World Bank Provides $100 Million for the LONDO Project in the Central African Republic

https://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/world-bank-provides-100-million-londo-project-central-african

World Bank Provides $100 Million for the LONDO Project in the Central African Republic

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2019 - The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a $100 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA)* for the LONDO project in the Central African Republic (CAR).

This additional financing will provide temporary employment to vulnerable persons and facilitate access to basic services nationwide. Known as “LONDO+,” this financing will help triple the number of labor-intensive public works beneficiaries, providing close to 5 million paid work days in the country.

“While it will take time for the formal private sector to establish itself across the entire country, the project will continue to fill an important gap by providing temporary jobs in all of the CAR’s districts, including the most remote areas. It will also provide access to basic services, especially in isolated areas where neither humanitarian nor development actors operate,” says Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Country Director for the Central African Republic.

LONDO+ will directly support implementation of the peace agreement signed in Bangui on February 6, 2019. Under this agreement, development projects will provide basic socioeconomic infrastructure, jobs, and labor-intensive public works programs. LONDO+ has five components: (i) local governance; (ii) public infrastructure; (iii) socioeconomic integration; (iv) project management; and (v) contingency emergency response.

Sophie Grumelard, World Bank Senior Social Protection Specialist and Task Team Leader for the project, explains that “the project will gradually promote a bottom-up approach to development to allow communities to articulate their needs to the central government through the local authorities that will represent and defend their interests. It will increase the Government’s logistical and technical capacity and agility to respond to crises in provinces with extremely poor and vulnerable communities.”

The new closing date for the LONDO project is July 30, 2024.

*The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to 1.5 billion people. Since its inception, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged around $18 billion over the past three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.