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afrol News,18 September - The construction of a catchments basin on Santiago Island today was approved for financing. The project aims at impacting water access, soil conservation and food production on this Sahelian island, which periodically is subject to droughts. The African Development Fund (ADF) today announced it had approved a loan of US$ 8 million to finance the so-called Picos and Engenhos catchments basin planning and development project on Santiago Island in Cape Verde. Also the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA) will co-finance the project benefiting the Catholic island community. The total cost of the project is estimated at US $14.15 million. According to a statement by ADF, the project was in line with the Cape Verdean government's environmental protection and food security strengthening policy. It aimed to "improve soil conservation as well as water resources mobilisation and development with a view to increasing agricultural production in a sustainable manner." The project was to involve the creation or rehabilitation of soil conservation and water resources mobilisation infrastructure, the Fund says. It would promote irrigated farming and livestock through the establishment of a credit fund. The project was also to entail "the sensitisation of the population to organise themselves in economic community cooperatives and associations and the training of beneficiaries on soil conservation, new techniques/farming and agricultural produce conservation methods." According to ADF, this project on Santiago Island would "help reduce rural poverty through the development of the basins and contribute to the community capacity building that will enable an increase of agricultural production and thereby generate more important income for the population." Environmental considerations had been given weight, the Fund claims. The project would "permit to consolidate the efforts to protect the natural habitat and strengthen the agricultural policy with regard to catchments basin planning and development." The water-borne diseases sensitisation campaigns within the project would further contribute to improving the people's health. As far as women were concerned, productive activities such as market gardening, production and sale of high quality seeds, processing of agricultural produce and product marketing would "provide them with substantial additional income." Moreover, the introduction of drip irrigation into the basins would reduce their chores. Poverty reduction, environmental issues and gender sensitivity are basic points of reference when a government asks for external financing of development projects. ADF also plays by these rules, basically defined by the IMF.
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