Chicomba: The agricultural dam in the municipality of Chicomba, in Angola's southern province of Hula, whose construction works were launched on Saturday, aims to make production more sustainable and revitalize the 'corn triangle.' Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Castro Camarada, emphasized the project's significance in the region.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the 'corn triangle,' which includes the largest cereal producers in the region (Chicomba, Caluquembe, and Caconda), has been relatively dormant but is now beginning to take steps to bolster the area's economic framework. The investment is expected to increase production significantly, with plans to implement an industrial processing component and, initially, irrigate 2,500 hectares.
For the government, this infrastructure symbolizes economic development, providing employment opportunities for young people in both production and equipment management. This is anticipated to have a notable impact on family income, as year-round agricultural production becomes possible. The investment also includes the paving of National Road 110, addressing increased traffic and goods transit, which the government views as strategic for the region's multifaceted development.
The government plans to expand the irrigation area by an additional five thousand hectares in a second phase. Camarada highlighted the need for agricultural development focused first on consumption and then on export, stressing the importance of reducing reliance on rainfall by expanding irrigated agriculture, given the region's significant water potential.
With the introduction of an irrigated perimeter, agriculture will be conducted in three cycles per year, substantially boosting market-bound production and stimulating other economic activities like fish and livestock farming. The project entails a photovoltaic plant, rural road rehabilitation, agro-industry installation, storage structures, and training and staff development.
Municipal administrator Abel Wandy Andr© noted that while the project will increase production, its success hinges on including the main access road to the municipality, which currently poses a development challenge. Chicomba, located 220 kilometers north of Lubango, the provincial capital of Hula, is home to 24 farmers' cooperatives, 101 associations, and 203 field schools.
The dam is designed to have a storage capacity of 10.1 cubic hectometers of water, a 20.25-kilometer hydraulic network, a medium-voltage power grid of six kilometers, a low-voltage grid of 18 kilometers, and a 25-kilometer road network. The social impact infrastructure project, set to last 36 months, began with a contract signing and work awarded to the contractor by the government.
The project also offers technical assistance to producers, training, and capacity building for local staff and farmers, and the creation of new jobs, contributing to poverty reduction in local communities. The works involve a zoned embankment dam, spillway, water intake and intake tower, pumping station, reservoirs, irrigation hydraulic network, energy infrastructure, and other complementary works.
The budget for constructing the Chicomba dam, sourced from the Cuvunji River, is approximately £67,248,177.95. This funding was authorized in January 2024 by President Joo Louren§o through a Presidential Decree for the first phase of the Chicomba water dam construction project. The funding was secured from a banking syndicate formed by Portuguese financial institutions Banco BAI Europa and Banco Comercial Portuguªs, among others, under the financing agreement. The Portuguese Export Credit Agency of Banco Portuguªs do Fomento (BPF) will cover 85% of the commercial contract value and 100% of the guarantee commission.
With an estimated population of 158,724 inhabitants, Chicomba is a key maize-producing area, making the project a strategic infrastructure for strengthening agricultural production and consolidating regional development.
