World Bank Approves $100m Credit for Zambia
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directions has approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit of $100 million for Zambia to improve natural resource management, in selected districts.
The Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development (TRALARD) Project will support sustainable use of natural resources for livelihoods and help the government of Zambia respond adequately and timely to a crisis or emergency
Sixteen (16) districts in three provinces have been targeted under this project.
These are: Chifunabuli, Kawambwa, Lunga, Nchelenge, and Samfya (Luapula Province); Chama, Lavushimanda, Mpika, Mafinga, Isoka, and Kanchibiya (Muchinga Province); and Chilubi, Mbala, Mungwi, Mpulungu, and Nsama (Northern Province).
“The TRALARD project is very important for Zambia because its activities were designed with a view to reversing forest and land degradation and improve infrastructure to enhance the resilience of communities to climatic shocks,” said World Bank Country Manager for Zambia Ina Ruthenberg.
About 562,800 people are estimated to benefit from TRALARD, and at least 50 per cent of beneficiaries will be female-headed households.
The main project beneficiaries reside in rural areas, the poorest and most vulnerable to climate change impacts, the bank has noted.
“The current impact of natural resource degradation on Zambia’s economy and livelihoods of its people is costing about 0.4 percent in annual economic growth and is projected to increase. We hope that the project play an integral part in Zambia’s effort to respond to climate change and to improve management of natural resources through donor supported efforts,” said Iretomiwa Olatunji, World Bank Task Team Leader for the project.
TRALARD project is aligned with the World Bank’s twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, and it is aligned with the government’s Seventh National Development Plan as well as the Zambia Country Partnership Framework (CPF 2019-2023).
