President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Donald Kaberuka has expressed the bank’s optimism that regional integration will be geared up in Central Africa.
”I am confident that the integration in this region through the movement of people and goods will also experience an improvement as elsewhere in Africa,” Kaberuka said at the end of a meeting with Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso here Tuesday.
He said North Africa and Central Africa were the two regions of the continent which are still dragging their feet in terms of integration, despite their economic potentials.
”But the life of our continent is deeply rooted in our ability to come together and pool our strengths,” he said.
During their meeting, the visiting AfDB President and his host discussed the economic situation in the country, the AfDB portfolio, regional portfolio, integration in Central Africa and the overall situation on the African continent.
AfDB is Africa’s largest financial institution, funding many projects on roads, electricity and drinking water, among others.
In Central Africa, AfDB has financed feasibility studies on the proposed road-rail linking Brazzaville to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The bank has participated in the financing of projects aimed at building roads to link Congo and Gabon as well as Cameroon and Congo.
Last December, AfDB approved a loan worth US$152.3 million for the proposed construction of the 274-km Dolisie-Ndende road connecting Congo to Gabon .
Out of this amount, US$106.1 million will be earmarked for Gabon under the AfDB window and US$46.2 million for Congo under the African Development Fund.
Kaberuka, who left Congo Tuesday afternoon, is due to also travel to Gabon as part of his Central African tour.
