The African Water Facility has secured 12 million euros from the Nordic Development Fund for a new funding initiative to support African governments, utilities, the private sector, and other stakeholders to expand access to safe and sustainable sanitation in African cities.
The Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII) was launched in August this year, on the sidelines of World Water Week 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Nordic Development Fund announced the funding during the launch of the Initiative which the African Water Facility hosted in tandem with the African Union’s African Water Investment Programme.
In urban areas in Africa, two out of five people lack safely managed drinking water, while two out of three people lack safely managed sanitation, and half the population lacks basic hygiene services, according to the UNICEF.
Also, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 calls for universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for all people wherever they are, including those living in urban areas.
A recent statement by the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) noted that the African Water Facility, through the Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative, aims to mobilise $320 million to support 50 sanitation projects over the next ten years.
The Facility, which is hosted by the AfDB will also connect at least 15 million people in urban areas to safely managed sanitation services and generate $7 billion in downstream investments. Ten percent of the $320 million is expected to come from climate-focused funding sources.
“We are delighted to have successfully launched AUSII and to have secured this grant from the Nordic Development Fund as we operationalise our new financing window for urban sanitation. We hope to see more support from other partners for this important initiative which will ensure inclusive and sustainable access to safe sanitation and cross-cutting impact on development on the continent,” the Coordinator, African Water Facility and Acting AfDB Director for Water Development and Sanitation, Mtchera Johannes Chirwa, said.
