€81.2 million from the African Development Bank to Cameroon... What is the purpose of the funding?
توفير مصادر مياه مستدامة للزراعة وتربية الماشية
Written by: Ayman Ragab
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a loan of €81.2 million to support the Northern Cameroon Agro-Industrial Development Programme, which aims to promote agro-industrial development and improve the resilience of local communities to climate change.
The total cost of the program is 88.74 million euros, with the Cameroonian government contributing 7.54 million euros.
The project is based on the construction of multi-purpose dams on the hillsides in the northern and far northern regions, with the aim of providing sustainable water sources for agriculture and livestock farming, which will contribute to improving agricultural production and ensuring the availability of water throughout the year.
Increasing agricultural productivity
The project is expected to increase agricultural productivity, raise household incomes, create new job opportunities, reduce conflicts related to natural resources, and expand access to social and economic services in the targeted areas.
Key measures
The program includes a range of climate change adaptation measures, including the installation of hydrometeorological stations, the implementation of tree-planting campaigns, and the creation of community forests, which promote environmental sustainability and increase the ability of communities to cope with the effects of climate change.
The PDAS-1 project is the first phase of an integrated program aimed at bringing about a qualitative shift in agricultural and industrial development in northern Cameroon, while the second phase includes the construction of huge multi-purpose dams with a storage capacity of up to about 500 million cubic meters, allowing for the irrigation of more than 40,000 hectares of agricultural land.
Enhancing the resilience of communities to climate change
Leandre Bassolé, Managing Director of the African Development Bank Group for Central Africa and Country Director for Cameroon, affirmed that the program supports Cameroon’s efforts to exploit its agricultural potential, create jobs, enhance communities’ ability to adapt to climate change, and attract private investment, thereby contributing to reducing dependence on imports and strengthening food security and sovereignty.
The program's implementation comes amid growing water insecurity challenges in northern and far north Cameroon, where climate change has exacerbated food insecurity and disrupted livelihoods. The region has also experienced frequent flooding in recent years, damaging infrastructure, disrupting economic and educational activities, and displacing more than 275,000 people in the Lake Chad Basin. In 2024 alone, more than three million people were affected by flooding.
