EU grants €10 million for North Darfur water basin project

The European Union (EU) will finance the second phase of the Wadi El Kou Basin project in North Darfur with €10 million.

The second phase of the project will start in October this year and will last for five years.

The North Darfur Minister of Agriculture, Anwar Ishag, announced the grant in the state capital of El Fasher in a press conference yesterday, together with visiting EU adviser Magda Nassif.

The Minister called for further cooperation with the EU concerning the implementation the second phase of the project.

EU adviser Nassif said that she will sit with the project’s advisory and technical committees, and will discuss the project as well with other stakeholders and leaders of the local communities to select the project areas.

She pointed out that the EU has tentatively suggested that the second phase of the lowland valley project be started up to the highland valley.

The geographical scope of the project focuses on the Wadi El Kou which is a seasonal river on which around 700,000 people depend, the EU states on its International Cooperation website. The project will directly target 80,000 smallholder producers (farmers and pastoralists), and will indirectly benefit the 700,000 people dependent on the catchment.

The programme will ensure a participatory and community-based catchment management system for the Wadi El Kou basin, which will promote climate change resilience, livelihoods and stability, therefore tackling forced displacement and improving livelihoods.