The government of the Central African Republic and the African Development Bank Group launched the Regional Support Programme for the Development of Cross-Border Water Infrastructure and Resources between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (PREDIRE) in Bangui on August 5.
Bertrand Arthur Piri, Minister of Energy and Water Resource Development, and Mamady Souaré, head of the African Development Bank Group’s Country Office for the Central African Republic, chaired the launch ceremony, which was attended by other members of the government, including Éric Mathieu Rokosset Kamo (Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works), Ernest Mada (Government Minister and Secretary-General), Nicaise Nassin (Public Safety & Security), Bruno Yapandé (Territorial Administration and Decentralization), Marcel Dimasse (Civil Service and Administrative Reform) and Obed Namsio (representing the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Cooperation).
Local officials, technical and financial partners of the Central African Republic, representatives of civil society and numerous guests attended the event.
The Regional Support Programme for the Development of Cross-Border Water Infrastructure and Resources between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo aims to develop the immense water resources of the Ubangui Basin by sustainably transforming the socioeconomic living conditions of people living alongside the river, while consolidating regional integration.
The African Development Bank finances it in the amount of $121 million. The project will be implemented over five years from November 2024 to November 2029.
“PREDIRE is in line with the vision of the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera, for sustainable and inclusive development based on equitable access to drinking water, sanitation, food security and environmental protection,” said Minister Piri.
“It also demonstrates the strength of the partnership between the Central African Republic and the African Development Bank, a privileged partner in the country’s development,” he added.
Built around the water–food security–climate nexus, the programme comprises two complementary sub-programmes. The first, launched on Tuesday, focuses on improving the hydrological information system in the Ubangui Basin, preparing for future investments, and building climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.
The second sub-programme, currently in preparation, will focus on financing water collection infrastructure for the Agricultural Transformation Programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), improving river navigation throughout the Ubangui Basin in the Central African Republic, the DRC and the Congo River, and protecting and building the resilience of vulnerable communities to the effects of climate change.
“By taking an integrated and inclusive approach, PREDIRE will help strengthen the climate resilience of communities while boosting economic growth through water, navigation and sustainable agriculture services,” said Mr. Souaré. He restated that “100% of the financing is dedicated to combating the effects of climate change, making it a flagship project in the Bank’s climate portfolio”.
The programme aims to improve the sustainable management of shared water resources in the cross-border Ubangui Basin, while promoting the development of infrastructure essential to ensuring a secure water supply for people, agriculture, and agricultural processing industries.
It also provides for strengthening the institutional capacities of national and regional actors, in particular the International Commission of the Congo-Ubangi-Sangha Basin (CICOS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), in the areas of water resource governance and integrated basin management.
The Central African Republic component of the programme includes the construction of a new raw water pumping station with a capacity of 6,500 m³/hour, a water treatment plant with the same capacity, a 50,000 m³ storage facility, the extension of 208 kilometres of distribution network, the installation of 15,000 social connections and the construction of new headquarters for the Central African Water Distribution Company (SODECA).
The programme covers the provinces of Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi and Mongala in the DRC, as well as Greater Bangui in the Central African Republic. More than 2.4 million people (51 per cent of whom are women) will benefit directly from the project.
Sixty-nine per cent of these beneficiaries live in absolute poverty, while 71 per cent are young people, at least 50 per cent of whom are girls.
The project will generate 3,400 jobs, including 1,200 permanent positions, through infrastructure works, entrepreneurship training, the provision of water and sanitation services, and improvements to river navigation.
In addition, a specific resilience and social cohesion programme will be implemented to benefit 25,000 people, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In terms of governance, the project plans to strengthen the capacities of more than 1,300 stakeholders.
One hundred per cent of the women targeted will benefit from skills development within national, regional and community institutions involved in the preservation of shared resources.
