Niger - Vocational and Technical Education Development Support Project (PADEFPT) - supplementary loan

The proposed supplementary loan comes in the wake of a previous operation (Vocational and Technical Education Development Support Project, PADEFPT), financed by the Bank to the tune of UA 26.91 million, which was approved on 15 December 2010. The original project is in line with the Bank's vision to improve the people's living conditions and reflects the priorities of the Government of Niger in terms of skills development and youth employability. It was designed to respond to the new socio-economic opportunities in Niger, marked by the exploitation of uranium and oil deposits and the completion of the country's major projects, notably the Kandadji Dam, the Niamey-Cotonou Railway and the Dosso Dry Port. The PADEFPT project priority objective is to increase the people's access to quality vocational and technical education and training. The ambition of the Government of Niger is to raise this ratio to 40% in 2021 from 25% in 2016. To date, almost all the activities planned under PADEFPT have been carried out. The main activity remaining is the completion of the infrastructure and equipment of the Diffa Technology High School (LTD). The supplementary loan amounts to UA 4.64 million, bringing the new total cost of the PADEFPT project to UA 31.55 million. The project will consolidate the Bank's presence in the TVET sub-sector, strengthen its activities in the area of education and improve the quality of the training provided. The Bank's intervention will also help to improve the sustainability of investments (arrangements to ensure the upkeep and maintenance of the TVET laboratory and workshop equipment). The project will enable the Republic of Niger to have a sub-sector that offers new opportunities to access quality TVET of proven relevance. It will ultimately help to increase the proportion of TVET in the country's education system.