Interconnectivity: Africa’s ICT, Transport Sectors Get $1.6bn AfDB Loans In 2016

The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it granted $1.6bn in total loans to fund projected in the continent’s transport and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors across 15 countries in 2016.
The bank in its Annual Report of the Infrastructure, Cities and Sustainable Development Department, published on 9 June 2017, estimates that this “would have a positive impact on the living conditions of close to 20m (people in the continent) over the next few years.”
Specifically, the bank said the fund, which brings its total intervention in both sectors to 118 projects in 47 countries, cumulatively valued at $11.8bn, went into financing of projects such as roads interconnecting countries, railway lines, urban infrastructure and projects related to new information and communication technologies.
Commenting, Amadou Oumarou, Director of AfDB’s Infrastructure, Cities and Sustainable Development Department, said “transport and ICT play a pivotal role in the pursuit of the Bank’s five operational priorities, particularly in supporting industrialisation, regional integration, agricultural modernisation and for the overall improvement of the living conditions of Africans.”
One of the transport projects- “the Mueda-Negoman road opened the first paved link between Mozambique and Tanzania, and will connect with other roads financed by the AfDB in the region.
“The Trans-Saharan fibre optic backbone will connect Chad and Niger with their neighbours, strengthening internet access in particularly remote areas. The report explains how the projects being financed contribute to regional integration across the continent. This year, the approved projects will finance the paving 1120 km of roads and laying 2060 km of fibre optic cable,” the AfDB statement added.
“The financing of each infrastructure project is accompanied by measures designed to stimulate economic activity and improve the wellbeing of the people in the project areas.
“A road project connecting Rwanda and Uganda includes launching a training program for 1,600 women who make their living through cross-border trade, the construction of two markets near the border crossing and support to seven local associations.
“Also of note are projects to provide better access to isolated areas of Cameroon and southern Ethiopia, accompanied by strong support for agricultural development and construction of health and education infrastructure.
In 2016, AfDB evolved in such a way as to emphasise urban mobility and the development of sustainable cities. The report cites the creation of a “Cities and Urban Development” division, which will assist in tackling challenges posed by the continent’s rapid urbanisation. The past year was marked by significant infrastructure projects in Abidjan, Accra and Kampala, amounting to over $500m, an unprecedented Bank investment in the urban transport sector.
Finally, the projects being financed reflect how the AfDB “accompanies its partners and clients, especially in capacity building. The 2016 operations include the training of 250 local staff and administrative managers. In the long-term, the Bank is committed to finance the elaboration of local, national and multinational infrastructure development strategies.
“These would include the establishment of an urban development plan for Accra; creation of an agency dedicated to coastal protection in Togo; design of a development plan for Lake Victoria involving three neighbouring countries, and coordinating preliminary studies for the construction of a highway corridor between Abidjan and Lagos connecting five countries. In doing so, the bank will strengthen the level of expertise and coordination of its member states’ administrations thereby opening the way for future development projects,” it added.

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