USAID pledges $3 million to African Water Facility to accelerate preparation of water and sanitation investment projects in Africa | African Development Bank

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has pledged $3 million to the African Water Facility (AWF). The funding will support the preparation of water and sanitation investment projects in Africa through grants and technical assistance to African countries and regional economic communities.

The African Water Facility, an initiative of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), is hosted by the African Development Bank. It is the only African project preparation facility solely dedicated to addressing water and sanitation issues in Africa. It assists African countries in achieving the goals and targets of the water-related Sustainable Development Goals and the African Water Vision 2025. It does this through the preparation of innovative water and sanitation projects across the continent.

Access to water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa remains poor. About 400 million people lack basic water supplies, while more than 700 million people lack access to decent sanitation. Nearly 200 million people still defecate openly and 750 million people have no access to hygiene. Achieving water security and sanitation for all requires large-scale investments in water supply and sanitation, better management of water resources and operations, and the design of climate-resilient infrastructure.

Since its inception, the Facility has provided €205 million in grants for water and sanitation projects in Africa and enabled more than €1.7 billion in downstream investment in the water and sanitation sector.

“This USAID funding confirms the growing international support for the African Water Facility as a trusted partner and resource for the African water sector. We thank the United States for the funding commitment that will help scale the Facility’s work and positively impact more people across the continent,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development of the African Development Bank.

As part of its 2022 – 2027 strategy, USAID aims to reach 22 million people with access to safe drinking water and 22 million people with access to sanitation within five years.

The African Water Facility is raising millions of euros to develop investments that will accelerate public and private sector financing of the water sector and the use of innovation to improve services. USAID’s support comes ahead of the 2023 funding dialogue in Paris in October, where the facility will engage donors, beneficiary governments, multilateral and international organizations to improve funding for water and sanitation investment projects in Africa.

“The negative consequences of inadequate access to water and sanitation and poor management of water resources are seen in many countries in Africa. The African Water Facility is here to accelerate viable, climate-friendly investments by providing grants, technical assistance and developing catalytic and innovative projects to improve water and sanitation services and water management in Africa,” said Mtchera Chirwa , coordinator of the African Water Facility. .

The Facility’s revised 2017-2025 Strategic Plan will seek to mobilize resources to increase the delivery of cost-effective water and sanitation investment projects across the continent. This is expected to provide access to a climate-resilient and safely managed water supply for 2.6 million people and provide basic sanitation for 2.4 million people.