DR Congo: AfDB Grants US$ 99 Million to Improve Bukavu-Goma Road

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group on Friday in Abidjan approved a grant of US$ 99.39 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the implementation of Phase I of the Bukavu-Goma Road Project between Bukavu and Nyamukubi.

The financial support consists of a grant of US$ 52.07 million from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group's concessional financing window, and a loan of US$ 47.32 million from the Transition Support Facility.

The project has a dual objective of opening up the provinces of North and South Kivu and reducing poverty in these provinces. In particular, it aims at improving the level of services of the transport logistics chain on the road between Bukavu and Goma as well as the living conditions of the populations in the project area.

The works to be carried out include the upgrading of the Bukavu-Nyamukubi section of the Bukavu-Goma road and some structural roads and slip roads of the National Road No. 2 (RN2) in the city of Bukavu for a total of 117 kilometers, as well as the rehabilitation of related infrastructure in South Kivu province. This province is heavily landlocked due to the deteriorated state of its road network.

The primary sector, which includes agriculture, livestock and mining, is the main activity in the province. Agriculture remains the dominant sector, while mining accounts for 12.4%. The rural infrastructure connected to the RN2 will promote local development and facilitate trade and the movement of people and goods under acceptable conditions.

The project is expected to benefit, directly or indirectly, some 40% of rural households in South Kivu Province, or 400,000 families in total. Promoters of production support services (artisans, service associations, transporters, collectors, etc.), technical staff of the ministries in the area and non-governmental organizations active in the project area will also benefit. Thus, in addition to the large female population and young people under 20 years of age, local communities and economic operators will also benefit from the construction of basic infrastructure and the revival of economic activities.

The project intervention area also includes the access road to the state-of-the-art Agricultural Research Centre called "IITA President Olusegun Obasanjo Research Campus". The objective of the project is to contribute to the fight against hunger and malnutrition by providing the population with access to healthy food based on biodiversity, especially fresh food. This centre will ensure food self-sufficiency for the people of the region and beyond, as the largest international agricultural research centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region.

As at 30 September 2021, the African Development Bank's active portfolio in the Democratic Republic of Congo comprised 32 operations for a total amount of US$ 1.57 billion.

Source: www.agenceecofin.com