Kampala. The African Development Bank had signed a $57.66 million loan agreement for the Multinational - Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods (DRSLP) in the Horn of Africa (HoA) with the Government of Kenya

bringing to USD 3.04 billion the Bank’s commitment in the country’s various sectors.

The programme will be carried out in phases, with the first phase beginning in 2013 in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. It will focus on about 4 million beneficiaries in the first five years.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, AfDB regional director for the East Africa Resource Centre (EARC), Gabriel Negatu, explained that the entire program would cover eight countries in the Horn of Africa over the next 15 years, including Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda in addition to the three countries in the current phase.

“It is necessary to have all the countries in the program because if one country has better water, pasture and livestock services the pastoralist will move there and this could lead to overgrazing, transmission of trans-boundary animal diseases and conflicts. The next phase is expected to start as soon as funds are available for the remaining countries. This could be as early as end of2013,” Mr Negatu said.

In Kenya, the project will cover the counties of Baringo, Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and West Pokot. It seeks to provide assistance to enhance drought resilience and improve sustainable livelihoods of the communities in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya. In this regard, the project will contribute to the development of water supply and development and rehabilitation of irrigation schemes; improvement of livestock infrastructure and their management and strengthening both human and institutional capacity to improve operational capabilities in the project area.

Phase one will look at improving management of natural resources, livestock market infrastructure and agro-pastoralists’ livelihoods.