by Steve A. Morrell
Agence Francaise de Development Group (AFD), a development bank and cooperation agency, owned by the French government, implements France’s policy on development finance.
The institution’s mandate encompass extending development financial assistance to the public sector to accelerate growth and transition towards a more sustainable world.
AFD’s Country Director Reda Souirgi, with the Ambassador for France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Eric Lavertu and Deputy Head of Mission, Aurelien Mailet explained a wide cross section of development aid projects ongoing and projected for implementation that would benefit Sri Lanka, at a news conference in Colombo recently.
The Ambassador said irrigation projects for improvement included flood control and providing safe drinking water.
Discussions are continuing with farmers in Trincomalee and Batticaloa for the implementation of the planned irrigation projects with tangible benefits to them on completion, he noted.
“We also discussed the projects with the Bishops of Trincomalee and Batticaloa and the Eastern University for further inputs before going ahead with their implementation”, the envoy further said.
The Mundeni Aru Basin development project has also been included for implementation in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts, he said.
Introducing Country Director Reda Souirgi, the Ambassador said he assumed duties in the Embassy two months ago to take charge of AFD development projects. He is an engineer with wide experience to implement such projects.
Souirgi said he joined AFD in 2015 and was active in implementing projects in Senegal, Cote d’ lvoire, Tunisia and Colombia. He also worked in Latin America, the Caribbean, and West and North Africa. He brought to bear his experience serving in those countries to benefit needs for implementation in Sri Lanka.
He said that AFD funding began in 2005. Sri Lanka was the first Asian country to benefit from the projects, which included water supply, energy, roads and bridges, local development and vocational training.
In addition, the initiative covered the construction of four grid substations, supplementing the national grid through renewable power generation, micro hydro plants and producing cheaper green power. Green power development co-financed by the Asian Development Bank in the water and sanitation sectors are expected to benefit 146,000 families in the eastern part of Greater Colombo, he said.
“We are also looking at energy efficient water treatment plants”, Souirgi stressed.
French assistance towards implementing the projects exceeded 172 million Euros, he noted, adding that the aid was not a grant but was payable to the government of France on easy payment terms. With a grace period of seven years, the funds have to be paid back in 25 years, he further said.
‘White elephants’ will not be financed under the French aid program, he said, while explaining that requests by the government are assessed in detail with their feasibility and implications evaluated before funding is approved based on their beneficial conclusion.
The program also included promotion of tourism with emphasis on SMEs and assistance to entrepreneurs in the sphere. The micro credit scheme, a segment of the aid tranche, focused on the production of dry fish and employment to women. Such schemes will be implemented in Galle, Beruwala and other coastal areas.
Sanitation and clean water projects in Jaffna and especially building reservoirs in the north will result in about 10,000 hectares of farm lands being irrigated to benefit the farming community. There will also be support to farmers and promotion of on–farm water efficient practices. International standards will be observed to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of the projects, Souirgi assured.
