The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has approved a loan of 11 billion CFA francs (about €16.7 million) to improve access to drinking water and sanitation in rural areas of Niger. The work will include the construction of 45 drinking water supply systems in several regions of the West African country.
The loan of 11 billion CFA francs (about 16.7 million euros) was approved on 2 December 2022 in Niamey, the capital of Niger. This was during the 133rd ordinary session of the Board of Directors of the West African Development Bank (BOAD). The loan will finance the construction of new drinking water and sanitation facilities in rural areas in several regions of Niger.
The Nigerien government will use the BOAD financing to build 45 drinking water supply systems. Each WSP will be equipped with facilities to pump, transport, store and distribute drinking water. They will be located in four of Niger’s eight regions, namely Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua and Tillabéri.
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The sanitation component of the project involves the construction of 334 latrine blocks in schools and health centres, which will reduce open defecation. This practice is the cause of water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea, which cause the death of nearly 13,800 children under the age of five each year, according to the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) WaterAid, which is responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene issues.
In Niger, 20.6 million people do not have access to decent toilets and 12.8 million people still do not have access to clean water, according to WaterAid. The work financed through a BOAD loan will improve access to drinking water and sanitation for the inhabitants of 92 localities in Niger.
Inès Magoum
