Climate adaptation/ flood protection of roads in northern Namibia

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During the rainy season, heavy rainfall and backwater in the shallow Cuvelai Delta in northern Namibia cause flooding in large parts of the landscape. Paths and trails are also under water for up to three months due to the flooding. This results in partial or complete isolation of the people affected and restricts access to infrastructure facilities such as schools, clinics, markets and public facilities. The project in its current scope includes the construction of around 130 km of access roads, including numerous drainage structures to ensure year-round accessibility to around 36 schools and 9 health facilities, especially during the rainy season. The project is thus helping to reduce the population's vulnerability to flooding and the negative effects of climate change. In addition to increasing the population's ability to adapt to the flooding that tends to occur more frequently as a result of climate change, the concept of promoting young entrepreneurship supports 8 companies that each employ an average of 20 permanent employees (a total of 160 permanent jobs). In addition, thanks to the labor-intensive construction method, around 1,600 workers from the local population will be temporarily employed during the construction work. This form of employment promotion has a direct impact on the income of the predominantly poor rural population. The total cost of the project is expected to be around EUR 12.4 million, of which EUR 8.8 million will be financed from Financial Cooperation funds. The Namibian government's own contribution is therefore around EUR 3.6 million, which corresponds to 30% of the total costs.