Socioeconomic development aspects of the programme: annual report, 1978

JOINT COORDINATING COMMITTEE Onchocerciasis Control Programme in thc Volta Rivcr Basin Arca Ofice of thc Indepcnfunt Choinmn c/o World Health Organization l2ll Geneva 27, Switzcrlend Tct. 3,r6061 Tchx zIIJ$ 2782L J.C.C.-C.C.C. COMITE CONJOINT DE COORDINATION Programme de Luttc Contre l'Onchocercose dans la Rdgion du Bassin de la Volta Burcau du Prtsident h&pcndant c/o Organisation Mondialc de la Sant6 l2l1 Gcnlve 27, Suisse T.t 34@51 rltcxlills 27A21 JCCs.6JOINT COORDINATING COMMITTEE Fifth session Lon6, 5-8 D,ecember 1978 25 September 1978 Provisional asenda item 8 The Independent Chairman submits for the consideration of the Joint Coordinating Committee, at its fifth session, the document "Socioeconomic Development Aspects of the Onchocerciasis Control Programme, Annual Report, 1978". This document has been reviewed by the Steering Commlttee. @ WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Ce documcnt ne conetituc pas une publication. ll nc doit faire I'objct d'aucun compte rendu ou r6sumd ni d'aucunc citation sans I'autorisation de I'Organication Mondialc dc la Sant6. Les opinions cxprim6cs dans lcs artrclGa signdo n'engagcnt que lcurs auteurs. ocPf Fnuf 78 I SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOT'I'IENT ASPECTS OF TIIE PROGRAMME ANNUAL REPoRT, 1978 presented by the Onchocerciasis Control Prograrnme in the Volta River Bagin area TABLE OF CONTENIS INTRODUCTION SECTION I ACTIVITIES OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT I'NIT AND MISSIONS SECTION II. ACTIVITIES OF IIIE NATIONAL ONCHOCERCIASIS PI.ANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS SECTION III. DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES IN IITE ONCITOCERCIASIS ZONE INTRODUCTION This is Ehe second annual report on socioeconomic developm.ent in the area of Ehe Onchocerciasis Control Prograrmre. It follows the same general lines as its predecessor. The Economic Development Unit of Che Prograrnne continues to serve as an instrument of liaison and information coordination and to fuIfiI its advisory functions. Its role for the future will depend on Ehe views and recormendations of the JoinE Coordinating Comittee of the Progra*e aided by the economic review reporE of the World Bank team which visited OCP at the beginning of the year. Page 1 2 2 7 The issue of this document docs not constitute formal publication. lt ehould not be revicwcd, abstracted or guotcd without the agrcemcnt of the World Hcalth Organization. Authors alone are responsible for yiGws exprcsscd in signed articles. owfzoufta.t page 2 SECTION I ACTIVITIES OF TIiE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT T'NIT AND MISSIONS The Economic Development Unit carried ouE its basic Easks of assembling information and monitoring developmenEs in the Progranrme area during the course of the year. In early 1978 letters ldere sent to the Chairman of each National Onchocerciasis Comnittee, and the national authorities responsible for health, planning, and rural developnent, requesting information on developments in the Programe area since the last information submitted in 1977. Similar requests were mede to multinaEional and bilateral aid agencies operating in the various countries, namely, the United Nations Development Prograune, and the aid agencies of the donor countries. Ihese requests were followed up by visits to the various countries by members of Ehe Unit. Missions and visits in the Progreme area The Economic Review mission, under Professor Elliot Berg, sent out by the World Bank to assess the economic aspect of the Progreme,visited OCP and Upper Volta from 23 January to 3 February. Thereafter the team visited the other countries of Ehe Programoe during the first half of the year. Ihe sociologist of the Unit was seconded to work with the team for the duration of its mission, and in the course of his assignment travelled with the team throughout the Progrargne ar ea. The rest of the Unitrs staff meintained regular contacts through visits to the participa- ting counEries. The public health adviser, who was appointed in March, made a familizarization tour of the area shortly after he joined the Programre. The conEractors for the earth satellite study of the oncho zones of Benin, Ghana and Upper Volta established their base in Ouagadougou in the first quarter of the year and started their field work in roid-April. The Unit received many visitors in the course of the year. As well as providing information, its members had many fruitful discussions and exchanges of views. Contacts with resional oreanization s multinational and bilateral aid missions Informal contacts and working relationships were maintained with regional organizations in Ehe Prograrune area as well as \,rith multinational and bilateral aid missions. Meetines. conferences and seminar s Members of the Unit participated whenever possible at meetings, conferences and seminars of interest to their work. Chief among these were the meeting of representatives of the National Onchocerciasis Comittees held at CoEonou, Benin, 6-8 June, and the meeting of the Economic Development Advisory Panel of the Programe in Paris during the month of September. SECTION II ACTIVITIES OF THE NATIONAL ONCHOCERCIASIS PIANNING AND DEVELOPMB.IT ORC.ANIZATIONS By accident or design, the trend of development planning arrangements in the countries of the Programe is in the direction of regional planning. Indeed, some kind of regionaliza- tion of adrninistrative planning arrangemenEs is inevitable, e.g. as with E.he Ministry of Rural Development in UpPer Volta where there are 11 Offices R6gionaux de D6veloppemenE (ORD) or in Ghana where the Ministry of Economic Planning is decentralized among the nine administrative regions of the country. Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin have also adopted adEinistrative regions for planning and development purposes. ocefnoufta.r page 3 In Ivory Coast a serious attempt has been made to execute planning and develoPEent on a regional basis Ehrough the Direction de ltAo6nageoent du Territoire eE de lrAcEion R6gionale(DATAR). However, the idea of correcting regional imbalances is sErongly established in all the countries of Ehe Programe. Benin The national planning sEructure in Benin is in Process of evolution according to Ehe unfolding needs of the country which is moving towards a multidisciplinary planning otgani-za- tion at Ehe central and the regional (or provincial) level. Ihe plannlng uniE, at central as well as regional leve1 is expected to include a teaE of agro-economist, planning economist, veEerinarian, physical planner, public health planner, sociologist, demographerfstatistician, geographer, ethnologist, hisEorian and public works engineer. Already the various CARDER's (Centres drAcEion R6gionale pour le D6veloppement Rural) spearheaded by the agro-economist and veterinarian in each province are leading the drive for increased agricultural production according to production targets centrally determined. The CARDER operaEes within the overall provincial planning orgaaLzation and the socioeconomic sEudies as well as the planning and development of the Benin oncho zone come within the integrated planning framework at the provincial level, in the AEacora and Borgou Provinces. Arrangenents for Ehe execution of the socioeconomic studi-es in Ehe Benin oncho zone, which covers abouE 50% of the country, are continuing. The st,udies will be carried out by a USAID-funded Eeam with the full collaboration of the Bureau Central des ProjeEs of the Ministry of Planning and oEher cooperating minisEries. The revised project cost of US$ 835 OOO will cover data collection, documentary synthesis and field research involving intervi.ews aE village leve1 for Ehe socioeconomic survey. It is hoped to have the srudy team in place by the end of 1978. Meanwhile, the Protocol between the Government and the African DevelopmenE Bank for the earth satellite study of the Benin oncho zone was signed early in the year and arrangeoents for implementing the study have begun. Formal planning and development activities for the oncho zone await the implementation of the socioeconomic studj-es which will be undertaken in the course of 1979. In the meanEime, however, developnenE acEivit.ies are proceeding outside the framework of formal oncho zone planning. These are discussed in Section III of this report. Ghana (a) Onchocerciasis Survey Unit Planning and development of the oncho zone seems to be following a regional pattern on Ehe basis of exisEing adminisErative divisions. Thus while planning and development of the oncho zone (currenEly comprising the Northern and Upper Regions) is being formally coordinated by the National Onchocerciasis Secretariat under the general supervision of t,he Ministry of Economic Planning, one of whose senior officials is designated Chairman of the National Onchocerciasis Conmittee, i.n fact these activities have so far been conducted on strictly regional a&ninistraEive 1ines. llith the establishment of the Onchocerciasis Survey Unit iE is hoped that the planning activities for the oncho zone will be centralized under the Secretariat. Ihe Onchocerciasis Survey Unit which was originally planned as a parE of the Upper Region Agricultural Development Project (URADEP) has been, by conmon agreement €rmong the principals concerned, assigned under the direcEion of Ehe National Onchocerciasis SecretariaE and will be physically located in the regional office of the Ministry of Economic Planning in Tamale. ocefeoufta.r page 4 The post of Developm.ent Planning Coordinator once filled, the oncho zone studi-es will comence for both Ehe Northern and Upper Regions. These studies will be contracted out as originally planned, with national institutions - it. is expected - playing an important role.The financing of the studies will be provided within the framework of funding of rhe URADEp. (b) Oncho zone and other related s tudies (i) The uS$ 5Oo OOo originally allocaEed by the IJNDP for oncho zone socioeconomic studies will now be devot.ed mainly to: - general development and planning assistance Eo the Executive Director of the NaEional Onchocerciasis SecretariaE including training of personnel in regional development planning; - coordination of field studies to be undertaken by the Onchocerciasis Survey Unit of the SecreEariat with those t.o be undertaken in other regions and by other organizations I - provision of equipment for the National Onchocerciasis Secret.ariat and the Institute of Aquatic Biology. (ii) The implemenEation of the earth satellite study of the oncho zone of Ghana has begun, following the signature at the end of October L977 of. the Protocol beEween the Government and the African Development Bank. (iii) The North-east Ghana Savanna project with a history dating back to 1971 is a three-year project which sEarted in 1975 with a grant of USg 590 OOO by USAID/Ghana supplernented by a Ghana Government contribution of / SIO OOO for financing research intoland resources utilization in the drought-threaEened savanna zone of northern Ghana. Ihe object of the study is to arri-ve at Deasures for arresting land degradation and incipient desertification in the Northern and Upper Regions of Ghana. (iv) The project has the following components: (1) socioeconomic, (2) culrivation practices; (3) water availability and distribuEion; (4) overgrazi-r.g and deforestaEion;(5) bush burning wiEh remote sensing subproject. Io date, aspects of the socioeconomic conPonent, bush burning component and remote sensing subprojecE have been completed. Ihe study, centred on the T:mne River Basin of the Upper Region, is due to be completed in 1978 but has been exEended to 1979. Ihe results of this research may be of some use to other drought-threatened areas within the perimeter of the Onchocerciasis Control Progranrme. Ivory Coast Ivory Coast has laid great emphasis on regional developmenE and planning, an emphasis which has been strongly reflected in its development plans of l97L-L975 and 1976-1980. Both plans underline two main objectives: (1) a high rate of growth; (2) national unity and economic integration through the reduction of regional and social disparities. In pursuit of these objectives: (a) a regional planning organizaEion, the Direction du D6veloppement R6gional (DDR), ex-Direction de lrAm6nagement du Territoire et de lrAccion R6gionale (DAtAn) was established in 1973 within the Ministry of Planning; and (b) a programe of regional development was launched involving: (i) Integrated regional development of the disadvantaged areas by sEate regional development organizations (the soci6E6s drEtat particuliEres) with concentration on owf nouf ta.r page 5 - the south-west region, where the regional developnnent oPerations were assigned to a state organization, IrAutorit6 pour la mise en valeur de la r6gion Sud- Ouest (South-west Regional Development Authority) ; - the central region, where the regional development oPerations, known as Operation Kossou, were assigned to another state organizaEion, lrAutorit6 pour la mise en valeur du Bandama (Bandama Valley Development Authority). (ii) Decentralization of industries away from Ehe Abidjan area through localization of large private and state investments principally in Eowns siEuated along the railway linking Abidjan to Ouagadougou, the R6gie Abidjan-Niger (RAN): - private investment in textile companies at Agboville, Dimbokro and Bouak6; - joint state-private investment in agro-industrial ventures, e.g. the sugar complexes at Ferk6ssddougou; - in the savanna zone, state enterprises invesEing in cultivation of cotEon, rice, fruit and markeE gardening products. At the plan iroplementation level in the various rural areas of each region, the principal organ of intervention is the Fonds R6gional drAmdnagement Rural which derives its funding from the State through annual contributions by the Special Investment and Equipment Budget (Budget Sp6cial dtlnvestissemenE et d'Equipement) (BSIE), Ehe local populations involved and, hope- fully, exEernal aid sources, other national public organizaLions as well as Private sources. These Fonds R6gionaux finance programmes established at the local leve1 in each region, with the aid of the technical departments of minisEries represented on regional direcE.ion connnittees established for this purpose (Comit6 Directeur R6gional) and serviced by an arm of DATAR known as Ehe D6l6gation R6gionale du Plan; and with the assisEance also of DATAR, the UNDP and the national office for rural developoent (Office National de la Promotion Rurale). Ihere has recently been a review of the role and policy of state enterprises in the economy, Ihe tendency seens to be to redress the balance in favour of more scope for, and assistance to, the smal1 farmer and small-scale enterprises. The numerous state development agencies which intervene in the production of various kinds of agricultural producEs wiII be coordinated by three regional develoPment organizations(Soci6t6s r6gionales de D6veloppement Rural or SDRs) corresponding to Ehe three major geographic and climatic zones respectively, the Northern or Savanna Region, the Central Region and the Lower Coast or Southern Region. Ihe responsibiliEy for the establishmenE of Ehe Northern SDR has been entrusted Eo the state agency CIFDT (Compagnie Ivoirienne pour le D6veloppernent des Fibres Textiles); the Central SDR to another state agency, SATMACI (Soci6t6 drAssistance Technique pour Ia Modernisation Agricole de la COte drlvoire); and the Southern SDR to a Ehird state agency, SODEPALM (Soci6t6 pour le D6veloppement des Palmeraies). Ihe oncho zone of Ivory Coast, wtrich lies entirely in the savanna area, has been the beneficiary of most of the investment in sugar, cotton, rice, fruit and market gardening as well as in livestock - all wiEhin the framework of regional development and planning designed Eo correct regional disparities. Thus planning and development of the oncho zone is effectively integrated inE.o national and regional planning and development. MaI i In MaIi arrangements for t.he planning and development of the oncho zone of that country have been further strengthened by the appointment of a National Coordinator for all matters relaEing to the oncho zone. This measure is expecEed to give boEh stimulus and direction to development activities in the area. In particular, it is expected thaE Ehere will result a more effective liaison between development in the field and the work of the Cellule de Planification. ocef vouf ta.t page 6 the start of oncho zone ( rhe uNDP/FAO RAF/740.43). Implementation of the socioeconomic studies in Eh e oncho zone has recently begun with project entitled Plannine of the economic development of the This project is located in the Ministry of Planning and directed by a national and former minister of the Mali Government. The role of the Celtule de Planification is firstly to prepare a lO-year plan for the development of the I'lali oncho areas. An agricultural programe being already i-n execution, special emphasis will be placed on elaboraEion of an industrial programne which up to now has noE attracted funding. Secondly, it will ensure coordination between all ministries in order to prevent project botE.lenecks arising from vari-ous causes. Niger Planning for the Niger oncho zone, which lies in the Arrondissernent de Say is organized by the Ministry of Planning under the title of the Say Project. As such, it is integrated into the national planning structure which operates adrninistratively from the base through the Comit6 Technique d'Arrondissement (COTEAR) presided by the Subprefect, through the Comit6 Technique D6partemental (COTEDEP) presided by the Prefect, up to the Conseil National de D6velopperaent Presided by the Minister of Planning and serviced by a permanenE secretariat. The planning activities for the oncho zone which has been designated the Say project(Projet Say) have been reinforced with the appointment in Ehe latter part of 1977 of a coordinaEor of the project. Towards the end of December L977 an interminisEerial meeting was held to consider t.he work which had been done in connexion with development planning for the Say Project, as well as advice which had been received in connexion with the proposed p1an. Ihis plan had envisaged three types of priority areas: (i) settlement zones for establishing new populations; (ii) enclaves wiEh great agricultural potential to be developed and integrated with the rest of the economy; (iii-) areas \,rith special resource endor^nnents, e.g. agricultural 1owlands, areas suiEable for sugar plantations. At the interrninisterial meeting it was decided not to proceed with plans for the colonization experiment - at least for the time being - and to concentrate on improving the welfare of the existing population of the Arrondissement de Say by actions in the area of infrastructure (health, water and transportat.ion) and agricultural production. Additional information regarding pedology, hydraulics and human resources of the area is expected to complement the socioeconomic report. prepared by the Institute for Research in Human Sciences il Lg76f77 as well as improve the planning and preparation of investment projects for the Say Project. toBg The oncho zone of Togo falls within the region of Togo Nord which includes the Kara, Savanes and Centrale regions. Several socioeconomic studies relating to the Togo oncho zone have already been compleEed and include the following: (a) a resource inventory and development prograume for the Oti Valley in the Savanes region, undertaken by the Soci6t6 d'Etudes de D6veloppement Economique et Social (SEDES) under contract with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and financed by UNDP; o*f wuf ta.r (b) a study on Government; page 7 the develoFent of the middle valley of the oti financed by the (c) a study on the develop,menE of the middle valleys of Binah and PaEalou underEaken r.riEh IEalian assisEance ; (d) a study on the intensification of agricultural producEion in the area west of Dapaong, Savanes region, planned to start Lo' L979; (e) a sEudy on food production in the areas of Atchangbade and Sirka, planned to come into operation in 1979. Other studies in Progress concern: (i) Ehe ranches Eo be established at Borgou (Savanes region), Dako (Centrale region) and Adele, Ehe last ro become operational in 1979 with financing assured by the EuroPean DevelopmenE Fund (eof) ; (ii) development of the Mandouri Plain; (iii) evaluaEion of the development Programes for half of Togo Nord. yet to be undertaken with finance expectedA study of che development of the M6 Plain is to be provided by Ehe World Bank. Upper VoIta Planning and development activities for the oncho zone conEinue Eo be the shared responsibility of Ehe AuEorit6 des Am6nagements des VaI16es des Volta (eW) on the one hand, and the various regional development agencies (Offices R6gionaux de D6velopPement) or ORDs of the Ministry of Rural Development (for non-AW oncho areas) on the other. The perimeEers of Ehe AW account for some 30 OOO km2 of the oncho area in Upper Volta (i.e. aPProximately 137") but Ehis includes the valleys of the B1ack, Red and White Voltas - Ehe areas most affecEed by onchocerciasis. Ihe consultants responsible for preparing the global programe of studies (the firm of Courtoy) and invesEments of the AW for the five-year period, 1978-1982, presented their report early in 1978. The Prococol between the Government and the African Development Bank for the execucion of the earth satellite study of the countryrs oncho zone hras signed early in Ehe year and Lhe cont.ractor established his office in Ouagadougou in preparat.ion for the start of operaEions. SECTION III DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES IN TIIE ONCHOCERCIASIS ZONE Operational area of the Onchocerciasis Control Programe Up to the end of 1977 the area covered by the Onchocerciasis ConErol Prograrme remained aE abour 7oo ooo km2 (precisely 654 oOO km2). In 1978 ir increased to 764 OOO km2 wiEh the decision taken by the Joint Coordinating Conmittee of the Progra'nme in December L977 to include an additional area in the Ivory Coast. The importance of the area and populaEion of each counEry included in Ehe Programe varies from one country to another as the following figures for 1978 indicate: Percentage of Territory Population National territory National population In national oncho zone as percentage of OCP Covered by the OCP Area Population Upper Volta *Ivory CoasE Benin Ghana Togo MaIi Niger 84 66 50 4l 32 10 I 90 7I 20 19 28 26 2 30 29 7 13 2 16 2 36 33 4 L2 4 10 I ocPf EDuf 78.L page 8 * Including extension area. Develoment activities in the Prosr a,me area in 1978 Most of the existing projects were already covered in the 1977 report. This circumstance has provided an opportunity to examine, in 1978, the general climate of developrnent in the oncho zone of each country and to set Ehe new projects in Ehis context. The format of this section of the report has therefore been somewhat amended from that adopted in the similar section of the 1977 report. In the first place, in some cases(Ghana for example), few projects had been developed to a stage wtrere information about cost, financing, location, duration and executing agency was available. Discussion of the projects, in such cases, has had to be conducted in general terms. BENIN A. General The economy of Benin is currently managed under the Three Year P1an, L977-L979, envisaging a Eotal investment of CFA 243 9O3 million by the end of L979, of u*rich 43% ts hoped t.o derive from external sources. The key invesEment sectors of the plan are, i-n descending order of importance, industry 46%, equi-pment 18%, transport 137., and rural development ll%. Education 7% and health 37. come very low on the list, wtrile conmerce and tourism are each assigned 1%. From the point of view of the development of the oncho zone Ehe key investment sectors are rural development, health and education which together are assigned less than one-quarter of total invesEment. Ihe Government is currenEly reorganizing its entire economy and bringing it increasingly under the control of state enterprises. Much of the recent development has occurred as much under the Plan as under the great polar influence of its neighbour, Nigeria, which has made considerable use of the port of Cotonou as a principal transit point for Nigerian imports. B. Developments in the oncho zone The principal activities in the oncho zone during the year have centred on agriculture. In this connexion the C.ARDERs have played a leading parE in increasing agricultural production, each C,ARDER havlng been assigned production targets for vegetables, animal production, production of fruits and forest products to be realized on a 5OO ha farm. owf uovfta.t page 9 Agricultural credit has been provided under various fotms. ftre Ministry of Finance established a regional agricultural credit organization for the Borgou Province consisting of 55 meobers with a capital of CFA 36.1 miLlion. Ttris will be devoted to making loans to farmers. The Caisse Nationale de Cr€dit Agricole (CNC,A) has established a faro for diversified agriculture in the Province of Atacora. Ihe first harvest of fish froo fish ponds established by the livestock and fisheries service of the Benin Government was effected at Tan6kakoko in Atacora Province at the beginning of the year. C. Developen E problems Other than Ehe general problems connected hTith "d6senclavement", i.e. the integration of the oncho zone into the national economy, the most serious problems so far have been the need to improve cultivaEion practices. While the national campaign gains strength for mass involvement at all levels in the development of the country, care has to be taken to avoid misdirection of resources of the type which so often bedevils all self-help projects in co'munity development, chiefly efforts in construction of social capital assets (1ike schools, dispensariesr Post offices, etc.) for which adequate provision uusE be made for personnel and maintenance exPenses. GHANA A. General eponderanE problem and, nacurally, affects all investment Ihe total cost of the Five Year Plan L97 6 - L979 80 originally set at 6.7 million cedis will have to be considerably revised by a factor of aE least four or five. The Lg77f78 budget expenditure of the Ghana GovernmenE is estim,ted at 25OO million cedis - an increase of more than 1007. on the previous yearrs budget. The principal project in the Five-Year Plan is the Kpong Barrage and hydroelectric project est.ioaEed to cost sone US$ 236 million (its current cost in cedis is indeterninate) and is being financed by Arab banks, the European Investnent Bank and the European Development Fund of the EEC, the Canadian International Development Agency, Ehe Wor1d Bank, and on the Ghana side, the Volta River Authority which is in charge of the construction and Eanagement of the project. B. Developments in the oncho zone Inflation continues to be a Pr and public expenditure calculations Development,s of interest to the oncho zone of Ghana are chiefly in culture, forestry and water supply. Drought conditions which continue the Programe area were felt in northern Ghana during the later part of part of 1978 resulting in shortage of staple foods. Ihis necessitated international organizations for food aid. the areas of agri- Eo threaten parts of 1977 and the early an aPPesl to In consequence of this appeal 12 5OO tons of cereals and large quantiEies of milk powder were received in donations and the EEC made a gift of 86 utility vehicles to assure Ehe disEribution of food in the Northern and Upper Regions. (i) Agriculture The Five-Year Development Plan gives a high priority to i-ncreased agriculEural production Many factors contribute to this high priority, including: (a) growth in population and consequent demand for food; ocvfnoufta.r page 10 (b) low price of cocoa in world markets and increased food inports; and (c) drought conditions in the northern half of the country. ImPortanE contributions towards achieving increased food production were mpde during Ehe year. (1) uSArD/Ghana undertook to provide uSg 45 million to the developm.enr of Ghanaian agriculture in the next four years, 1978-1982, an important element in which will be assistance Eo the Ghana Agricultural Developm.ent Bank to establish 40 branches in the rural areas,including the oncho zone, for the purpose of providing credit to smal1 farmers. (2) IrrigaEion Project at hralugu, Upper Region: the Ghanaian Head of State inaugurated, at the beginning of the year, an important irrigaEion project covering 1OO OOO hectares forproduction of food croPs and vegetables. When completed it will be one of the most important of such projects in Africa. (3) The Agricultural Development Bank embarked upon the promotion of large-scale commercial block farming for the benefit of large comerical faraers. The Bank is acquiring 10 OOO hectare blocks of farm land throughout the country, to be subdivided inEo large units ranging from 15o to 15OO hectares. The Bank will team up with other financial and develop- ment instituti-ons to uobilize capital and provide inputs, mrchinery, equipment, housing and other services such as storage, processing and marketing services. AI1 these will beprovided jointly for the settlers on the large co*ercial farms. (4) The operations of the Upper Region Agricultural Development project (IIRADEp) weregetting slowly off the ground in spite of recruitment problems, shortage of housing and power and the impact of inflation on the operations of the project. (5) The work of the Ghanaian-Gennan Agricultural Developnent Project continued mostlyin the Northern Region on a reduced scale. It wil1, however, retain its bullock ploughing training stati-ons at Wa and Tono in the Upper Region. (ii) Reafforestation programe and relat ed industries The reafforestation programtre has several objectives in view: (a) to halt the advance of desert conditions in the northern part of the country; (b) to develop, conserve and exploit timber resources primarily for export, keepingin mind the need to alleviaEe the port facilities and thus remove the major bottleneck at the port of Takoradi; (c) to provide timber for prefabricated housing, using little knor^m species; (d) to establish pulp and paper facEories, scarting with one at Duboasi in the Western Region cosEing US$ 80 million to produce IOO OOO tons a year; (e) Eo convert timber and agricultural vrastes into coal and fuel. ( iii) Development and provision of r"rater supplies Ihe Ghana Upper Region Wacer Supply Project financed by the Canadian International DevelopmenE Agency (CIDA), completed its first phase and entered its second phase with an additional financing of. p' 9 nillion, bringing the total invesEment in the project toy' tZ.itti.o.rt the project, which started in 1973, will have constructed 25oo boreholes for the supply of water for domestic use by Ehe end of its term in 197g. ocefwuf ta.r page 11 In the meantime the Ghana Government has requesEed Ehat a health cooPonent be integrated into the project. A team of consultants.reported on the requesE in Deceober L977. If approved by CIDA the proposed health component, will be introduced wiEhin the framework of village health improvement (or prioary health care). It will involve two district health pilot projecrs each under a district medical officer and will concentrate, aEong other things, on: (a) improveoent of environmental health; (b) assi.stance in the surveillance and control of conrmunicable diseases; (c) strengthening of health services. A third phase is being planned to provide 40 towns, including Wa, with populations between 15OO and 5OOO, with mechanized boreholes, standpipes and \rater distribution systems. This phase will also include education and health comPonents designed to sensitize the population to Ehe imporEance of clean rrater and its relation to health as well as to other sources of iI1-health apart from contaminated ldater. CIDA is also thinking of setting up a similar water exploration and supply project for the Northern Region, wiEh integrated health, agriculEure and fisheries conPonents. C. Development problems Other than Ehe general problem of monetary and price inflation, there are two overriding constraints Eo Ehe development of the oncho zone of Ghana: water and power. ExisEing and future plans for water and power development do not seem to take into accounE the requirements for industrial developxoent. The present vaEer development plans for the Upper and Northern Regions of Ghana are based on the FAO/UNDP Report on land and water in Ehe Northern and UPPer Regions of Ghana, 1967, which for pracEical purposes is now considerably out of date. The report was based on possible future requirements for \"rater for agriculture, livestock and dooestic use and made no provision for water for industrial use. Given, however, the r.ate of growth of popularion (abour 2.L% i,n the period 1960-1970 at the time of the 1INDPAAO report as against an estimated 3.1% at the present time, 197O-1978) and the environmenEal and other constraints on future agricultural development, it is very clear that industry (including food processing) must play a parE in future production and empl-oytent in the Upper and NorEhern Regions of Ghana (the oncho zone) if the future population is to be assured of a livelihood. Consequently, water supply plans not only for the Upper and Northern regions but for Ghana as a whole need to be given a fresh reexaminaEion and few studies could make a more significant contribution to Ehe fuEure development of Ghana at the PresenE time than a water resources conservation and availability study. Ihe CIDA water supply project in the Upper Region will, at its completion, provide a wealth of daEa on ground \"rater resources in the region, based on hydrogeological studies. Such data will be a welcome contribuEion to fuEure planning for waEer. What is required in addition, Eherefore, is the launching - now - of similarly hydrogeological sEudies in the oEher regions of Ghana. Some existing data already assembled by the CenEre Inter-Etats dtEtudes Hydrauliques based in Ouagadougou (to wtrich Ghana adheres as an observer) may furnish preliminary information on which such an overall water survey could be based. In the field of power, as in that of water, there is an urgent need for a survey of the current, and future poEenEia1 not only for the Upper and Northern Regions, taking into account possibilicies in the field of solar and eolian energy, but nationwide for Ghana as a whole. The Kpong hydroelecEri.c dam, consEruction of which st.arted at the end of November 1977, is an excellenE example of growth of demand for power in the Accra area overtaking anticipated demand and leading to the Volta River Authority being, in turn, overEaken by events and forced to cormrission the project ahead of its planned daEe. The same eventuality is now likely to o*f r:ouf ta.r page 12 occur in the case of the Bui hydroelectric project. One lesson which should be clear by now is that in regard to water and power, the demand-supply situation has to be kept under continuing review and continually updated. To assist this process in the future, a general survey of Potential in relation to denand trends for both water and power is now urgently required. IVORY COAST A. General Ihe Five-Year DevelopEent Plan (1976-1980) of Ivory Coast is in iE.s third year of oPeration with a planned total investment of CFA 1 600 OOO nillion francs, of which CFA 1 O2o Ooo million or 63.75% is to be contributed by the Srare and the public secror, and the rest, or CFA 600 OOO million, by Ehe privaEe sector. Of this total investment thebulk, CFA 685 OOO million or 42.87", is to be made in the industrial secEor which conEributed 157. of the GNP in 1960 and is expected to reach 20% by 1980. Even so, firsr priority goesto the agricultural sect,or on which the economy nostly depends and which euploys two-thirds of the population and contributes 30% of the GNp. Ihe traditional crops which have sust.ained the economy are coffee, cocoa, banana and timber (mostly produced in the south of the counEry) to which have been added in more recent years oil palm, coconut, rubber, cotton, pineapples, and rice. The Five-year plan aims to derive additional income from new crops - sugar, maize, soya bean, fruits and vegetables - and to expand market gardening as an ioportant part of the agricuttural sector. Ihe Northern and Middle Regions of the country in which onchocerciasis is prevalent are scheduled as the principal areas of production of the new crops. Production (and processing) of these products for the domestic market and for export is the main objecti-ve in the agri- cultural sector as well as the indusErial sector. The emphasis on agriculture has inspired the recent educaEional reforms which have installed agricultural and related subject.s as Ehe coumon elements of the curriculum in all fields. The intention is to make agriculture attractive on the 4ssrmption that agricultural employment is more certain than industrial, since industrial workers can be more easily rendered unemployed than farmers. Ihese rneasures include: (a) lightening the tasks involved in agriculture through mechanization of operations, including processingl (b) augmentation of the price paid to producers of the traditional crops, principatly coffee and cocoa; (c) under the leadership of the Office National de Ia Promoti-on Rurale (ONPR) and the financial assistance provided by the Fonds R6gionaux drAm6nagement Rural (fnAR), a Programme of integrated rural development has been launched, and continues for the provision of basic social infrastrucEure: schools, dispensaries, roads and comunications, rural housing and electrification and provision of water supplies. B. Developments in the oncho zone The major field of i-nvestment in the oncho zone continues to be sugar plantation and processing. Hitherto, only the sugar romplex of Ferkdssddougou I had been in operation. Starting in 1978 Ferk6ssddougou II (or Badikaha) has come into operation, as well as the complexes at Borotou Koro and Como€ S6r6bou. Ihe following table sumarizes the invesEment in sugar which has been planned up to 1980, including Ferkdss6dougou I: ocefeoufta.r page 13 PIANNED INVESI}iENT IN SUGAR COI'TPLHGS I97 4-L98O aLocaEion- StarE ofoperations EstimaEed cosE (cFA looo nillion) Source of i.nves tment Executing agency Ferk6ss6dougou I Ferkdss6dougou II xBorotou Koro *ComoE S6rdbou Katiola Mara badiassa *ZudnouIa Ls7 4f7 s Ls78f7 s Ls78f7e Ls78f7 e LeTsfso ts7 efso 29 45 37 37 -4L 47 -52 46-53 tot.19 2L2-228 USA Lang Afrique REDPATI{Great Britain Canada Euro dollars France b ADRA- SOMDIAA9France Federal Republic of Germany Belgium USA Austria IIo l land Belgium SOPEX HVA * In Ehe extension area. 3 Oah". locations being investigat.ed are: Dimbokro, Niakaranandougou, Mankoro Bere, and Sorotna. Li3 A French mrnageoent and rural and agro-industrial development conglonerate est,ablished in 1976 and composed of Renault, SCET InEernational, GERSAR, SORIMEX and the Union of SEudies and Investments. 9 Multinational Development Conpany for Food and Agricultural Industries(Soci6t6 Multinationale de D6veloppernenE pour les Industries Alimentaires et Agricoles) whose principal activity is sugar but is also engaged in partnership with the Grands Moulins de Paris in food processing (nilling, baking, eEc.) and animal feed. 9 o"l,rdrrrg invesEnent in rerkdssddougou r. C. Development issues (i) Labour shortage Given the rapid rate of growth of the lvory CoasEts economy, a raEe which will be further augmented by the recent discovery of petrol, the current labour shortage will be further aggravated with important consequences for the oncho zone. Ihis zone, with the recent extension of the Programe area in that country, now covers Ewo-thirds of the national Eerritory. Up to now additional labour for agriculEural producEion in the country, including the oncho zone, has been derived from neighbouring countries - Liberia, Guinea, I'la1i, Ghana, Upper Volta - and especially from che last. So long as the current liberal policy in the admission of foreign labour conEinues, there should be no serious repercussions on the economy arising on the labour supply side. There is, of course, the fact of a labour drain fron the econooy of Upper Volta which could adversely affect the developoent of that countryts own oncho zone. The same may be true to a lesser extent in regard to labour from Mali and Ghana, other members of the Programe. ocvfwuf ta.r page 14 This could be rather a welcome relief to the economies of Mali and Upper Volta in presenE circumstances, given the ecological status of the economies of those countries within the context of the development of the Programne area as a whole. (ii) Shortage of meat and fish With the growth of population and the labour force, the insufficiency of staple food crops and meat and fish would tend to worsen. Already, valuable foreign exchange is flowing out of the economy in payment for meat and fish imports - an estimated 12 OOO million CFA in L974 for meat imports and more than half of the consumption of fish imported. This situation Presents a challenge to be met by the oncho zone as well as a greaL opportunity for its development. The oncho zone is well suited to the production of food crops, especially rice and manioc, livestock and fish in lakes and ponds. The last is particularly important since Ivory Coast, like Ghana, is not particularly well siEuated in regard to off-shore fish resources. (iii) Oil and the development of Ehe oncho zone The discovery in April 1977 of. oil deposits off-shore of Grand Bassam is likely to have a significant impact on the development perspective and prospects of the country as a whoLe and also on the development of the oncho zone, The oil will not begin to cone on stream before l98of8l. In particular, this could mean a further lightening of the burden of the contribuEion of the agricultural sector to the economy as a whole, to the extent that subvention oil will probably provide some subvention to the agricultural sector in terms of (a) finance, (b) chemical fertilizer, (c) thermal electricity production for further rural electrification (83% of electricity production in L977 was thermally generaced), and (d) production of asphalt for road construction projects. ( iv) Economic viability of staEe agro-industrial enterprises One of the basic reasons for Ehe recent reorganizaEion of the state enterprises operating in the agro-industrial sector has been the need to make them economically viable - to ensure that they give priority to productive investments and take into account their or,m operational expenses in Eheir calculations of profitability. An additional advantage will be to economize the existing limited resources of qualified local manpower. These considerations resulted in the suppression of Ehree of these state enterprises (SODERIZ, responsible for rice development, SOCATCI, for the development of rubber, and SOPRODAV for Ehe production of avocado pears), and the integration of the national centre for the promotion of cooperative enterprises (CfUepeC) with the national office for the prouotion of rural development (ONPR). MALI A. General Mali is nearing the end of the implementation of E.he third Five-Year Development Plan for L974-L978 and starting preparations for the next Plan (f979-1983). The present economic options and the priority activities undertaken are governed by the salient features of the countryts economy; caPital investment expectations have suffered greaEly from a certain inflationary trend. Nevertheless, the funding level for the Plan was around 85% at Ehe end of 1977 . Malirs economic situation is impaired by the continental nature of the sea); this makes the Ehe country (which is very large and a very long way from cost of food imports and transport very high; ocef rtuf ta.r page 15 the successive droughts which have resulted in a decrease in Ehe production of food crops dependent on rain and plantations requiring controlled submersion, and a substantial drop in the livestock resources which were the great wealth of the country; the inflaEionary economic trend which has uade it necessary to revise the estimated capital expendiEure under the Plan (it has been raised from Il'1 4OO OOO million to FM 550 OOO million, and some projects have been carried over to Ehe next Plan), and has 1ed to deiays in Ehe release of funds and the implementation of Projects. This inflation, which seems to be one of Malirs most serious current problems, would aPPear to be due both to international economic trends and Eo the internal situation regarding the balance of paymenEs. The priorities decided on by the authorities have the following objectives: - meeEing the basic needs of the population through acEivities to Promote rural development(self-sufficiency in food producEion, replenishment of livesEock herds, exploitation of waEer-related resources) ; - exploiEaEion of the naEionts wealth by setting up processing industries for crops and livestock production, mining industries to reduce the need for imports (cemenE); - opening up Ehe country by developing transporE infrastructure. In the context of these national options, the areas subjecE to onchocerciasis cover whaE is known as "useful Mali'r which has the greatest poEenEial for both agriculEure and energy producEion. Consequently, these areas are a priority region for developnent. B. Economic developmen! of lhlogghocerci4pls rlge By comparison wiEh 1977, there are few genuinely new development projects. 0n the other hand, the projects which were already under way in 1977 have benefitted from Ehe success of the anti-blackfly treatments. Some projects planned since at least L977 have not yet been funded, even Ehough they are listed as national priorities. In 1978 Ehe S6lingu6 Dam is sEill the biggest project in Mali and its onchocerciasis zone. An increase in agricultural develop- menE could enable Mali to achieve self-sufficiency in food production wiEhin the next few years, provided there are no further climatic disasters and EhaE the projects are actually carried ouE, parE.icularly those concerned with the exploitation of water resources. (i) Water resources and energy The S6lingu6 dam project on Ehe Sankaranir. of Bamako. is ""tred,rled for compleEion Ln l98}f a Eributary of the Niger, 13O ko south-east 1981, and energy production should begin in 1981. The estimated cost is at present FM 65 OOO nillion. The dam, 20 m high, will feed a 44-MW power station inEended to supply electricity for the Bamako region. S€1ingu6 will be linked to 0u616ss6bougou by a road which is to be surfaced during the next dry season. The reservoir of 2OOO milliorr rn3 of water will regulate the flow of the river, making it navigable for 14OO km, and will make it possible to develop a 2OOO ha lrrigable plain down- sEream which will be used to resettle the inhabiEants of Ehe area flooded by the reservoir. Development of the plain, tree-felling in the reservoir basin, and transfer of the population have not yet begun. A village water resources programme covering the regions of Bougouni (drilling Eo provide waEer points fitEed with pumps in 3OO villages, funds of III 10OO million provided by SwiEzerland), and San (solar pumps from the Acquaviva workshops or the IJNDP 'tunderground water'r project) will bring about a substant,ial improvement, in the health and sanit.ation of Ehe inhabitants: under the prograrune 2OOO wells should be drilled between 1978 and 1982 at a total cost of FM 4380 million, of which FM 2908 million is to be provided by LINDP, FM 825 million by LINICEF and FM 667 million by Ma1i. owftoufta.r page 16 The rural engineering authorities and the World Bank are studying a project to construct a movable sill near Sofara so as to raise the water level of the Bani and provide regularirrigation for the plains under curtivation further downstream. Funds are actively being sought for basic sEudies to consolidate the general development of the Upper Bani. Dir6 solar centre Ihe largest solar electric po\^7er station in the world (80 kw), representing a capital invesEment of FM 5OO million and financed by the Government of France, came into service in 1978 at Dir6 in the Mopti region. The project was christened'tOperation Sahel - New Energyn, and comprises: - pumping of 8500.3 r"t". dairy from the Niger for irrigation purposes; - pumping of drinking water from a borehole 18 m deep to supply 10 OOO consumers in Dir6; - provision of a cold room for an agricultural cooperative; - provision of 5 kw of electric current for lighting the cooperative and a 4O-room touristhotel. (ii) Asriculture and agricultural processing industries Cotton production i 115 oOO rons in tg77f78. .n the onchocerciasis zone rose from 6l OOO Ner{ cotton ginning factories are under tons tn LS74f7S to Dioila at a cost of around FM 25oo milIion, financed by France. Within the cereals and markeE denin operation set up in the S6no-Dogon area at a cost of fU 92OO million financed by USAID, the Sikasso rice projecE which costs FM 25OO million , hasraised cereal production from 4OO OOO rons in Lg73f74 to 600 OOO tons in Lg76f77 Work is continuing on the rice-growing developments in the K161a plain and at Sarantpmo- Bougoula (3500 ha) costing FM 32OO million. The Southern MaIi Livestock Project, funded by IBRD at a cost of FtI SOOO million, enlered. the implementation stage in January 1978. Construction work will begin shortly on the Koutiala oi1-mi1ling plant, costing rr'1 34oo million and funded by the French Aid and cooperation Fund (FAC). A company is Eo be formed with State parEicipation: lrHuilerie CotonniEre du Mali (HUICOMA). The plantations in Baguineda and the tomaEo puree factory have received funds of Fl'I 1OOO million with the setting up of a Franco-Malian semi-public company; implementatipn will start by the end of 1978. The cashew nut and construction at Sikasso and Sikasso fruit canning projects have not made any progress, .ffiinanced by FAC) has been halred. while the KaEioroniba sugar refin As regards husbandry, there is no prospect in L978 of achieving the feed lots scheduled under the Plan (Sikasso, Koutiala). (iii) Mines and mining industries Exploitation of the Kalana sold mine is continuing, with FM 10 O0O million of funds from the Soviet Union. New prospecting is also under way. FM 80 0O0 million is earmarked for the sEudy of iron deposits at Keni6ba in the Kayes region, and FM 1OO million for drilling to investigate the iron deposits at Bafing-Makana. owfrnufta.r page 17 ( iv) Inf rast.ruct.ure Besides the construction and surfacing of the road from S61ingu6 to Ou6l6ss6bougou the following projects are being carried out to open up the various regions of the country: - road from Koutiala to Sikasso flnanced by the European Development Fund (gOf) tor 130 kn; work is to start at the end of 1978; - construction of agricultural roads and tracks is continuing: 35OO km planned, 1200 kn completed so far; - maintenance of the surfaced road network is being underEaken under the third road project financed by IBRD; - the United Nations Office for the Sahe1 has supplied EI,I 5375 million for rhe construcrion of 307 km of roads in the Sahel, st.arting in 1978 with the Ansongo-Menaka-Anderamboukane route. (v) Public health Special efforEs to promote rural health are being made in the zone. The PCH progrrme was first started in the OCP area. Ihe Sikasso region already has oore than 110 rural roaternity units served by traditional birth attendants Erained at Sikasso Hospital. Ihe same systeln has been launched in the Bauako region. Funds have been provided by Switzerland to strengthen the countryts own efforts. Switzerland will also finance the drilling of wells in the basic socioeconomic sectors, for which a prograrne of PCH, agricul- Eural extension work, and primary training has been worked out. A number of village health workers have been trained by volunt.eers of the Progress movement. BADEAT has been requested Eo provide assistance. Ihe success in the Sikasso region has encouraged the Government to extend this system to the resE of the country. The benefits of the Onchocerciasis Programe are being felt throughout the zone, and the inhabiEants greatly appreciate the reduction in the biEing rate. C. Development problems In Mali, as in the other Sahel countries covered by the Programe, Ehe oain problem concerning the onchocerciasis zone i.s to sErike a happy medium between the essential require- Eents of production for internal consumption and export, and the need to proEect the agricul- tural resources of soil and water. Produce intended for export must unquestionably be comPetitive in price, Particularly in view of the high cosE of transport to the coastal porEs and world markets. Consequently, anything that Eends Eo jeopardize the competitiveness of exPorts would be unfavourable to external trade and the balance of payments. It is therefore essential that Meli should succeed in bringing inflation under control. It would appear that the developoent of the onchocerciasis zone in Mali is subject to a series of specific fact.ors: like in the rest of the country a guccessful struggle against inflation, effectiveness of rDeasures to open up Ehe country (roads and comunications), comPetitiveness of exPorts, and facilitie6 for transporting exporE products at reasonable cosE. Factors such as these govern the success of textile and cottonseed oi1 production and of the exPortation of market gardening produce (fruit and vegeEables) by ai.r to the coastal and European markets. 1 Arab Bank for Economic Developoent in Africa. octfnoufta page 18 NIGER A. General The present year is Ehe Eerminal year of the current Three-Year P1an, L976-1978. Ihe success of the plan will Eake some time to evaluate. In the meantime, however, the Government is in the process of preparing a successor Five-year P1an. Niger which, like Mali and Upper VolEa, suffered considerably from the drought ot Lg68f69 rc lSlZf73, has since oriented its policies towards: (a) recovery from the effects of the drought; (b) measures aimed at "desenclavement" of its sahelian zone and its integration into the naEional economy and to the country as a whole vis-A-vis the economies of the coastal countries such as Nigeria, Benin and Togo; and (c) development of its national resources as an alternative to agri-culture as an economic base. Measures taken for recovery from the drought have been varied, including (i) reconstitution of the livestock population and increase in production of food crops (rice, mi11et, sorghum, maize and groundnuts) and industrial crops (cotton and sugar); (ii) development of energy (hydroelecEric, solar and thermal from coal) for domesEic and industrial use, as well as irrigated agriculture in connexion with hydroelectriciEy; 1 (iii) establishment of a naEional office for hydroagriculEural projects (Office naEional des Am6nagements hydro-agricoles) which will conduct sEudies of projects involving cultivaEion of 2OOO ha/annrm, ensure the provision of hydroag.ricultural works, and itself execute the cultivation of 1OO0 to 12OO additional ha/annum. Road construction projects for economic integration include improvement of road links with Upper Volta, Mali, Benin and Togo, the lasE providing an important outlet through its port of Lom6. Apart from uranium which is currently fueling the growth of the economy, aE. a price Of CFA 20 000 a kilogram in L977, coal, phosphaEe and iron ore are other important mineral a$sets on which the country is counting for the future. B. Developments in the oncho zone The development prospects of the Niger oncho zone are promising, depending as they do on a diversified agricultural and mineral resource base: mineral deposits (a reserve of 250-500 million tons of phosphates near the Parc du W at Tapoa, l5O km south-east of Niamey; and about 650 miliion tons of iron ore deposits also in the Say Arrondissement); land of rich agricultural potential in the basin of the tributaries on the left bank of the Niger. High priority is being given to the planning of the development of this zone (Projet Say) with planning assistance being generally provided by Ehe UNDP for the elaborati-on of a national plan into which the Say Project will be integrated. The following projects are of interest and imporrance to the development of the Say Arrondissement, either directly or in terms of spread effects: (i) UNDP assistance to Ministry of Planning Starting in 1978, UNDP is providing a sum of CFA 170.1 million (for which Government counterpart contributions will amount to CFA 54 million) for a period of 2 years and 3 Eonths, for planning assistance to the Ministry of Planning. This will include provision of the services of five planning experts, as a supplement to other planning assistance being already given, or in preparation, in the areas of regional planning, population census, agropastoral statistics and soil mapping. Iowfwuf ta.r page 19 (ii) Tapoa barr2qe A barrage on the Tapoa, a tributary of the Niger, is being planned for the producEion of electricity for phosphate oining and water for agricultural use. Itris project will have a very significant effect on the Say Project as a whole. It is estiEated to cost about CFA 30 oillion and financing is being sought from the Government of Libya. (iii) Water resource surv The Government of France has agreed to provide financing to Ehe tune of CFA 55 million to undertake a hydrogeological synthesis and inventory of waEer resources of Niger. C. Developmen t problems The three major problens confronting Niger and having an ioPortance as well for the development of its oncho zone remain the need to achieve a certain measure of security in food supplies and food stocks, the lack of sufficient qualified mrnPo\der for implenentation of planning and development projects, and the continuing need for regional economic integration both within the counE.ry and between it and lts neighbours. Solutions to all these problems are being vigorously pursued and, thanks mainly to its mineral resources, Niger can count on the means for implementing Ehe aPProPriate strategies. TOGO A. General The evoluEion of the economy of Togo i.s currently proceeding under the Ihird Development Plan, 1976-1980, now in the Ehird year of its term. The total of planned investment, CEAF 250 0OO uillion is allocated among infrastructure 337., primqry sector 227", seconaaryf tertiary sectors 30%, human resources 8%, and adminstratLor. 7%. The growth of the economy has been based on a varieEy of agricultural products (cocoa, palm products, cotEon, coffee, copra, manioc and oEher food crops), and minerals (phosphate deposits which are among the richest in the world, and limestone). A11 the agricultural products have suffered from drought and production of cocoa, coffee, copra and manioc has been declining. Agricultural production is being stimulated by the Organismes R€gionaux de Promotion et de Production VivriEre (ORPV). Exports of agricultural products by the Office des ProduiEs Agricoles du Togo (OPAT) and of phosphates by a national company, Compagnie Togolaise des Mines du B6nin (CtltS) have been the main source of both export income and public revenues, thanks to a favourable pat.tern of world market prices. The major investmenEs which will be initiated during the period of the current plan are a cement facEory - Soci6t6 des Ciments de ltAfrique de lrOuest (CI}{AO) - estinat,ed to cost some CFA 66 OOO million francs, and jointly sponsored with Ivory Coast and Ghana for the producEion of cement to supply the market of the three countries; the manufacture of fertilizer from local phosphates; establishment of a one million ton oil refinery, and sugar complexes near Sokod6 and at Agadja (lnie). Principal elements in the countryrs strategy of development include an expansion of agricultural production through an extension of the culEivated area (50% of the land area is cultivable but only 117" is currently cultivated); expansion and provision of rraEer supplies, especially in the Centrale and northern Marit.ime Regions); consEruction of feeder roads, notably in areas of great agricultural potential; and provision of electricity in all regions of the country, particularly in the rural areas. I ocefmuf ta.r page 20 Ihe major objective of the country is to inEegrate its economy nationally by correction of regional imbalances, especially between the northern and southern parts; and multi- nationally by integration \dithin the framework of ECowAS and other regional organizations.As a result of its outward-Iooking policy Togo has been in Ehe forefront of regional integra-tion movements in Africa - Conseil de ItEntente grouping four other West African counEries, Comnunaut6 Electrique du B6nin .(CEB) grouping Togo and Benin, CIMAO, and rhe Economic Cormunity of Wesr African Srates {ECOWI,S/CEDEAO). The oncho zone, Iying in the Togo Nord region (i.e. the Savanes, Kara and northern part of Centrale regions) is experiencing a concerted effort of development within the contexE ofthe country's programe of redressing north-south imbalances, and integrat.ing the countryrs economy with those of its neighbours (e.g. Eransport links such as that linking Mango to thefront.ier with Upper VoIta. B. Developments in the oncho zone The following projects are expected to make a favourable impact on the development of the oncho zone during the course of the year and beyond: ( i) Agricultural pro-i ects The two main agricultural development projects in execution in Ehe north have entered their second phase: Togo region (a) Intesrated development proiect of north Togo (second phase. Tranche La Kara) t 1978-1981: this involves cul tivation by animal traction on an operational basis near Lama-Kara, which allows much flexibility to the peasants to adapt Eo the pattern of cultivation preferred (manuaI, fully or partly motorized). (b) Agricultural develo pment of the La Kara Valley, 1978-1981 already settled in the first phase, another 8OO will be setEled rate of 2OO families a year during the four years. Each farmer plot on which he will rotate his crops in the following order: maize and fodder crops. with 20O families in the second, at t.he will have a one-hectare sorghum, groundnut, A project for intensive cultivation of food crops, r^,est of Dapaon in the Savanes region, should start in 1979, financed by the European Development Fund to the amount of CFA 14OO million francs. Following a study of the traditional systems of cultivation, the operations will be organized over 53 villages in the cantons of Nano, Sissiak, Nanergou and Nioukpourma; 12OO to 13OO families will be involved. A reafforestation project in north Togo started at the beginning of L978, the objectives of which are ecological (to arrest conditions of desertificaEion and protect the soil) and economic (to provide wood fuel and timber for construction works). ( ii) Agro- indus trial pro-j ec t s - A cashew nut factory at Lama-Kara is due Eo enter the construction phase with Italian technical suPport, and will process 7OO tons of nuEs with the possibility of extending this capacity to 3OOO Eons eventually. The factory will be operated by a joint public- private comPany in which the Togo Government will invesE about CFA 300 million francs, and the Italian comPany will provide the equipment. This factory is linked to a 4OOO ha cashew nut plantation financed entirely by the Government of Togo and which started five years ago. - A cotton gin-mill at Lama-Kara of an expected capacity of L2 OOO tons of coEtonseed is being financed by the Togo GovernmenE at a cost of about CFA 5OO million francs. It will process cottonseed from the three regions, Savanes, Kara and CenErale. (There are already in operation two cotton gin-mills at Atakpam6 and Notse.) toefeoufta.r page 21 (iii) Livestock pro i ect. The Ad61€ ranch for the production of cattle will start operaEi-on in L979 on completion of relevant studies being currently undertaken by a Togo firm of consulEants. (iv) Road projects A trunk road, Kant6-Mango, and another of 1O9 km linking Mango to the fronEier with Upper Volta are being constructed with financing provided by the European Develop.ent Fund. (v) Health and social pro i ects - UNICEF is implemenEing a project costing US$ 1 2OO OOO over Ehe four-year period L977- 1980, and covering the whole of Togo, which will provide benefits to agriculture, education and health. Half of the amounE will be spent in connexion wiEh Ehe integrated development projecE of north Togo. - Functional literacy project for women and. young girls: Ehis Project, starEed in January 1977, will continue up to 1980. Financed by UNESCO and by the Norwegian Aid Agency, NORAD (US$ ISO OOO), the project will help woEen and girls participate effectively in the economic and social development of Togo. Functional literacy is being provided through training in cultural, agricultural, civic and family economic matters to abouE 25 OOO females in 6OO centres. C. Development problems Among the major problems confronting the development of Ehe oncho zone are variations in soil quality, uneven population distribution (e.g. Ehe Kara region, 2OO-3OO Persons Per square kilometre, as cornpared with the Cent,rale region with about 15 persons Per square kilometre), variations in land tenure systens of various ethnic grouPs, and inadequate socioeconomic infrastructure. These problems are being gradually overcome. New agricultural development and settlement projects aim to redistribut.e the population from the densely populated to the underpopulaE.ed areas, exploration and supply of water is being pursued with energy, while healEh and educa- tional services are being increasingly provided. UPPER VOLTA A. General Upper Volta is at the start of its third Five-Year Plan, 1977-1981, which calls for an esrimated total expenditure of CFA 260 8OO million of wtrich CFA 2OO OOO million rePresents investments, 56% of wtrich (or CFA Il2 OOO million) will be in Ehe public secEor. Total public sector expenditure is planned at CFA 165 OOO million of which 94% Ls exPecEed to be financed by external sources. However, the plan has yet to be considered by various sectoral conmissions and finally approved. Hence it is tikely that there may yet be nodifications. Nonetheless, the varioue orders of Eagnitude indicate the respecEive Prioritiesl. 27.6% of total plan expenditures to econooic infrastructre and to indusEry, L9.L% to rural develop- ment, L6.3% to social infrastructure (housing) and 9.47. to other social expendiEures (chiefly education and health). Ihe major investments are exploitation of Ehe Tambao iron deposits (CFA 35 OOO million), sugar complex at Sourou (Cfe ZO OOO million), exploitation of gold at Poura (CFA 4OOO million), a cement factory (CFA 4OOO million), and the manufacture of shoes (CFA 1290 million). A11 these total CFA 64 29O million or 32% of total investment. I a ocYfzoufta.r page 22 Assuring a stable food supply continues to be a major problem as well as constituting sufficient good stocks and reconstituting the livestock decimated by the drought of L968-L973 The threat of drought has not entirely receded, and a shortage of some 60 OOO tons of food is expected in 1978. Livestock and cotton are the major exports, and the overall economic goal of the country continues to be economic integration within the country and of the country in Ehe West African region. ImPortant steps in Ehe direction of West African integration of the countryts economy include the construction of warehouses at the ports of Lom6 and Tema, and a road entrep6t staEion in ouagadougou to serve the countryrs import and export trade. B. Developments in the oncho zone There are many developrnents and projects of a general nature which are likely to benefit the oncho zone of Upper Volta in 1978. These include: (a) CFA 6000 million in financial cooperation, and CFA 2250 million in technical cooperation for road, reafforestation, livestock and irrigation projects, to be provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. (b) CEA 525 million francs to be provided for the construction of 40 sma1l barrages by Ehe Government of the Netherlands, which has also provided CFA 180 million francs for the construction of buildings for the National Office for the Exploitation of Animal Resources(ONERA) at Ouagadougou. (c) CFA 557 million endorsement by the Guarantee Fund of the Conseil de lrEntente for the construction of a road station and depot at Ouagadougou i-n the framework of construc- tion of a network of warehouses to facilitate the exports and imports of Upper Vo1ta. (d) The United Nations, together with its various specialized agencies, is tailoring the value of its technical assistance during the period of the third Five-Year Plan, 1977'L981, to reflect the following order of priorities conforming with the Governmentrs wishes: rural developmenL 33%, infrastructure I5%, industry-counerce-mines-energy 25%, social sector (human resources) 277.. (e) A training prograrme for 5OO agents in cormunity development supervised by the Permanent Secretariat of the Corunittee for Coordination of Rural Development (CCDR) and financed by Switzerland for a total sum of CFL 127 million francs. A first instalment of CFA 37 million francs has been expended and a second instalment for 1978-1979 is expected. Of direct benefit to the oncho zone are the following facts (i) The AVV will receive in 1978 technical and financial assisEance to a total amount of CFA 1240 million in connexion wiEh the Authorityts programne for the setElement and development of the areas under its jurisdiction. (ii) A sum of approximately CFA 60 million will be devoted for a two-year study (f978- 1979) ot the soil capabilities in Ehe Bougouriba Val1ey for the purpose of preparing an integrated programme of agro-sylvo-pastoral development and management to be executed by Ehe AVV. (iii) About CFA 82 million will be spent over a two-year period (L978-Lg7g) for a hydro- geological study of the valleys of the Bougouriba and Poni in order to deterrnine the availability of ground water in the region for the purpose of implementation, by the AW, of a settlement progrartrne involving 850 families. (Ihis will bring the total of families already setrl.ed in rhe area (150) to 1OOO by 1981.) t t I tI 1 owf wuf ta.r page 23 (iv) Ihrough the Cenrre Exp€rinental du Riz et des Cultures Irrigu6es (CERCI), an experiment will be carri.ed out in irrigated faruing at the AVV village of Mogt6do using the lessons gained from a similar experiment in Ehe Kou Valley in crop rotation. The Mogt6do experinent will involve Ehe cultivat,ion of ntreat, rice, rraize, ni6b6 (beans), soybean, tobacco and tooato, and fodder croPs for livestock. (v) The AVV will derive benefit, for a period of four years, starEing in 1978, from - a Village Development Fund for the benefit of AW villages, involving a sum of about CFA 230 million; - a seni-arid food grain research and developent project involving about CFA 3197 mil1ion. (vi) Ihe World Bank, through its International DevelopEenE Association, plans to spend some CFA 23 OOO-29 0OO million through a rural development fund during the period L977' 1981 on various projects of integrated rural developoent. (vii) FAO is financing for a Eot.al of CFA 47 million froo its own technical cooperation funds - a one-year project in 1978 on breeding of silkworms and bees; - a one-year project of assistance Eo the national soil service. (viii) A project for the hydroagriculEural -anagement of the Banzo Plain, cosEing a total of CFA 8OO million francs of which CFA.45O million has been obtained in the form of a loan from the Peoplers Republic of China, is seeking the balance of CFA 35O million francs. EquaIIy, the managenent and development of 2OO0 ha of land in the Loumana Plain for which feasibility sEudies have been coropleted, is in search of funding. C. Developuen t problems Ihe major problems of developmenE of the oncho zone of Upper Votta continue to be protection of soil cover (tree and top soil) and water resources, and the proper adjustment of the burden of the human population and livestock to the available resourcesl the provision of basic health infrastructure, as well as of transportati.on and comunication infrastructure. With the passage of time it is becoming increasingly apparent that the adoption of the concept of integrated rural development in its widest sense (including health and other social infrastructure, as well as econooic) will pay rich dividends in the develop,Eent of the oncho zole. Already, this concept is being ioplemented in a limited way by IINDP and Ehe World Bank, respecEively, through their rural development progrnme and Rural Developm.ent Fund. *