LOW INCOME SHELTER

investors against default on housing loans made to the Government of Togo (GOT). The GOT will use loan funds to institute a replicable, low-cost housing program in Togo. The project will be implemented by the Agence d"Equipement des Terrains Urbains (AGETU), which will be responsible for the implementation of community upgrading and sites and services subprojects, and the Togo Development Bank (BTD), which will be responsible for the disbursement of small loans. Approximately 40,000 residents of the low-income Be community of Lome will be the recipients of community upgrading activities, including the following services: new and improved sewage disposal, potable water, drainage, solid waste disposal, and circulation systems. Residents will be eligible for small loans to finance utility connections, septic tank construction, and dwelling improvements. Entrepreneurs living in the area, who are themselves below or at medium-income levels or who employ Be residents, will also be eligible for loans. AGETU will establish a project office which will coordinate all physical construction and will house BTD representatives and other technical experts, including technicians to advise residents on septic tank construction and other housing improvements. Sites and services subprojects will be implemented in both Lome and in Lama Kara, a major regional growth center in Togo"s northern savannah. AGETU will market 1,500 lots in Lome and 900 in Lama Karma. The lots will be sold to low-income families through lease purchase agreements, with a mix of options ranging from minimally serviced lots to core units which can be occupied immediately. Again, beneficiaries will have access to loans (for a total of 2,500 project loans) for lot purchase, housing improvements, and purchase of building materials) and to technical assistance at onsite AGETU project offices. The project is a follow-on of two A.I.D. projects -- Technical Assistance (6930213) and Integrated Improvement Program for the Urban Poor (6930007).