daniel chigunwe
The board of directors of the African Development Bank Group granted loans of nearly US$250 million to Rwanda in Abidjan to enhance the population’s access to water and sanitation services.
The initiative seeks to enhance the community’s access to water supply and sanitation services while strengthening the management of water resources and the operational efficiency of water and sanitation service providers in the designated regions.
The Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Program for Transformation, currently in Phase I, will receive a loan of US$199,5 million from the Bank, and another of US$50 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), a joint-financing fund created by the African Development Bank and the People’s Bank of China.
The Rwandan government will contribute US$24,7 million towards funding the programme. Implementation of the project is scheduled to last five years, from January 2024 to December 2029.
According to a statement by AfDB, the programme, which aligns with the bank’s Country Strategy Paper for Rwanda (2022-2026) and its 10 year strategy, as well as the “High 5” priority areas, especially “Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa,” will increase the Rwandan population’s resilience to climate change.
The programme’s four components provide for investments in water supply, drainage basin management, sanitation initiatives, program management, and sector support. The project will support the management of a program framework that will help investment planning.
Phase 1 of the programme is focused on infrastructure refurbishment at the Nzove water treatment plant and the construction of water supply networks for Nyaruguru-Huye-Gisagara, Mwange, Muhazi, Mugesera and Kivu Belt. -Business Insider Africa
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