The African Development Fund (ADF) has pledged to finance $101 million for Rwanda's Sustainable and Resilient Water and Sanitation Programme (RSWSSDP). In particular, the loan will finance improvements in water and sanitation governance between now and 2026.
The Government of Rwanda will benefit from new financing from the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional lending window of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. The $101 million loan, approved on 14 July 2023 by the AfDB’s Board of Directors, is earmarked for the implementation of Rwanda’s Resilient and Sustainable Water and Sanitation Programme (RSWSSDP).
The programme, recently launched in the East African country, aims to improve water and sanitation governance by building the capacity of stakeholders, as well as improving access to basic water supply and sanitation services by building new water infrastructure. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), only 57% of the population of Rwanda has access to drinking water, and 64% to sanitation services.
Improving access to water and sanitation for 13.2 million Rwandans
The RSWSSDP will also help to strengthen the legal, policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for the provision of basic water supply and sanitation services in Rwanda. Rwanda’s Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Infrastructure and Environment, the Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) will implement the Rwanda Sustainable and Resilient Water and Sanitation Programme, which will benefit more than 13.2 million people. Work is scheduled for completion in 2026.
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By supporting this programme, the AfDB aims to help accelerate the long-term development of Rwanda, which aspires to become a middle-income economy by 2035, as outlined in its Vision 2050. The initiative is aligned with “our Rwanda Country Strategy 2022-2026 and our ten-year strategy (2013 – 2022, extended to June 2023) for inclusive growth and a gradual transition to green growth”, says the AfDB. Rwanda’s sustainable and resilient water and sanitation programme will also contribute to three of the AfDB’s priority areas, also known as the “High 5s”: improving the quality of life of Africa’s people, feeding Africa and industrialising Africa.
Inès Magoum
