AfDB conducts workshop with WFP to improve livelihoods in Zimbabwe

A two-day workshop was organized by the African Development Bank in association with World Food Programme in Zimbabwe recently. The objective of the workshop was to explore ways of consolidating efforts in aid of the country’s socio-economic development.

The workshop was premised on the global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Bank and World Food Programme in 2010 to build synergies and consolidate efforts to achieve their mutual mandates. The African Development Bank team was led by Country Manager Damoni Kitabire while World Food Programme was led by Janvier Litse, Senior Adviser and the Zimbabwe Country Office Director, Eddie Rowe. The two sides shared their activities, strategies as well as potential synergies for collaboration in the short, medium and long-term.

World Food Programme (WFP) Country Office Director Rowe said his organization was keen to collaborate with development partners such as the African Development Bank in its efforts to improve livelihoods in Zimbabwe. Around 63 percent of Zimbabwe’s population live below the poverty line, according to the Vulnerability Assessment Mapping (VAM) released early this year.

Bank programmes currently under implementation that were highlighted as potential areas of cooperation with the WFP include – Beef and Leather Value Chain Project (USD 1.9 million), Youth and Women Empowerment Project (USD 4.7 million), ClimDev (USD 411,000), Innovative Solutions to Support the Livelihoods of Vulnerable Communities (USD 1.4 million), Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRiFi), and Water and Sanitation programmes – (Bulawayo Water Supply and Sewerage Improvement Project (USD 33 million) ZimFund Water and Sanitation projects and the Zimbabwe Integrated Urban Water Management Project in Marondera Municipality (USD 2 million).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Country Manager Kitabire expressed gratitude to the WFP team for seeking deeper collaboration with the Bank in support of Zimbabwe, which is currently experiencing economic challenges. Bank projects in Zimbabwe are currently valued at $230 million. The teams pledged to continue their dialogue toward establishing a working mechanism in the short, medium and long term.