According to bank provided project information, the overall development objective of the project is to restore Lake Chad and strengthen the resilience of local populations by revitalizing its economic and ecological functions through the improvement of the Chari-Logone water flow. This will make it possible to: (i) preserving Lake Chad by stopping it from drying up, aiming for the gradual restoration of its normal level, as a means of safeguarding, and (ii) strengthening the resilience of the populations by promoting the sustainable development of fishing and irrigated agriculture on the shore of the lake and along the Chari with a view to combating poverty and climate change. The project aims to strengthen the resilience of communities and ecosystems in the Lake Chad basin in response to the challenges of environmental and climate fragility. This will be achieved by prioritizing, on the one hand, the strengthening of the monitoring and governance system of the Lake's shared water resources; and on the other hand, the preparation and mobilization of funding for a Climate Resilience and Lake Chad Ecological and Economic Function Restoration Program by improving the hydraulicity of the Chari-Logone system.

A memorandum of understanding was signed on February 19, 2024 in Addis Ababa between the Bank and the LCBC with the objectives of: (a) restore and rehabilitate degraded ecosystems, improve the management and development of water resources, improve community livelihoods and bring lasting peace to the region; (b) mobilize resources for the Lake Chad Basin in accordance with: (i) the CAS and the regional stabilization strategy of the LCBC; (ii) the Bank's commitments under ADF-16 and JAG-17; (iii) the Bank's High-5 agenda; (iv) the promotion of inclusive green growth and regional integration; and (c) the establishment of cooperation instruments (work plan, communication plan, monitoring and reporting plan, etc.) through which the periodically identified actions will be coordinated, monitored and reported on. This project will be a first milestone in the implementation of this memorandum of understanding. The total cost of the project, including physical and price contingencies, is estimated at 7800706 UC (6,279,334,350 FCFA). The Bank is financing up to 7 million UC, representing 89.74% of the project amount, including 5 million UA (equivalent to 4,024,850,000 CFA francs) under the Regional Public Goods (RPG) window and 2 million UA (equivalent to 1,609,940,000 CFA francs) under pillar 3 of the Transition Support Facility (TSF), The LCBC's counterpart in kind is estimated at 800,706 UC (equivalent to 644,544,309 FCFA), or about 10.26% of the project cost.

The project will provide institutional and technical reinforcement to the Lake Chad Basin Commission and its member states, which will receive equipment to expand the hydrometric network in order to improve knowledge of the availability of water resources, as well as all activities relating to water governance. For the LCBC, this will involve, among other things, (i) the operationalization of the bodies implementing the Regional Stabilization Strategy, (ii) the ratification of and support for the popularization of the Water Charter. It will also involve the formulation and mobilization of resources to finance the regional program for resilience and the restoration of the basin's ecological and economic functions. This regional program will enable the basin's populations, particularly women and young people, to implement income-generating activities and promote value chains linked to the marketing of agricultural and fishery products. The total population of the entire Lake Chad Basin is estimated at around 47 million, which represents 20% of the total population of the six riparian countries. This population is characterized by its youth, predominantly female and with a rurality rate of nearly 80%. The project will therefore have major positive impacts on the living conditions of this population, either directly or indirectly.

Ablasse BILGO
Climate Smart Agriculture Officer, AHAI2
African Development Bank
a.bilgo@afdb.org
www.afdb.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

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ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/