The government of the Republic of Sierra Leone launches the Western Area Peninsular Water Fund. The $2 million (just under 38 million South African Rand) investment facility will support Freetown in implementing sustainable water resource management solutions.
One of the major challenges facing water management in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, is the lack of funding. To reinforce its support for municipal authorities, the West African country’s government launched a $2 million (approx. 38 million South African rand) water fund for the city on January 25, 2024. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, presided over the launch ceremony of the Western Area Peninsular Water Fund (WAPWF).
The water fund, which will be managed by the National Water Resources Management Agency (NWRMA) under Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, will ensure water security for Freetown’s nearly 1.35 million inhabitants, using nature-based solutions and sustainable watershed management practices.”This fund should also catalyze the mobilization of additional funds, and encourage private sector participation in the water industry towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) by 2030,” explains Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. As a reminder, SDG 6 aims to guarantee access to water and sanitation for all, and to ensure sustainable management of water resources, particularly in the face of climate change.
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The $2 million water fund is part of a $20 million initiative to ensure a healthy watershed for the greater Freetown area and a reliable supply of clean water for all upstream and downstream residents. This project will safeguard the delicate balance of nature, notably through the restoration of the Western Area Peninsula National Park, one of Sierra Leone’s eight biodiversity hotspots. It covers some 17,000 hectares of dense forest, with a range of hills rising to 971 m, 60% of forest vegetation still untouched, and a variety of wildlife directly bordering the coastline.
The initiative’s partners are Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), in cooperation with various local and national partners. “WAPWF is the first water fund in West Africa. The innovative and collaborative approach of this water fund brings together different sectors around a common goal: to address the critical need for water security for all,” says Ademola Ajagbe, TNC’s Regional Managing Director for Africa. The U.S.-based environmental organization launched Africa’s first water fund in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2015, and has since expanded the approach to 17 sites across the continent.
Inès Magoum
