The Government of the Central African Republic and the African Development Bank Group have officially launched the Regional Support Programme for the Development of Cross-Border Water Infrastructure and Resources (PREDIRE) between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The launch ceremony, held in Bangui on 5 August 2025, was chaired by Minister of Energy and Water Resource Development Bertrand Arthur Piri and Mamady Souaré, head of the African Development Bank’s Country Office for the Central African Republic, alongside several other senior government officials, local authorities, development partners, and civil society representatives.
The $121 million programme, funded entirely by the African Development Bank, will run from November 2024 to November 2029. Its main goal is to harness the vast water resources of the Ubangui River Basin to sustainably improve the socio-economic living conditions of riverside communities while fostering regional integration. It aligns with President Faustin Archange Touadera’s vision for sustainable and inclusive development, focusing on equitable access to drinking water, sanitation, food security, and environmental protection.
Structured around the water–food security–climate nexus, PREDIRE consists of two sub-programmes. The first, launched at the ceremony, will improve hydrological information systems, prepare for future investments, and construct climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure. The second, still in preparation, will focus on building water collection systems for agricultural transformation in the DRC, improving river navigation in the Ubangui Basin and Congo River, and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities to climate change.
The programme seeks to enhance sustainable management of shared water resources, develop vital water supply infrastructure for households and agriculture, and strengthen governance and institutional capacities of national and regional bodies such as the International Commission of the Congo-Ubangi-Sangha Basin (CICOS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
In the Central African Republic, the initiative includes the construction of a high-capacity raw water pumping station and treatment plant (6,500 m³/hour each), a 50,000 m³ storage facility, 208 kilometres of extended distribution network, 15,000 new social connections, and new headquarters for the national water distribution company, SODECA. The programme will cover parts of the DRC’s Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, and Mongala provinces, as well as Greater Bangui in the Central African Republic, benefiting over 2.4 million people—most of whom live in poverty and are under the age of 35, with women making up more than half of the beneficiaries.
In addition to improving water and sanitation services, the project will generate 3,400 jobs, including 1,200 permanent positions, and offer entrepreneurship training. A resilience and social cohesion programme will support 25,000 people in partnership with UNHCR. Governance efforts will strengthen the skills of over 1,300 stakeholders, ensuring that all targeted women benefit from training to play active roles in preserving shared water resources.
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