Abu Dhabi funding contributes to $99m farming investment in three African countries

The $99m project will establish a regional framework to help provide smallholder livestock farmers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal.

ABU DHABI // The Lives and Livelihoods Fund has committed US$99 million for livestock farmers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to improve the lives of more than one million people.

The fund, which is financed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and regional humanitarian and relief partners, has earmarked more than $600m in funds over the past year to development projects as it strives to make $2.5 billion available for anti-poverty projects in health, agriculture and rural infrastructure over five years.

A total of $363m was approved for the fund’s first operational year last year, and another $242m was approved for this year for new projects in different countries.

Administered by the Islamic Development Bank, the Lives and Livelihoods Fund combines $2bn of IDB financing with $500m in grants from donors, of which the Abu Dhabi fund stumped up $50m.

The $99m project will establish a regional framework to help provide smallholder livestock farmers in those countries with better access to markets and focus on small ruminant and livestock production.

It will also increase the value of rural household farms, make nutrient-rich foods more affordable and support animal health and production.

Maher Al Hadrawi, chairman of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, said the countries targeted need access to finance to improve economic growth.

“This cross-border project is an important milestone for the Lives and Livelihoods Fund; the largest project signed to date and, for the first time, drives impact across several countries at once, benefiting one million people across Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal with an emphasis on small ruminant and livestock production by smallholder farmers and pastoralists,” he said.

An estimated 50 million people rely on sheep or cattle farming for a major part of their livelihood in sub-Saharan Africa, with about half of them located in the Sahel countries to benefit from this aid.

The World Bank has classified 70 per cent of this population as poor.

Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, said: “This new and pivotal project by the Lives and Livelihoods Fund underpins efforts to secure food and, by extension, alleviate living standards for the people that need it most.

“As well as supporting family farming, this trans-border project will go a long way in creating job opportunities within the industry thus first handedly promoting sustainable, long-term growth for the Sahel region of West Africa.”