from specialized training. Made in three workshops in the city, most of their production is sold in the capital, Tunis.

A few years ago, an artisanal cooperative based in Kasserine was born: “Zazia Artisanat”.
Its founder, Taoufik Saudi, funded it with a grant from the Souk At-tanmia program. This entrepreneurship support initiative, endowed with approximately 8 million euros, was launched in 2012 by the African Development Bank with around 20 partners. Taoufik, himself from Kasserine, graduated from a business school. After studying in Japan, he returned to his native region. “I didn't have a lot of money at the start,” he says. I started with a small project but persevered. Souk At-tanmia is a good system because it combines financial assistance and technical support. It helped me start my project ”. The cooperative ended up creating around 20 jobs.

In order to support entrepreneurship, the Souk At-tanmia program finances entrepreneurs with seed grants of between 5,000 and 15,000 US dollars. Particular attention is given to businesses led by women and young people in the so-called “priority” regions of Tunisia, in particular Gafsa, Medenine, Tataouine, Sidi Bouzid, Kairouan, Seliana, Kasserine, Kef and Jendouba.

In Nabeul, more than 200 kilometers northeast of Kasserine, Emna Ben Mustapha, in his thirties, is busy on his aquaculture farm. Her work is a goldsmith's work: she prepares, in absolute silence, capsules, powder and glitter, all based on spirulina. This micro-algae is renowned for its antioxidant, nutritional and purifying benefits. Emna took the opportunity to serve a growing demand for organic and “  healthy” products . After a master's degree in marine biology, she founded with her husband Bilel, a spirulina production unit, AquaSpir. "It is an algae with a thousand virtues: iron, magnesium, calcium and vitamins (...) one of the richest foods there is," she explains.

Equipped with a dozen culture tanks, AquaSpir produces 1.2 tonnes of spirulina per year and employs six people full time. For more efficiency and quality, Emna has even installed photovoltaic panels and only uses water from the well. Its products, previously sold through intermediaries, are now marketed under its own brand in drugstores and specialized chains. “We were focused on the French market,” she explains. Thanks to the funding and support from Souk At-tanmia, we have been able to expand internationally to other countries such as Italy, Yemen and Pakistan. We plan to increase production to two tonnes per year, increasing our workforce to ten employees. "

Like a majority of Tunisian entrepreneurs, Emna and Taoufik are today threatened by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a survey conducted by the program, beneficiary companies show, on average, a drop of about 60% of their turnover, and half of their jobs are threatened. In this context, Souk At-tanmia, supported by its British, American and Danish partners, has deployed a new financial and technical support system to preserve these companies and facilitate the resumption or continuation of their activities. It is about protecting jobs, securing income and initiating, in partnership with the “Africa vs Virus Challenge” initiative, retraining through innovation. Because each crisis generates new opportunities to be seized.

Since its launch, the Souk At-tanmia program has enabled the emergence of 250 new businesses and created more than 2,000 jobs in industry, services, agriculture, renewable energies, crafts and tourism. Almost two thirds of the structures are managed by young people, more than a third by women. More than 60% of entrepreneurs come from priority regions of Tunisia.

Appointment of Mr. Lamin Barrow as Acting Senior Director, Nigeria Country Office, African Development Bank Group

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

28-Oct-2020

The African Development Bank Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Lamin Barrow as Acting Senior Director – Nigeria Country Office, effective 1 November 2020.

Mr. Barrow, a Gambian national, joined the African Development Bank in 2000. He is currently Director, Joint Secretariat Support Office for the African Development Bank, African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa in the Office of the President.

Lamin Barrow brings into this new role extensive knowledge and a rich experience in policy analysis, strategy implementation, portfolio management, project finance, project preparation, regional integration, as well as public and private partnership.

Since joining the Bank, he has served as Senior Financial Analyst (2000-2007), Principal Country Programme Officer, Rwanda Country Office (2007-2009), and Resident Representative in Ethiopia. In 2013, he was appointed as Manager, Operations, Technical Support and Regional Approaches in the Transition States Support Department and subsequently as Manager, Cabinet Office of The President with the rank of Director (2013-2017). Lamin also served as Task Manager for the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (2005-2006) and, as Officer-in-Charge, he helped to establish and operationalize the Bank’s Kenya Country Office (2006-2007).

Prior to his career at the Bank, Lamin worked at The Gambia National Investment Board as Head of the Project Development Unit, Investment Promotion Division, and Division Manager, Export Promotion. He served as Principal Economist (1991-1992), Policy Analysis Unit in the Office of The President, Republic of The Gambia, before joining the Company for Habitat & Housing in Africa (Shelter-Afrique) where he held several positions between 1994 and 2000.   

Lamin holds a Master of Arts in Economic Policy from Boston University, USA and a B.Sc. from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He is also an alumnus of executive programs in finance from The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and in investment and risk analysis from Queens University, Canada.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank said, “Lamin is a seasoned professional, with a proven track-record in strategic management, country dialogue, portfolio management, negotiations and building partnerships. The Nigeria Country Office is strategic for the Bank as it manages a large country portfolio and operations with State governments and the private sector. Lamin’s extensive managerial experience and knowledge in operations and excellent diplomatic skills in government relations at the highest levels will help to deepen our operations and engagements with the Government and partners in Nigeria.”

A Ghanaian maize farmer thrives on the ashes of destroyed forest

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

• Hundreds of farmers are benefitting from a project that repurposes degraded forest land

27-Oct-2020

For years, Christiana Akwabea admired the vast fields she visited in neighboring districts to buy maize for reselling and dreamed of one day owning a plot of land where she could grow the staple crop.

But there wasn’t much land for commercial farming in Seikwa in Ghana’s Bono Region, and the local soil is more suitable for cultivating cashew and yam.

In 2017, the mother of six got her wish fulfilled through forest plantation management company Form Ghana, which received a loan from the African Development Bank for a transformative forestry project.

After registering as a farmer with the Form Ghana program, Christiana received land that had once been a forest in Berekum, about 30 km from Seikwa. She harvested around 6,800 kg of maize from the 5-hectare field through intercropping, which involves simultaneously cultivating multiple crops on a particular plot farmland.

Christiana Akwabea and son on her farm in Berekum, Ghana

“I had always wondered about how I would get farmland for maize and even get money to clear and spray it. But now, all I wait for at the beginning of every farming season is a call from Form Ghana to complete the registration and land will be allocated to me for farming. The memory of this alone is encouraging and gives me a sense of reliability. I’m not burdened with how I will get land and money to prepare the field,” Christiana said.

Form Ghana partnered with the African Development Bank, the Forest Investment Program of the Climate Investment Funds and the government of Ghana, to undertake an innovative public-private partnership in its forest sector. The project entails the reforestation of degraded forest areas in Ghana.

The state of Ghana’s forests has been in decline since the 1970s due to severe overpopulation. Ghana now has over 300,000 ha of highly degraded forest reserve land.

To address the issue, the African Development Bank and the Forest Investment Program of the Climate Investment Funds agreed in 2016 to fund the Restoration of Degraded Forest Reserves through the Certified Plantation project, financed through a $10 million concessional loan from the Climate Invest Funds and $14 million from the African Development Bank.

In the forests managed by Form Ghana, illegal farming was widespread in the past. The company currently offers 629 farmers the option to participate in intercropping.

“Form Ghana sets an example for me as a chief. Amongst my community members, I now promote the planting of trees as a long-term investment. This will give farmers additional income,” said Ɔsabarima Ofori Mensah, Chief of Oforikrom in Berekum.

The Form Ghana project offers a replicable model for larger-scale debt finance for plantation expansion.

“This project and the collaboration between African Development Bank and Form Ghana Ltd. can be a very important step towards enabling the expansion of large-scale reforestation and landscape restoration projects in Africa,” said Paul Hol, Executive Director, Form Ghana Ltd.

The possibilities are already evident for Christiana and her household. She looks forward to doubling the size of her current acreage and has great ambitions for her family.

“I have been able to put up a two-bedroom house. I also funded my son’s trip to attend school in Europe and all my children are in school,” she said.

“I aim to expand my current residence into a full compound house with the inscription ‘Form Ghana Nti’ (‘For the sake of Form Ghana’). I also look forward to continually improving the standard of living of my family and support my children to the highest levels of education.”

African Development Bank, partners, announce new Women in Ethics and Compliance in Africa initiative

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

• Bank-supported network to address corruption, unethical behavior, avenues of support for leadership

26-Oct-2020

The Women in Ethics and Compliance in Africa network, (WECA), a new initiative creating a membership group for women executives and management leading the fight against corruption and non-compliance in business, made its debut at an online webinar co-hosted by the Bank on October 22.

Its organisers, leaders from the African Development Bank, the Coalition for Ethical Operations (CEO) and the United Nations Global Compact, announced the formation of the unique support organization for female leaders and executives working to curb unethical business practices in Africa.

“The formation of this network reiterates the Bank’s commitment to ensuring that sustainable development is hinged on bridging the gender gap, with emphasis on key areas such as ethics and compliance. We’re inviting women from all across the private and public sectors on the continent to join in and help in achieving the objectives of this network," said the Bank’s Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society, Vanessa Moungar.

Sanda Ojiambo, Director-General of UN Global Compact, told the virtual audience of experienced ethics and compliance professionals that her organization supports WECA’s mission.

"The UN Global Compact is very much aligned with the objectives of the Women in Ethics and Compliance in Africa to advance coordinated ethical business practices, anti-corruption measures across the continent, and to empower a new generation of female leaders in the field," Ojiambo said.

The webinar attendees discussed multiple challenges women leaders face in Africa’s male-dominated corporate world. The WECA network founding members said they plan to address the lack of avenues and support for ethical leadership. The network also aims to bridge the gap in human resources for ethics and compliance across the continent, through mentoring and coaching young women professionals for career progression. Some WECA network supporters said this starts from a young age.

"There is a need to create a global awareness and education to address the gender issue from a cultural perspective," said Rhibetnan Yaktal. Global Head of Compliance at Puma Energy. To girls, her advice: "Build yourself up. There is no glass ceiling. There is no limit."

The online gathering also explored how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought another dimension of challenges for ethical concerns for all leaders, especially women. Under the theme Women in Compliance in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, Navigating in the era of COVID-19, webinar attendees told a panel that the compliance issue is very timely. Some noted that women play a significant role in the fight against the pandemic, which has forced major changes in how businesses operate and interact. Other participants said COVID-19 cannot be an excuse for businesses to ignore the ethical and integrity challenges faced in ensuring compliance systems are working and withstanding new and emerging risks. 

"Women are uniquely well-positioned to deal with difficulties, challenges, and crises. For example, women leaders are better managing the current COVID-19 pandemic, yielding more results built on ethical leadership and strong integrity," said Lisa Miller, Integrity Compliance Officer at the World Bank Group.

Pressing for ethics and integrity cultures within businesses and societies

African public and private sector entities and civil society institutions are still lagging behind in ensuring the establishment and adherence to a culture of ethics and compliance in business, Olajobi Makinwa, Chief of Intergovernmental Relations and Africa for the United Nations Global Compact and founding member of WECA, said, emphasizing the network’s core mission. "WECA will support peer engagement, exchange of ideas and information on ethics and compliance best practices, dialogue on emerging ethics and compliance challenges, and champion women's ethics and compliance leadership across the continent."

The webinar also had a segment on women's sexual harassment during which Paula Santos Da Costa, Head of Ethics Office at African Development Bank, said work was needed on a “speak-up culture,” and “to implement a zero-tolerance policy in the workplace."

Moungar told online attendees that the Bank has zero tolerance for corruption and ensures that any vulnerabilities related to fraud and corruption are detected early and mitigated throughout its processes and programs.

Closing the webinar, Sorita Botha, Legal and Compliance Advisor at Distell, said, "I'm so excited about the launch of WECA, and I'm sure we will hear success stories from women in ethics and compliance in coming months and years. It is the beginning of a new era of women empowerment for critical roles in Africa."