(AfDB) - The Technical Committee of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group met on 18 March 2024 in Abidjan and approved the new work programme for 2024. The committee, responsible for monitoring the work of the AfDB’s Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF), allocated a total of US$4.5 million to support projects in 14 African municipalities and local authorities.

The first part of the programme, totalling some $500,000, will be centred on improving the quality of urban governance. The Fund will launch a capacity-building and consulting programme to improve municipal finances and solvency in six large pilot cities in Africa - Nairobi, Dakar, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Kigali and Lagos. The aim is to maintain the support programme for municipalities and help them identify and access new sources of public and private finance.

The second part of the programme will target urban planning and will receive funding of $900,000. The money will be spent to extend the African Cities Programme to six new cities in addition to 13 already benefiting. This programme involves the design of effective urban action plans and identifying priority investment projects worthy of support from donors including the African Development Bank.

Finally, the Fund will release $2.8 million for the third part of the programme aimed at accelerating the upgrade of urban infrastructure across various fronts. The money will finance preliminary studies for projects (feasibility studies in some cases and detailed technical studies in others). Water-related projects will also play a key role in view of the urgent need to improve resilience of cities and their ability to adapt to climate change. Such projects include sewerage and water drainage in Maroua (Cameroon), sewerage networks in Accra (Ghana), drinking water treatment in the Cairo region (Egypt), coastal works in Nouakchott (Mauritania) and climate-resilient infrastructure planning in Cape Town (South Africa).

The Fund’s support programme for project preparation will also extend to public transport, financing studies to develop the bus network in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and railway services in Lagos (Nigeria).

"These projects have been selected because of their potential impact, their ability to change the daily lives of millions of African citizens living in urban areas, but also because of their inclusive dimension and the benefits they bring for combating and adapting to climate change," said Mike Salawou, Director of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department at the AfDB. Mr Salawou also chairs the Technical Committee.

Launched in 2019, the Urban and Municipal Development Fund acts as facilitator and accelerator of infrastructure projects, promoting a comprehensive approach that fosters synergies between sectors, building capacity of local stakeholders and encouraging dialogue with public and private donors.