The African Development Bank (AfDB) has promised $1.5 billion to harness water resources for agricultural development on the African continent.
The fund would be for the development of technical details of water projects in Africa in the next five years, AfDB Director Ally Abou Sabaa said on the sidelines of an African Green Revolution Forum in early September.
The water development initiative needed at least $5 billion, he said, calling on other players to make contribution for the projects, which were designed to make 8.5 billion cubic metres of water available for crop production as part of the food security program of the continent.
About 90 per cent of food crops consumed in Africa are produced by small-scale farmers, constituting an average of about 60 per cent of the African work force, who depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture for crop production and work with primitive tools such as hoes.
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September 19, 2010
African Development Bank commits $1.5 billion to water resources in Africa
Categories finance, irrigation
