The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group approved a US$ 22.49 million loan to Zambia for the development of Lake Tanganyika.

The project is part of the long-term vision for Zambia “Vision 2030” which intends to create “a prosperous middle-income country by 2030”.

The project involves the installation of drainage and water distribution systems and the development of infrastructure will involve installing of central pivot systems to enhance production of sugarcane. It will also see development of 13 modern market platforms, as well as small scale irrigation schemes.

The work will be implemented over a five-year period in two districts, Mpulungu and Nsama, which surround the drainage basin of the lake and which have 157 830 inhabitants. The incidence of poverty is much higher in these districts than in other districts of Zambia.

More specifically, the project will promote sustainable and equitable management and use of the lake’s natural resources, and it will help improve the livelihoods of local communities in the drainage basin of the lake.

Unleashing the full potential of the lake’s resources will increase the incomes of rural households. Project implementation will be participative, so that local people take ownership of it and ensure its sustainability.

The total estimated cost of the project is US $29.62 million. In addition to AfDB, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is making a contribution with a US $7 million donation and the Zambian government is committing US $190 000.