Announcement of IDA Credit Approved to Niger for Road Maintenance on June 30, 1983

FOR IMMEDIATE Rfi:EASE •World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433; U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 IDA,NEWS RELEASE NO. 83/109 Contact: Pam Brennan June 30, 1983 ( 202) 477-329 3 IDA CREDIT APPROVED TO NIGER FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE Niger will use a credit of SOR 21.9 million ($23.6 million) from the International Development Association (IDA) to carry out road maintenance operations, the World Bank announced today. IDA is the concessionar_:y lending affiliate of the World Bank. With a road network of 8,500 kilometers, Niger ranks fourth among the six Sahelian countries in te,rms of total length of roads. The network, built in the early 1970s, is located mainly in the south where most of the population lives. Due to increased traffic volume,which rose by about 13.5% annually in the 1970s,and aging of the paved road network, maintenance requirements have been rapidly increasing over the past few years. To help the government meet the increased maintenance burden, the World Bank is • helping with a $32.1 million project aimed at developing a long-term periodic maintenance program for paved roads. Under the project, about 374 kilometers of bituminous roads will be resealed and strengthened. A Road Management Unit will be set up in the Directorate of Public Works to monitor and program road maintenance and investment works according to traffic demand and road wear. In addition, the project will establish a permanent training center for the directorate's employees near Niamey, the country's capital, and will provide equipment and te.chnical assistance for three years of the center's operation. Traffic counting, line marking, and road maintenance equipment will also be financed by the project. This is IDA's sixth credit to Niger to support road maintenance works and the buildup of a national maintenance capability. The credit is for 50 years, including 10 years of grace; it carries no interest but has a small annual service charge (0.5% on the undisbursed balances of the credit and 0.75% on the disbursed balances). NOTE: IDA credits are denominated in SDRs (Special Drawing Rights), which are valued on the basis of a "basket" of currencies. The U.S. dollar equivalent of the SDR amount of the IDA credit reflects the exchange rates existing at the time of negotiation of the credit • •