The World Bank’s Board on 17 May granted Zambia $100 million in International Development Association (IDA) credit for the purpose of improving its natural resource management in 16 select districts covering three provinces namely Luapula, Muchinga and Northern province. This will be part of the Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development (TRALARD) project supports sustainable use of natural resources for livelihoods, and help the government of Zambia respond adequately and timely to a crisis or emergency.
World Bank Country Manager for Zambia Ina Ruthenburg stressed the importance of the TRALARD project for Zambia citing the design of its activities with a view towards reversing forest and land degradation and improve infrastructure to enhance the resilience of communities to climatic shocks.
About 562,800 people are estimated to benefit from TRALARD, and at least 50 percent of beneficiaries will be female-headed households. The main project beneficiaries reside in rural areas, the poorest and most vulnerable to climate change impacts
“The current impact of natural resource degradation on Zambia’s economy and livelihoods of its people is costing about 0.4 percent in annual economic growth and is projected to increase. We hope that the project play an integral part in Zambia’s effort to respond to climate change and to improve management of natural resources through donor supported efforts,” said Iretomiwa Olatunji, World Bank Task Team Leader for the project.
TRALARD project is aligned with the World Bank’s twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, and it is aligned with the government’s Seventh National Development Plan as well as the Zambia Country Partnership Framework (CPF, FY19-FY23).