African Development Bank Grants $102.79 Million to ⁣Support Climate-Resilient Agriculture in⁢ Guinea,⁢ Senegal, ⁤and Togo

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted a whopping ⁢$102.79 million ⁤to support farmers with climate-resilient infrastructure in ‌special agro-industrial⁣ processing zones ​in Guinea, Senegal and Togo.

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved funding of⁢ $102.79 million for the International Program for the Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural ‌Value Chains‍ in Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) covering Guinea, Senegal and Togo.

Program ‌Overview

This program expands the integration of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions reduction ⁤in three ‍SAPZ projects currently implemented in the‌ three participating countries, namely: Togo Agro-Industrial Transformation Project;⁣ Senegal Agropole-Sud; and the Development Program for the Boké and ⁢Kankan Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in ⁤Guinea.

Key⁢ Program Components

• Supports small irrigation systems‍ that cover at‍ least 39,179 hectares and provide ‌2.59 megawatts (MW), or all the solar‍ energy needed to ⁢pump water;
• Finances the installation of small renewable‌ energy equipment with a cumulative ⁢capacity of 14.69 MW and a⁤ supply of 10.24 MW of energy from⁢ biogas⁤ produced by⁢ biodigesters for a cumulative ⁣volume of 24,576 m3 in order to ⁢treat livestock excrement and produce ‌biogas for production ‍electricity;
• Supports the adoption ‍of climate resilient agricultural practices and technologies by actors⁤ in the agricultural value chain (small farmers, ⁢agricultural cooperatives and⁤ local producer associations), ⁢covering approximately 40,000 hectares of land;
• Supports the development of approximately 40,000 hectares of agroforestry​ to⁤ sequester‌ carbon as well as activities aimed at improving climate information services;
• Complements other actions in favor of⁣ gender equality that are​ already ⁣underway in the SAPZ projects‌ currently ‍carried out in the three countries.

Benefits⁣ and Impact

The program is⁢ expected to directly benefit 1,104,728 farmers, and indirectly a total of 5,612,415. At least 50%⁢ of the beneficiaries will be women.

“I am proud to take this important step, as​ it is the first funding from ⁤the Green⁣ Climate Fund (GCF) to support the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones⁣ (SAPZ) program in⁢ Africa,” said ⁤Kazuhiro Numasawa, Head SAPZ Operations Department at the African Development Bank.

“The risk of climate change has increased across the continent and this GCF funding will ⁢help address the urgent need to support⁢ rural communities facing​ climate challenges using proven technologies. This‌ intervention is timely to strengthen support for women and young people ⁣in the agriculture and food sectors in these countries, while stimulating collaboration with actors in the private sector linked to the processing of agro-industrial special zones in⁢ Guinea, Senegal and Togo,” ⁣he added.