AfDB allocates $4.5 mln to improve governance in 14 African municipalities

The African Development Bank said it has allocated $4.5 million to back projects in 14 African municipalities.

In a statement, the bank said that 500,000 dollars- as part of the same funding -will be earmarked to improving the quality of urban governance including through the launch of a capacity-building and consulting program to enhance municipal finances and solvency in six large pilot cities in Africa: Nairobi, Dakar, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Kigali, and Lagos.

The aim is to maintain the support program for municipalities and help them identify and access new sources of public and private finance, AfDB said.

The second part of the program will target urban planning and will receive funding of $900,000, it said, adding that the funds will be spent to extend the African Cities Program to six new cities in addition to 13 already benefiting.

This program involves the design of effective urban action plans and identifying priority investment projects worthy of support from donors including the African Development Bank.

The third part, worth $2.8 million, will focus on preliminary studies for projects (feasibility studies in some cases and detailed technical studies in others), including Water-related projects adaptation to climate change.

“Such projects include sewerage and water drainage in Maroua (Cameroon), sewerage networks in Accra (Ghana), drinking water treatment in the Cairo region (Egypt), coastal works in Nouakchott (Mauritania), and climate-resilient infrastructure planning in Cape Town (South Africa),” it said.

Launched in 2019, the Urban and Municipal Development Fund acts as facilitator and accelerator of infrastructure projects, promoting a comprehensive approach that fosters synergies between sectors, building capacity of local stakeholders and encouraging dialogue with public and private donors.