The long-term objective of the Eastern Nile Irrigation and Drainage Development project is to increase agricultural productivity through irrigation development, create rural employment opportunities, and improve rural livelihoods and incomes. The project is expected to contribute to food security, reduce rural poverty and reduce population pressures in the region, with associated beneficial effects on the environment.

The immediate objective of the project is to support the development and expansion of irrigated agriculture as well as to improve the productivity of small- and large-scale agriculture through improved agricultural water use