The African Development Fund’s Board of Directors has sanctioned a loan amounting to $101 million to back the Rwanda Sustainable and Resilient Water and Sanitation Program. This policy-based operation aims to bolster Rwanda’s water and sanitation sector.
The scheme is designed to enhance water and sanitation governance, while expanding access to basic water supply and sanitation services. Furthermore, it seeks to strengthen the legal, policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks essential for the provision of basic water supply and sanitation.
Osward Chanda, the Bank’s Director for Water Development and Sanitation, highlighted the reach and impact of the programme during the Board meeting. He said, “This programme is set to benefit over 13.2 million individuals in Rwanda, ensuring sustained and improved access to safe water and sanitation services. It will also bolster water resource management, policy reforms, and governance enhancement in the sector.”
Several Rwandan institutions, including the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Infrastructure and Environment, the Water and Sanitation Corporation Limited, the Rwanda Water Resources Board, and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, are slated to implement the Rwanda Sustainable and Resilient Water and Sanitation Program from this year until 2026.
The programme represents the most recent infrastructure project supported by the Bank through the Water Development and Sanitation Department. The endeavour aims to expedite Rwanda’s long-term ambition of evolving into a middle-income economy by 2035, as outlined in its Vision 2050.
Additionally, the programme aligns with the Bank’s Country Strategy for Rwanda spanning 2022-2026, as well as the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2013 – 2022, extended to June 2023) for inclusive growth and a gradual transition to green growth. It will contribute to three of the Bank’s priority areas, colloquially known as the High 5s: Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa; Feed Africa, and Industrialise Africa. This announcement comes as Saudi Arabia pledged a soft loan of $20 million (£15 million) towards an electricity project in the African country, according to an announcement by the Saudi Press Agency last week.
Image Credit: African Development Bank
