COTONOU, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank ( AfDB ) will grant a
grant of 61.77 million euros, or approximately 68 million US dollars, in favor of the
government of Benin for the implementation of the rural electrification project (PERU) for 309
villages in Benin, said a statement from the regional financial institution received by Xinhua on Friday at
Cotonou.
According to the same source, this project, which will be carried out over three years, will benefit a population estimated at one
million inhabitants.
"Its objective is to improve the rate of access to electricity in rural areas, from 8.11% in 2018 to 13.78% in
2022", underlined Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, Managing Director in charge of West Africa for the
Bank.
Similarly, she said, "this project is in addition to the Bank's operations under the program
government to strengthen the country's energy capacities. It benefits from the results of all
Bank interventions under its regional integration strategy, which aims to ensure a
Benin's supply of electricity, at a lower cost".
On June 30, 2019, the Bank's portfolio in Benin had 15 active projects for a total commitment of
some 443 million euros, or over 484 million US dollars. It consists only of
public projects, including 12 national and three multinational.