The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Lapo Pistelli, and the Minister of State for Planning, Regional Development, and Community Development of Niger, Amadou Boubacar Cissé, met today at the Farnesina. They signed an agreement for the granting of aid credit of 20 million euros for a market access and rural infrastructure project in Niger’s Tahoua region.
The project aims to increase the income of rural communities – about 485,000 people – in Tahoua region. 230 kilometres of rural roads linking agricultural areas with the markets of 5 important trading centres will be built or up-graded. The markets themselves will be equipped with new infrastructure (trading centres, storage facilities and sales outlets) with the aim of fostering the creation of development hubs for the rural economy.
Italian Development Cooperation has also earmarked a voluntary contribution of 753,060 euro for IFAD to provide the necessary technical assistance for the initiative. The Italian project supports the strategy of the government in Niamey, the capital, to safeguard the Nigerien people from hunger, ensure that they share fully in national production and improve their income levels.