The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Commission have signed five co-financing agreements to support road infrastructure projects in West Africa. It will also help fund the rehabilitation of the Lome-Cotonou road, studies and measures for trade and transport facilitation on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, road development and transport facilitation on the Bamako-San Pedro corridor between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the construction of the Rosso bridge between Mauritania and Senegal, and the rehabilitation of the CU2a community road section in Burkina Faso near the border with Niger.
The total cost of the 5 projects co-financed by the Bank and EU is 652 million Euros (428 billion CFA francs). Of this, the Bank contributes 350 million Euros in loans [and grants], the European Commission 105 million Euros in grants (close to 70 billion FCFA), with the remaining amounts financed by other partners, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the concerned West African countries and other donors.
The agreements were signed by Stefano Manservisi, European Commission Director General for International Cooperation and Development, and Charles Boamah, AfDB Senior Vice-President, during the 6th EU-Africa Business Forum, held in Abidjan. The presidents of the Economic Community of West African States and of WAEMU, West African transport ministers and several donors were present at the signing ceremony.
The cooperation agreements form part of a historic framework agreement known as the Pillar Assessed Grant or Delegation Agreement (PAGODA) between the Bank group and the European Commission (EC) on September 25, 2017. They include blended finance instruments to mobilize grant resources to contribute to the implementation of the Bank’s priorities: light up and power Africa, feed Africa, integrate Africa, industrialize Africa and improve the quality of life for people of Africa.
As the continent’s premier financial institution, the Bank is playing a leading role in meeting the financing needs of African countries. The signing of the PAGODA partnership agreement and of these 5 specific infrastructure projects showcases AfDB’s role in leveraging partner institutions to achieve greater development impact.
According to Boamah, the signing of the delegation agreements “demonstrate the strong partnership between the Bank and the European Commission. We are on the right path and I am convinced that our cooperation will continue to grow. For the Bank, PAGODA goes beyond a simple financing framework. The stakes are much higher: we must fulfill our commitment to fight poverty by mobilising additional partners and resources for greater results and impact.” The AfDB and the European Commission are committed to financing development projects focusing on poverty reduction by investing in critical infrastructure to promote seamless connectivity of transport, energy and ICT.
