Announcement of Five Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars IDA Credit for Highway Project in Niger on January 7, 1971

• INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 1818 H STREET, N.W .. WASHINGTON 0. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 IDA Press Release No. 71/1 Subject: $5.7 million IDA credit January 7, 19 71 for highway project in Niger The International Development Association (IDA), an affiliate of the World Bank, has approved a credit of $5.7 million to the Republic of Niger to assist development of the nation's transportation network through a project for highway construction and improvement. The project will help l'Yiger to :tmp:cove its internal communications and its links with the outside world. • Niger depends upon its road network for the movement of goods over an immense landlocked area more than twice the size of France. Most of the economic activity lies south of the desert which covers nine-tenths of the country, and the long distance from the sea greatly increases the cost of imports and is a serious handicap for exports. The credit, the latest World .Bank Group assistance to Niger's transporta- tion sector, will help increase the efficiency of transport by improving existing roads and opening up efficient an.d reliable export routes to the sea through Nigeria. The project is the third IDA transportation operation in Niger. In 1964 a credit of $1.5 million helped finance the construction and ~rnprovement of two small roads in the East. Another credit of $6.1 million in 1968 was ,. for road maintenance and also provided for road feasibility studies and detailed engineering on which the present project is based. /more IDA P.R. No. 'Jl/1 - Nige·c - highway project - 2 - The total cost of the project is about $8.0 million of which the IDA • credit represents 71%. The project includes construction and improvement of three important roads totaling 95 miles. Among these is the Niamey- Tillabery road which runs northwest from the capital and parallel with the Niger River, connecting the capital with an area from which it draws much of its ·food. The project will also assist construction and improvement of the Magaria-Tinkim-Nigeria border and Dan Tyao-Tinkim roads and thus facilitate the export of groundnuts through Nigeria. In additionj project funds provide for consultants' services for the • supervision of construction, the training of technicians and the purchase of labol:"atory and traffic counting equipment. Feasibility studies and detailed engineering of the Niamey-Baleyara and Zinder-Bande roads, totaling about 105 mi1~s, are also planned. The IDA credit to the Republic of Niger is for a term of 50 years including a 10-year grace ,period. It will be interest-free but a service charge of 3/4 of i i will be made to cover IDA's administrative costs. -· 0 - •••