IVORY COAST – The Ivorian government has launched the construction of a dam in the council of Koro in the northwest region of Ivory Coast to boost water supply for agricultural activities in the region.

The foundation stone for the dam was laid by the Ivorian Minister of Budget and State Portfolio, Moussa Sanogo, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani marking the start of construction work on the dam on the Yirima River.

According to a report by Afrki21 the water reservoir located on the Yirima river will be constructed at a cost of US$3.56 million dollars (about 6 billion CFA Francs).

The 625-metre-long and 12-metre-high dam will be implemented by the National Office of Studies and Development (BNETD).

“The realization of this dam will improve agricultural yields and ultimately, the income distributed to farmers. Its construction is thus in line with the second phase of actions taken to accelerate the emergence of the Bafing region.”

Moussa Sanogo- Ivory Coast’s Minister of Budget and State Portfolio

The Koro hydro-agricultural dam is intended to allow the development of at least 100 hectares of land for rice cultivation and market gardening.

More importantly, the water reservoir will allow the development of the aquaculture sector through the construction of 25 fish ponds of 400 m3 each.

If implemented according to plan, the dam will transform the Bafing region into one of the fish production basins in Ivory Coast.

According to Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, the dam should contribute to food security in the Yirima River basin.

The fish produced thanks to the Koro reservoir “will go to Touba, Odienné and therefore it will be a platform from which fish will be distributed”, Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani said.

Earlier, the government of Ivory Coast inaugurated 2 water towers with a capacity of 130 cubic metres in the Moronou region.

The towers, inaugurated in the villages of Boussoukro and Bouaffoukro, will be used to improve the drinking water supply to the populations of these localities.

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