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AfDB, WB, Nepad push for more investment in water management
2008-03-29 09:42:21
By Guardian Correspondent, Tunis
Following almost continentwide shortfalls in funding for agricultural water management and development, the African Development Bank (AfDB), NEPAD and the World Bank have called for increased funding and renewed commitment to the sector, including irrigation, drainage and rainwater harvesting.
Speaking on Thursday at a special session on agricultural water use in Africa, representatives of the three institutions emphasized the need for governments, the private sector, donors and NGOs to direct more efforts in securing increased funding, not only for the management, but also for the development of agricultural water.
This would see increased water productivity and crop production, among other things.
The special session was part of activities to mark the First African Water Week which began here on Wednesday.
The special session discussed challenges facing agricultural water development in Africa and a proposal for a new initiative aimed at scaling up investments and ensuring a more reliable, broad-based and sustained flow of funds for agricultural water, as well as supporting sectoral strategies in the field of agricultural water.
The initiative would promote knowledge sharing, dissemination and capacity building as well as put in place innovative business lines that would support agricultural water management and sustainable development.
Furthermore, it would also enhance regional integration, coordination and partnerships and empowerment of national and regional stakeholders.
According to the current World Development Report published by the World Bank, growth in the agricultural sector in Africa was vital to poverty reduction and to the achievement of other MDGs.
``Developing water resources and rural infrastructure are among the key priority areas for AfDB in Africa as evidenced by the ongoing agriculture portfolio of the bank which comprises 240 projects covering28 countries with a total investment of USD 3 billion.
Of the total amount, USD 1.37billion, more than a third of the investment portfolio, has been assigned to agriculture water development,`` explained Aly Abou-Sabaa, director of the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department of AfDB.
He said the amount allocated to agriculture water development would cover 53 projects and programmes and benefit 23 countries.
On his part, the World Bank representative explained that the initiative is timely in view of the rising food prices across the globe.``
The World Bank is committed to investing up to USD 1 billion in sustainable agricultural water projects over the next five years,`` said John Stein, acting director of the Sustainable Development Department, Africa Region, in the World Bank.
Commenting on the new initiative, NEPAD`s agricultural advisor, Richard Mkandawire, explained that strategic public and related private investment in water management will be essential for the intensification of agricultural production and for meeting targets for poverty alleviation, food production and economic recovery by 2015.
``Reliance on irregular and unreliable rainfall for agricultural production is a major constraint on crop productivity in the region,`` he said.
Among other things, delegates to the First African Water Week discussed the agricultural water strategy: Investment in agricultural water for poverty reduction and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which was jointly, prepared by the World Bank, AfDB, FAO, International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
The formulation of the strategy was in response to NEPAD's desire to implement land and water management (part 1) of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) which encompasses, among other objectives, an increase in the area under sustainable water management in Africa to 20 million hectares, up from less than 7 million hectares at present.
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