Agriculture News South Africa

AfDB supports Cameroon livestock, fish farming with €84m loan

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is in the process of boosting livestock and fish farming in Cameroon with a €84m loan - this is in line with the bank's strategy to create jobs and raise household incomes. The loan will support the modernisation of beef, pork and fish production, with significant improvements to food and nutrition in the country.
U.S. Department of State via
U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia Commons

Both the bank and the Cameroon government are implementing strategic policies aimed at improving food and nutritional security, reducing poverty and improving production infrastructure in rural areas. The bank’s signature High 5s strategy includes policies to feed Africa, industrialise the continent and improve the quality of life of its people.

The project approved by the board will specifically target raising standards and competitiveness in such key livestock value chains as genetics improvement, feeding, slaughter, processing, conservation and transportation. For fish production, the focus will be on rearing, conservation, storage, and processing.

Key target areas, beneficiaries

While the project has a national scope, the Cameroon government has identified three main target areas – the North-West for production, and Central and Coastal for consumption. The impact of the cross-cutting actions involved will, however, be felt in the other regions of the country as well.

Key beneficiaries of the project will be stockbreeders and their cooperatives who constitute 45% of the pastoral sector labour force; fish farmers, input producers and sellers, traders, women wholesale fishmongers and processing operators. In addition, up to 350 higher education graduates will be trained and settled as business leaders.

The project’s total cost is estimated at €99.27m (CFAF 65.113bn. The bank will provide a loan of € 84m (CFAF 55.100bn), while the government will contribute €15.27m (CFAF 10bn) in counterpart funding.

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