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.
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“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