Contacts:
A Washington: Aby Toure (202) 473 8302
akonate@worldbank.org;
A Niamey: Ibrahim Cheick Diop 227-20-735616
idiop@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, May 29, 2008—The World Bank’s Board of Directors today endorsed a new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Niger to support the implementation of the country’s Accelerated Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy. The CAS outlines a lending and non-lending program for fiscal years 2008 to 2011, with new annual lending estimated at $100 million in IDA grants and credits. The Bank’s strategy has two strategic objectives: 1) to accelerate sustainable growth that is equitably shared; and 2) to develop human capital through equal access to social services. Strengthening governance (with emphasis on economic and financial management and building capacity to implement reforms) and slowing the rapid rate of population growth are also top priorities under the strategy. ‘’The Bank’s support to Niger under this strategy will be more selective than previously,’’ According to Ousmane Diagana, Country Manager for Niger. This is an important aspect of the strategy, which was prepared in close coordination with Government and other development partners, and reflects increased support for the drivers of economic growth, including in rural areas, by strengthening and diversifying agricultural products and improving their export potential, investing in infrastructure and the private sector and supporting regional integration. The new strategy also seeks to increase the share of Bank financing for programmatic and budgetary support to better integrate Bank support with existing Government programs and other donor support. With some 80 percent of its population in the countryside, the most effective strategies for raising incomes and reducing poverty lie in rural development. Niger has great potential for irrigation and agricultural production and has extensive herds of cattle and goats, all of which represent a promising potential for increasing revenues if provided adequate support to grow and diversify. In this context, strengthening Niger’s regional trade integration, and trade arrangements, is also a key element for unlocking the country’s growth potential. “Under these circumstances, the Bank’s support will also include important investments in roads and other basic infrastructure,” says Diagana, “as well as support to strengthen economic governance, public financial management and management of mining resources to increase their development impact.” With the sharp rise in world demand and prices for uranium, a mining boom is on the horizon for Niger. Niger’s annual real GDP growth is expected to average over 5 percent over the 2008-2012 period, fostered mainly by increased public investments in infrastructure and social services and private investment in the uranium mining sector. The Bank’s program in Niger includes support for basic education and girls’ participation in school, health services, community development, and building government capacity to coordinate and mainstream programs to slow population growth by empowering women and improving their opportunities. Niger, whose population is estimated at 14 million, has one of the fastest growing populations in the world, at a rate of 3.3 percent annually. The Bank’s portfolio in Niger comprises eleven active projects, financed by IDA and GEF and representing commitments of $325 million, with an undisbursed balance of US$127 million. Of these active commitments, $157 million (49 percent) are IDA and GEF grants and $167 million (51 percent) are IDA credits. IDA has committed some $30 million of financing to Niger through regional projects, including the Africa Emergency Locust Project; Reversing Land and Water Degradation Trends in the Niger River Basin Project; and the Niger Basin Water Resources Development and Sustainable Ecosystems Management Program. The Bank approved a $30 million Transport Sector Program Support Project on April 29, 2008 and a $30 million Local Urban Infrastructure Project on May 29, 2008, both of which are discussed in the new Strategy. ### For more information on the World Bank in sub-Saharan Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/afr For more information on the World Bank in Niger visit: www.worldbank.org/niger |
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