( AfDB) - The African Development Bank last month launched the Integrated Urban Infrastructure and Climate Adaptation Study Project in Djibouti city in Djibouti.

The study will lead to a roadmap for improving access to resilient urban infrastructure and basic services. It also entails building institutional capacity for inclusive and participatory urban planning and management while addressing gender disparities.

The project is financed by a $3.8 million grant from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional lending window for low-income African countries. It will run for three years (2023-2025) and be implemented by the Djibouti Roads Agency.

A delegation to Djibouti for the launch event also had separate talks with Djibouti government officials on the benefits of the African Disaster Risk Management Financing Program (ADRiFi).

At a meeting with Djibouti’s Finance Minister and Governor of the Bank, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, the delegation outlined the objectives and components of the ADRiFi program, pointing out that it will provide Djibouti with better cover against flood risks.

The delegation indicated that the program would also build the capacity of national stakeholders involved in disaster risk management and help develop a national disaster risk financing strategy. In his remarks, Minister Dawaleh expressed his approval for Djibouti's participation in the program.

The team had similar discussions with the Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment, Hassan Houmed Ibrahim.

In February 2023, the African Development Bank adopted a new 2023-2027 Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Djibouti. This CSP supports efforts to promote more inclusive growth by focusing on accelerating structural transformation and economic diversification.

For example, the new CSP has prioritized the development of socio-economic infrastructure in the energy and transport sectors. These include improving the mobility of the population and promoting trade, and increasing the production and distribution of cleaner, less expensive energy.

As at 31 May 2023, the African Development Bank's active portfolio in Djibouti amounted to $87 million, covering 11 projects in the transport, energy, social, governance and agriculture sectors.