This is one of Rawbank's sustainable development initiatives. The commercial bank based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently announced the financing of 100 boreholes in the country over the next two years. Through this commitment, Rawbank hopes to increase access to clean water for 1 million people in the DRC.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), access to safe drinking water is estimated at 52% by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). That’s just over half of the population of this country of 96 million people. In support of the DRC government, Rawbank has announced the construction of 100 boreholes in the DRC by 2024. Mamie Lukusa, Rawbank’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) manager, justifies this action by the need to provide an urgent and effective response to water shortages in the country.
The groundwater pumping stations will be distributed throughout the country. The objective is to strengthen the supply of drinking water to 1 million DR-Congolese. In addition to improving the supply of drinking water, this approach aims to reduce the proliferation of diseases caused by contaminated water and lack of sanitation.
Read Also – AFRICA: Resource and source of life, water at the heart of sustainable development
“We have already completed more than 40 boreholes across the DRC,” says Mamie Lukusa, Rawbank’s CSR manager. The most recent facility financed by the commercial bank was commissioned on March 29, 2023 in Selembao, a municipality in the Funa district of Kinshasa.
Future groundwater pumping stations will be managed by a local committee that will be set up. In addition to water and health security, Rawbank’s CSR approach is also deployed in the electric mobility sector, as well as in the preservation of biodiversity through the planting of trees in the DRC.
Inès Magoum
