AfDB, Sudan sign $1m emergency relief grant agreement
By Julius N. Uma
September 24, 2010 (JUBA) — Sudan’s emergency and relief sector received a major boost on Wednesday, courtesy of a $1million grant agreement signed between Africa’s largest country and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, AfDB, which was initially established under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Africa, began operating in 1966. Albeit originally only African countries were able to join the bank, since 1982 it has allowed the entry of non-African countries as well.
The donation, according to a September 22 communiqué, is aimed at providing response to the urgent and immediate needs of flood victims in Khartoum State, covering mainly school supplies, materials acquisition, school infrastructure restoration and facility repairs, including sanitation.
Famara Jatta, AfDB’s Resident Representative for its Sudan Field Office (SDFO) signed the agreement on behalf of the bank, while the Undersecretary at the Finance and National Economy ministry, Eltayab Abu Ganaya, signed for the Sudanese government. Hassan Osman, the Director General of the Ministry of Education witnessed the accord.
In his remarks during the ceremony, Ganaya acknowledged the Ivory Coast-based bank’s continued and valued support to Sudan, assuring them that the resources provided would be efficiently used to serve the purposes for which they were intended.
AfDB’s Jatta emphasized the bank’s commitment to the Sudanese people and government, underscoring the need to accelerate the repair and acquisition of school supplies and materials of the affected schools for the benefit of the school children.
This year, persistent floods have caused havoc to the population in Africa’s largest county. In Southern Sudan alone, floods caused by heavy rainfall have displaced over 50,000 people in Northern Bahr El Ghazel, Jonglei, Warrap and Lakes states, leaving thousands homeless and in urgent need for temporary shelter.
Both the federal government in the north and their southern counterpart openly called for urgent assistance. In an emergency meeting held in Southern Sudan recently, James Kok, the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Minister in the southern government openly appealed for 5,000 tents, mosquito nets, food items and utensils.
In a related development, the World Bank had lauded Sudan’s post-war recovery efforts, despite its enormous challenges, describing it as a milestone in the struggle for sustainable development.
The country, according to a press release from the World Bank Group, sufficiently utilized the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which reportedly made important contributions towards improving peoples’ living standards.
Citing the MDTF-N, the World Bank says more than 240 schools were reconstructed and 23,000 teachers trained. As a result, it adds, enrollment in basic education in targeted communities increased by 27 percent.
In the health sector, further notes the bank, the construction of 180 health facilities and training of more than 1,900 health professionals helped to increase the percentage of births attended by skilled health staff by 30 percent. In addition, 332 water points were reportedly rehabilitated and now provide access to safe drinking water for nearly 500,000 people across war-affected states.
(ST)