LOME, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Togolese government and the World Bank have launched a long delayed project with the aim of rehabilitating and promoting the maintenance of basic infrastructure in the Togolese capital of Lome, according to official sources.

    Dubbed as Project for the Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Infrastructure in Lome, the main objective of the World Bank-funded project is to help the Togolese government improve in the areas such as roads and other dilapidated amenities in the capital, the government announced in a statement on Thursday.

    Funded through World Bank's specialized Low Income Countries Under Stress mechanism, the project is estimated to cost up to over 600 million FCFA (1.6 million U.S dollars), according to government sources.

    "The project is intended to assist the Togolese government to improve access to critical urban infrastructure and services through the rapid rehabilitation of roads and enhancement of access to urban transportation," said the World Bank in a statement.

    "This will involve the rehabilitation of the boulevard Oti to facilitate the movement of populations living in areas of Be Kpota, Akodessewa and Adakpame, rehabilitation of drainage systems and improvement of socio-cultural infrastructure in the district of Beto reduce the number of people affected by periodic flooding in these areas," according to the statement.

    By facilitating the development and paving the boulevard Oti, the project will help ease the movement of people as the boulevard is very popular with traders as well as people who work at the port of Lome and the capital' industrial zone.

    Moreover, the project will also enhance the safety of cyclists and motorcyclists who are also suffering from the narrowness of the road, besides generating many direct and indirect jobs for the youths.

    Launched by Togolese Public Works, Transport, Urban Development and Housing Minister Celestine Talaki, the project will be jointly managed and supervised by the Executing Agency of Urban Work and beneficiary communities.

    Speaking on the occasion, World Bank Country Representative for Togo Joseph Baah-Dwomoh was quoted as saying that his organization would carry out an independent evaluation of the work from time to time to ensure transparency.

    As indicated in Interim Document for Poverty Reduction Strategies which was adopted by the Togolese government in March 2008, the West African nation is experiencing a wave of rapid urbanization that has resulted in an accelerated growth of urban population.

    From about 15 percent in 1970, the urban population is currently estimated at 36 percent and is projected to reach over 65 percent by 2025.

    The capital Lome, which is currently home to about 58 percent of the urban population, is slowly chocking from the dilapidated state of its roads that continue to subject its inhabitants to severe hardships, especially during the rainy seasons.