AfDB, Rwanda signs agreements worth EUR115 mln to support water supply infrastructure

The additional financing will mainly support water supply infrastructure, and provide 1.5 million more people with access to reliable and sustainable water supply services.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed financing agreements worth €115 million with the Government of Rwanda to support the Rwanda Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Programme as additional financing. The funding, which comprises €114.27 million from the AfDB window and €0.8 million from the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund, augments the original financing of €104 million AfDB loan and €43 million Africa Growing Together Fund loan approved by the Bank’s Board in 2017.

The additional financing will mainly support water supply infrastructure, and provide 1.5 million more people with access to reliable and sustainable water supply services. Of these beneficiaries, 700,000 live in peri-urban/ rural areas. The funding will cover strategic cities and address water challenges in areas with a low access rate of 45% − a figure that is well below the national average of 85%. 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 scaled-up 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’s support for this programme deepens and consolidates the impact of its investments in enhancing resilience to climate change and inclusive growth,” said Wambui Gichuri, the Bank’s Director for Water Development and Sanitation.

The Bank is a lead development partner in the water and sanitation sector in Rwanda and enjoys a strong partnership with the Government. Under the first Rwanda Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation programme, the Bank is supporting sub-projects in the city of Kigali and the strategic satellite cities of Rubavu, Rusizi, Nyagatare, Muhanga, Huye, Musanze and Karongi. Under the original programme, Kigali will also benefit from the development of the first centralized sewerage system in Rwanda. Furthermore, to promote sustainable financing of water and sanitation investments, the Bank, through the Kigali Bulk Water Project, is helping the Government mobilize private capital for the extraction of groundwater, its treatment and supply to the Kigali network through a public-private partnership. Following the signing of the financing agreements, the Bank’s Country Manager for Rwanda, Mrs. Martha Phiri, said “this additional financing increases the on-going Bank support for the water and sanitation sector in Rwanda to €282 million, demonstrating the Bank’s desire and readiness to match the government of Rwanda’s ambitions to achieve speedy socio-economic transformation”.