The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Sudan on Wednesday, August 28, 2013, signed two Protocol of Agreements in which the Bank provided Emergency Assistance of US $1 million to Flood Victims in Blue and White Nile States, and US $0.5 million to the University of Nyala to build research capacity for the Scientific Preservation of Livestock Breeds in Sudan.
The signing ceremony was presided over by the Governor of the Blue Nile State, Hussein Yassin Hamad, and the State Minister of Finance and National Economy, Magdi Yasin. The occasion was attended by State Ministers of Finance for Blue Nile and White Nile States, representatives from the Humanitarian Aid Commission, the University of Nyala and other dignitaries from the Ministry of Finance, and from the two state governments.
In their brief remarks, the Governor of Blue Nile State, Hussein Yassin Hamad, and the State Minister of Finance, Magdi Yasin, acknowledged the importance of these grants to Sudan at this crucial point in time, and reiterated their Government's great appreciation of the relentless efforts and continued support of the AfDB to their country. They underscored that the grants will help the Government achieve progress in mitigating the effects of the floods in Blue Nile and White Nile States and avail an opportunity for the University of Nyala to build its capacity and carry out important studies that will have enormous impact on the livestock resilience to climate change, and thereby help in improving the overall food security situation in Sudan, particularly in Darfur.
In his opening remarks, the AfDB Country Program Officer, Kenneth Onyango, speaking on behalf of AfDB Resident Representative Abdul B. Kamara, reiterated the Bank's commitment to helping Sudan address its development challenges. He emphasized that these two grants will go a long way in helping Sudan to urgently mitigate the devastating impacts of the floods, and help the process of institutional building in Darfur, especially the education institutions which are important for educating the youth and giving them employment opportunities, and thus breaking the vicious cycle of conflicts.
The Emergency Assistance to Blue and White Nile State is financed from the African Development Bank's Special Relief Fund, and has the objective of meeting the immediate social service and other emergency needs of the flood victims. In particular, this US $1 million grant will rehabilitate school infrastructure and provide health services and other needs for school children in affected communities in the two states.
The US $0.5 million grant to the University of Nyala will build capacity and enable the university to undertake studies on scientific preservation and mapping of livestock genetic resources in Sudan. Amongst others, this project will greatly enhance the adaptation and resilience of livestock resources to climate change. This grant to the University of Nyala is financed by the Korean Technical Cooperation Fund, which is a bilateral Trust Fund administered by the African Development Bank.
