Funding granted by the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group supports the construction of multifunctional dams in the regions of northern Cameroon.
The State of Cameroon is receiving financial support amounting to 81.2 million euros, or 53.263 billion CFA francs, for the development of the agro-industrial sector in the North and Far North regions. The loan granted on July 13, 2026, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, will help finance the implementation of the first phase of the “Agro-industry Development Program in the North: construction of multipurpose hill dams,” according to the African financial institution.
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The project aims to sustainably improve access to water for the development of agro-industry in these two regions by strengthening the resilience of populations to the effects of climate change. It plans the construction of multifunctional dams intended to increase agricultural productivity, ensure permanent access to water for producers and herders, increase the incomes of beneficiary populations, create jobs, reduce conflicts related to the use of natural resources, and improve access to socio-economic services. According to the AfDB, it will also involve installing hydrometeorological stations, planting trees, and creating community forests to strengthen the climate and territorial resilience of communities.
The AfDB’s contribution thus partly finances the program, estimated at 88.74 million euros, or 58.209 billion CFA francs. The Cameroonian government complements the amount with 7.54 million euros, or 4.945 billion CFA francs, as part of this first phase, which will eventually be followed by a second phase.
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The second phase of the project indeed plans the construction of large multifunctional dams with a storage capacity of about 500 million m3. These dams will be used to irrigate more than 40,000 hectares of farmland in the concerned area.
According to the Bank Group, the necessity of the project is explained by water insecurity in the North and Far North of Cameroon, which exacerbates food insecurity and disrupts socio-economic activities. The financial institution rightly recalls that intense rains have caused recurrent flooding in recent years in these regions, damaging infrastructure, interrupting the operation of schools and businesses. They also forced 275,000 people in the Lake Chad basin to relocate. The same causes affected three million people in 2024.