WASHINGTON, February 3, 2017—The World Bank approved today additional credits for the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP-1C). The total amount is $68 million, with $20 million for Benin, $23 million for Guinea, $15 million for Niger, and $10 million for Togo.
“One of the main challenges in West Africa is satisfying the demands of a rapidly growing population that is expected to increase from 300 million in 2011 to about 500 million by 2030,” said Rachid Benmessaoud, Country Director for Nigeria and Coordinating Director for West Africa Regional Integration Program. “This additional financing will build on WAAPP’s successful achievements so far and speed up adoption of improved technologies and innovations.”
The Program was already able to increase beneficiaries’ yields and income by at least 30 percent and reduce the hunger period by half and improve nutrition standards, resulting from the adoption of new crop varieties, improved crop management practices, and improved small scale food processing technologies.
Activities to be financed through additional financing will include:
- the transformation of the National Centers of Specialization into Regional Centers of Excellence;
- the consolidation and expansion of the regional exchange of agricultural technologies and innovations through the regional technology market for scaled up dissemination and adoption;
- the modernization of the agricultural extension services and technology transfer systems, including expanded use of innovative approaches being piloted under the project in some countries— Innovation Platforms (IPs) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-based instruments such as the E-extension and E-voucher instruments; and
- the strengthening of both the national seed production and distribution systems and the regional seed market to ensure the availability and use of certified quality seeds.
Drawing on the experiences from WAAPP Burkina Faso and Benin, the additional financing will also finance activities related to citizens’ engagement in each of the four recipient countries.
For more information about the World Bank’s work in Benin, Guinea, Niger, and Togo visit:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/benin
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/guinea
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/niger
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/togo
For more information about IDA, please visit: www.worldbank.org/ida
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