Tashkent (UNA-OIC) – The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Government of Benin have signed a $50 million financing agreement for “Closing Gaps: Community Health, Human Resources, and Nutrition” project, a new development project in the West African country.
The agreement was signed IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser and Benin’s Minister of Economy and Finance Romuald Wadagni, on the sidelines of the 2021 IsDB Group Annual Meetings being held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on September 1-4.
The project which is funded with concessional financing from IsDB’s Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) with the support of the Bank’s donor partners, aims to address the critical and urgent gaps in primary healthcare and nutrition services in Benin, particularly with regard to maternal and child healthcare.
On the occasion, Al Jasser said: “This is an important project for the long-term, sustainable socio-economic prosperity of Benin. Through this Lives and Livelihoods Fund investment, we are helping to create lasting positive change in the country’s health sector to help people live longer and happier lives and set the foundation for the next generation to thrive and reach their full potentials.”
The objectives of the project are to improve access to primary healthcare and nutrition services and to strengthen the surveillance and prevention of epidemics and infectious diseases in communities.
By the end of the current five-year timeline for the completion of the project, 400 medical doctors, 400 nurses and midwives, and 600 health assistants are expected to be recruited, trained and deployed in rural areas to provide health and nutrition services to communities. Also, over 4,000 community health workers are expected to be recruited and deployed to provide home-based health and nutrition services.
In addition, the project will support the development and implementation of the National Nutrition Strategy and contribute to strengthening the district health information system for the benefit of the people of Benin.
