George Mhango
September 12, 2014

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched the inaugural RWSSI e-newsletter, which gives an overview of its recent activities in the rural water supply and sanitation sector under the bank’s Water and Sanitation Department (OWAS).

In the e-newsletter, OWAS has defined three strategic pillars, aligned with the bank’s vision for the next decade such as developing sustainable infrastructure and services for water security; promoting sector governance and knowledge management and; enhancing water sector collaboration and co-ordination to achieve integrated water resources management.

Most African countries struggle to provide access to water and sanitation to their people
Most African countries struggle to provide access to water and sanitation to their people

According to the bank’s statement, such focus areas apply to both the urban and rural water and sanitation sector, which the bank management says are in line with Ten Year Strategy (TYS 2013-2022).

The strategy stipulates that in order ‘to drive sustainable growth, Africa must develop and manage its vast natural resources sustainably, with water central to agriculture, energy, health, industry and mining’.

The statement says the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI) is an Africa-wide initiative, managed by the African Development Bank in close collaboration with the African Ministers’ Council on Water, civil society and governments.

The RWSSI is a regional framework for mobilizing partners, knowledge and investments needed to meet development goals in Africa’s rural areas.

Some of the issues in the e-newsletter include that water projects are funded through contributions from the bank, bilateral and multilateral agencies, African governments, communities and the RWSSI Trust Fund.

African Development Bank Logo
African Development Bank Logo

On the other hand the statement says the initiative supports rural water and sanitation projects and programmes with funding, advocacy and knowledge building so as to provide full and equitable access to safe, adequate and affordable water supply and sanitation in rural Africa by 2025.

According to the statement, the e-newsletter is aimed at giving an overview of the bank’s recent activities in the rural water supply and sanitation sector.

The newsletter is also available via the Bank’s web-site at: http://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/rural-water-supply-sanitation-initiative/

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