Incatema ratifies its commitment to the African continent by promoting its development with sustainable agriculture and integrated water management projects
25 May, 2023
On the occasion of the Africa Day celebration, on May 25, Incatema wants to highlight the work done in this continent through which it contributes to its sustainable development.
The company has been developing and executing projects in agriculture, fisheries, rural development and water infrastructure in Africa for more than 20 years. In 2000, Incatema began to export to developing African countries the development model of the Spanish agricultural sector and then later to move on to carry out engineering projects of the water cycle.
Through the important activity that the company carries out in this continent, projects that favour the growth of local economies are being promoted, mainly, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Most of these projects are financed, in addition to local governments, by the World Bank and the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation (AECID), among other international organizations.
Africa's potential in agriculture is tremendous
Since 2017, Incatema has been providing technical assistance to the Commercial Agriculture Development Program (CADP) in Angola. This program, financed by the World Bank and the French Development Agency, aims to improve agricultural productivity and enhance market access for smallholders and SMEs in the priority agricultural value chains in the country. During that time, the program has received more than 1,360 applications, 340 business plans have been launched, more than 130 investment projects have been approved and more than 100 agricultural credits have been granted.
In other countries such as Malawi or Sao Tome and Principe, the company works to improve agricultural irrigation systems, a vital aspect in these latitudes where water is a scarce commodity during dry seasons. The implementation of efficient irrigation systems, through the use of advanced technology, is improving the resilience and sustainability of smallholder’s agriculture, whose activity is essential for the economy and food security of these countries.
In this regard, and geared towards sustainable and resilient growth as well as job creation within the framework of a green economy, Zambia formulated a programme funded by the European Union to encourage the creation of alliances between farmers and ecological associations.
Contribution to the Blue Economy in the Horn of Africa by combating illegal fishing
In the East, Southern and Western Indian Ocean regions, Incatema provides technical assistance to the EU-funded ECOFISH Blue Economy Programme. The interventions are aimed at promoting sustainable fisheries, the conservation of marine biodiversity and the promotion of a blue economy in the region. According to Ana Romero, Incatema Consulting Director, "thanks to the steps already taken within this program, the marine and continental fisheries resources of this region, which represent a natural wealth valued at around 50,000 million euros, are used and managed sustainably".
Some of the actions consolidated through ECOFISH are bearing fruit to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In fact, when the programme began, 30% of the infringements detected for illegal fishing were serious, whereas today the infringements detected are of a minor nature.
This was made possible by the creation of a multi-country platform to broadcast sustainable fishing models; the introduction of state-of-the-art technologies in traditional fishing, such as fish aggregation devices, among others, which are helping artisanal fishermen to carry out their activity in a safer, more productive and sustainable way; or the implementation of a university degree in Blue Economy at the Open University of Mauritius to train professionals in the management of fisheries resources in a sustainable way.
Integrated water management infrastructures: the key to the health of the African population
Within its commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the UN, which seeks to achieve universal and equitable access to drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene services, as well as to improve water quality globally, Incatema has worked in recent years in the construction and implementation of integrated water management infrastructures in different sub-Saharan countries.
At present, two major infrastructure projects that are interrelated are already being completed in Cambérène (Dakar, Senegal): on the one hand, the expansion and modernization of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), the largest and most modern in sub-Saharan Africa; and, on the other hand, the submarine emissary that connects with said treatment plant and conducts the water, previously treated and, therefore, cleaned, to the seabed to be definitively eliminated. Both infrastructures will serve a population of more than 1.6 million inhabitants and represent a great boost for the Senegalese government's Environmental Plan for the decontamination of northern Dakar, an area particularly affected by pollution.
In addition, in recent years, also in Senegal, Incatema has built the Kedougou Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) and the Foundiougne desalination plant, which guarantees access to quality drinking water to more than 5,000 people.
"The new drinking water treatment plants that Incatema has developed and commissioned in Senegal are having a direct impact on the quality of life of the population, who now have easier access to safe water sources," says Fernando Díaz, Director of Infrastructures at Incatema.
