The African Development Bank (AfDB) approved an additional grant of $3.52 million to the Central African Republic (CAR) to enable the completion of the first phase of its electricity interconnection project with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The grant will finance the restoration of the 10MW Boali hydroelectric plant, as well as update a feasibility study of the electrification of nine localities.
The study will cost $5.97 million and will be financed up to 59.16% by the African Development Fund, the AfDB’s concessional rate lending window, and 40.84% by the government of CAR, bringing the AfDB’s total contribution to $45.73 million.
For 2021, the African Development Fund approved a grant of $42.18 million for the financing of the Boali Phase 1 project – an interconnection of the CAR and DRC power grids from the hydroelectric system of Boali – at a cost of $50.05 million. The interconnection project is expected to improve access to electricity for citizens of both CAR and the DRC.
