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afrol News, 10 January - A Malagasy project for the construction and rehabilitation of roads has received a US$ 13 million loan by the African Development Fund (ADF). The grant is to finance the project for the rehabilitation of the RN1 national road and connecting provincial roads in Madagascar. This project is part of the vast road rehabilitation programme undertaken by the government of Madagascar "with a view to sustaining the country's economy recovery through the improvement of the transport sector's efficiency," according to the ADF. The project will involve the rehabilitation of a 61.3 km segment of the RN1 bis between Fanjakamandroso and Tsiroanomandidy including a 56.3 segment of road to be rehabilitated and a 5 km segment, of which 2.2 km in the urban area are to be reconstructed. It will also entail the partial upgrading of 550 km of provincial earth roads, works inspection and supervision, institutional support, provincial roads rehabilitation study and project audit. According to the Fund, the project has many benefits. "It will facilitate access for over 2.5 million inhabitants, particularly women and children, to social and educational centres," ADF says. The project also is to "help increase the incomes of the populations by adding value to agricultural products, generating employment and road maintenance." According to the Fund, "the socio-economic infrastructures to be established by the project will ease the work burden, particularly for women whose incomes will improve with small trading activities that will spring up near the work sites." The ADF loan and the TAF grant accounts for 90 percent of the project whose total cost is estimated at approximately US$ 14.40 million. ADF yesterday approved a loan totalling about US$ 12.97 million to finance the project.
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