A Bridge to Prosperity

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FEATURE STORY

A Bridge to Prosperity
November 26, 2013

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Long impassable for vehicles, the Kindzoumba-Kibamba road in Bouenza Department, the countrys
breadbasket, is now open to traffic thanks to the construction of a new bridge.
The bridge was rebuilt as part of the Agricultural Development and Rural Roads Rehabilitation
Project (ADRRP), mounted by the Congolese Government with World Bank assistance.
Its completion provides new access to the surrounding villages and a means to channel agricultural
production toward the urban center of Mouyondzi and the Congo-Ocean railway.

KINDZOUMBA, November 26, 2013 A mere 28 kilometers separates the communities of

Kindzoumba (Tsiaki district) and Kibamba (Kingou district), both about 280 kilometers southwest of
Brazzaville. However, these two small towns in the countrys agricultural heartland, the Bouenza
Department, could no longer get their produce to Mouyondzi, the regions urban community. The road
had become impassable for motor vehicles after the bridge it once crossed had collapsed. The
merchants whose trucks formerly transported crops to market in Mouyondzi gave up on the route.
For almost 15 years, farmers in the villages along the road were forced to travel this distance on foot,
toting their bananas, cassava, or citrus fruit on their heads (or in baskets on their backs) to the
Mouyondzi market. The arduous process finally dampened the residents desire to work.

" This project is really about overall rural development because the roads you
build arent just for for agricultural purposesthey can also be used to
evacuate the sick, to go to school, or even to facilitate trade between cities"
Sylvie Dossou

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/11/26/a-bridge-to-prosperity

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A Bridge to Prosperity

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World Bank country manager

The Agricultural Development and Rural Roads Rehabilitation Project

(http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P095251/agricultural-development-rural-roads-rehabilitationproject?lang=en&tab=overview) (ADRRP), implemented in 2008 by the World Bank and the Congolese
government, has now restored the regions prosperity. The repair of this road is a great relief to the
people of Tsiaki and Kingou, because it lets us move our crops faster. It allows us to increase our
production, which went down because of the transportation problem, since it was so hard to get to
Mouyondzi, the biggest market center in the region, says Benot Mabiala, a resident of Tsiaki district.
The bridge over the Louloulou River, which restored motorized traffic along the road, is a huge shot in
the arm for the local economy. Production of bananas, yams, cassava, peanuts, beans, and all sorts of
fruit is booming in the region.
Long known as the Congos breadbasket, Bouenza Department in the south has the richest soil in the
country. Mouyondzi, the main district, plays a special role. Merchants based there gather agricultural
produce from the entire region to send to the rest of the country via the Congo-Ocean railway linking
Brazzaville, the capital, to Pointe Noire, the port overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Sylvie Dossou, World Bank country manager for the Congo, says the benefits of the ADRRP go beyond
the agricultural sector. This project is really about overall rural development, she notes, because the
roads you build arent just for for agricultural purposesthey can also be used to evacuate the sick, to
go to school, or even to facilitate trade between cities.
Co-financed in equal part by the World Bank Groups International Development Association (IDA) and
the Republic of Congo, the Agricultural Development and Rural Roads Rehabilitation Project is backed
by CFAF 20 billion (US$40 million). Its goal is to boost the productivity of farmers and livestock
producers, increasing agro-livestock production and elevating by 10 percent or more the income of
beneficiary households. It also seeks to provide access to improved agricultural technologies, develop
market infrastructures, and establish agricultural policies and expenditure programs focused on the
poorest population groups, thereby reducing poverty and alleviating youth unemployment. The project
is being implemented in 10 departments in the Congo with high agricultural potential. Since its launch,
the project has, among other things, funded 841 microprojects and has helped prioritize the
rehabilitation of 1,084 kilometers of rural roads in several Congo departments. It has also provided
robust seeds and cassava cuttings to farmers.
The initial closing date of the project was June 30, 2013. However, in light of its positive effects, the
Congolese government has sought additional financing to continue it. Project Manager Amadou
Oumar Bar reports that, tThe World Bank will provide the Congo with US$10 million more to continue
the ADRRP.

RELATED
WORLD BANK

Project: The Agricultural Development and Rural Roads Rehabilitation Project

(http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P095251/agricultural-development-rural-roads-rehabilitation-project?
lang=en&tab=overview)
Website: The World Bank in the Republic of Congo (http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/congo)
Website: The World Bank in Africa (http://www.worldbank.org/africa)
EXTERNAL

Facebook: The World Bank in Africa (https://www.facebook.com/WorldBankAfrica)

Twitter: The World Bank in Africa (https://twitter.com/WorldBankAfrica)
Youtube: The World Bank (https://www.youtube.com/worldbank)

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Congo, Republic of (/en/country/congo)

Africa (/en/region/afr)
Agriculture (/en/topic/agriculture)

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