(AfDB) - The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a €28.88 loan for improvements to the road and transport network linking six Senegalese municipalities.  The loan was approved on 20 September 2022.

The financing will be sourced from savings from the Senegal Cities Modernisation Programme.

The funds will support the construction of 28 kilometers of urban roads in asphalt concrete, paving stones and concrete. These works will complement earlier project achievements including the construction of 45.4 kilometers of asphalt roads, 21.6 kilometers of paved roads and the rehabilitation of 11.2 kilometers of asphalt roads.

The target areas are Yeumbel Nord (Dakar suburbs), Keur Massar and Guédiawaye (Dakar region), Thiès (West), Kaolack (Centre-West) and Saint-Louis (North-West).

The financing will also be used for drainage, public lighting, and the construction or repair of cabins that can be used as restaurants and sheds. An empowerment centre will also be set up to advance women’s and youth employment. Under the initiative, local authorities will receive training in geographic information systems, database management, planning, investment programming and procurement.

The programme is expected to improve the competitiveness of the beneficiary cities, which will be able to undertake planned growth. The support to Senegal's first Cities Modernisation Programme demonstrates the Bank's renewed approach to supporting the development of urban areas. This approach, which combines investment in infrastructure and institutional capacity building, is all the more important as it focuses on medium-sized and peripheral cities, thus contributing to regional rebalancing.

Launched in 2017 to boost decentralisation and drive Senegal’s economic and social development in the country, the first Cities Modernisation Programme received €114.34 million in financing from the African Development Bank. It covers 13 municipalities in the country: Diourbel, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thiès, Ziguinchor, Guediawaye, Keur Massar, Yeumbeul and Mbour. Objective:

About the African Development Bank Group

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development financing  institution, It comprises three separate entities: the African Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries and a field office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information, please visit www.afdb.org