NIGER – The government of Niger has secured US$150 million from the The International Development Association (IDA), a subsidiary of the World Bank Group to fund the Kandadji water and electricity project.
According to a report by Africa Energy Portal the water resources development and sustainable ecosystem management scheme in the Niger River Basin also known as the Kandandji project is expected to benefit close 330,000 people living in the Niger River Basin.
According to the International Development Association (IDA), its additional financing will support the development of irrigation, the promotion of environmental and social safeguard measures, and the creation of local community activities.
More specifically, the Kandadji water and electricity project will make it possible to build new housing in the resettlement sites, provide aid to the populations concerned, with priority given to vulnerable groups, and provide water and sanitation services.
“Given the challenges facing the region, this funding will help the country adapt to the effects of climate change by, identifying local adaptation measures and promoting the development of a renewable source of electricity in Niger,” said Soukeyna Kane, the World Bank’s Director of Operations for Niger.
The Kandadji Dam is at the centre of the Water Resources Development and Sustainable Ecosystem Management Programme in the Niger River Basin.
The construction of the Kandadji dam, located on the Niger River, 150 km from Niamey, the country’s capital, is being carried out by China Gezhouaba Group Company (CGGC).
The reservoir will be 280 metres high and 8,780 metres long. Its reservoir will cover an area of 282 hectares.
Much of the water from the dam will be used to turn the four turbines of a power plant that will be installed below it, with a production capacity of 130 MW.
The Kandadji dam will also be used to irrigate plantations and improve the drinking water supply to Niamey.
The International Development Association (IDA) revealed that the Kandadji programme will eventually lead to the irrigation of 45,000 hectares of plantations.
Upon completion, the Kandadji dam is also expected to produce an average of 629 GWh of additional electricity per year, about half of Niger’s electricity consumption in 2018.
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