The Millennium Challenge Account Niger (MCA-Niger) is celebrating three years of work towards building roads, improving irrigation, and strengthening agriculture in Niger as part of a grant agreement, called a Compact, with the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Over the course of the past three years, MCA-Niger has worked to improve economic activity in Niger’s agricultural sector. MCA-Niger has started construction on two key roads that will allow farmers to reach markets and available services, spurring further agricultural production. The first road is an 80km section of the RN7, which leads to Gaya and beyond. The second road project is repairing 190km of the RN35, from Margou to Gaya. Additionally, MCA-Niger will rehabilitate the irrigated perimeter of Konni and demonstrate small scale irrigation technology, tapping rich ground water resources near Gaya, in Sia-Kouanza that will increase crop production, intensities, yields, and profitability.
The past three years have also been dedicated to strengthening the climate resiliency of Niger’s agriculture sector and rural communities. Strengthening climate resiliency today, will help sustain natural resources that are critical to long–term outputs. Through public works, such as the establishment of water points for livestock, restoration of degraded pasture lands in livestock corridors, and the promotion of sustainable land management for agriculture lands, MCA-Niger aims to recover over 70,000 Hectares of land. Further funding of vaccination campaigns for livestock along with the construction of livestock markets in 4 regions, will ensure the benefits of MCA-Niger are felt throughout the sector.
“MCC and MCA-Niger have done amazing work throughout the past three years.” said Kristin Penn, MCC’s Resident Country Director for Niger. “Even when faced with a global pandemic, we have continued to find ways to start key works, such as the road rehabilitation and irrigation construction projects. As we celebrate this progress, we look forward to our continued work with the Government of Niger to bring all the proposed interventions, to fruition.”
Through MCA-Niger, and in partnership with the Government of Niger, the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s $437 million compact is changing the course of the nation’s agriculture sector by improving the sustainable use of natural resources for agriculture production and improving trade and market access for those agricultural products.
Read more about MCC’s Niger Compact on MCC’s website here or view the factsheet
