AfDB and Rwanda ink deal worth $131 mn for water projects

Jan 24, 2019: Supporting with additional funds to the Rwanda Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Programme, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Rwanda have signed financing agreements worth $131 million.

The fund includes $130 million from AfDB and $0.9 million from the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund, the bank stated. The additional funding will support water supply infrastructure, and provide 1.5 million more people with access to reliable and sustainable water supply services. Of those beneficiaries, 700,000 live in peri-urban or rural areas, it added.

The fund will cover strategic cities and address water challenges in areas with a low access rate of 45 percent, which is well below the national average of 85 percent.

The objective is to support Rwanda to achieve universal access to reliable water and sanitation services, by 2024 in line with the objectives of the National Strategy for Transformation.

The increased resources bring the number of beneficiaries of improved water services to 2.6 million and of improved sanitation to 475,000 over the programme’s duration.

The bank also supports sub-projects in the city of Kigali and the strategic satellite cities of Rubavu, Rusizi, Nyagatare, Muhanga, Huye, Musanze and Karongi.

Kigali will benefit from the development of the first centralised sewerage system in Rwanda. In addition, to promote sustainable financing of water and sanitation investments, the bank, through the Kigali Bulk Water Project, is helping the government to mobilise private capital for groundwater extraction, treatment and supply to the Kigali network through a public-private partnership.

The additional financing increases the on-going bank support for the water and sanitation sector in Rwanda to $321 million, demonstrating the bank’s desire and readiness to match the government of Rwanda’s ambitions to achieve speedy socio-economic transformation.