The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional window, has approved a $24.45 million grant to improve access to clean water and sanitation in Somalia.

The Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project will benefit more than half a million people in the towns of Dollow, Qardho and South Galkayo, where safe water remains scarce and climate shocks are growing more severe. Additionally, in Somalia, women and children often spend hours collecting water. Poor sanitation fuels disease and undermines dignity. The project aims to change that reality by delivering reliable water supply and improved sanitation facilities, prompting better hygiene practices across communities.

Approved on 28 January, the financing will be used to expand and rehabilitate water and sanitation systems in the three fast-growing towns which have absorbed an influx of internally displaced populations. It will supply and install 40 km of transmission and distribution pipelines across the three towns, drill or rehabilitate 42 boreholes, and construct four water treatment plants and three new water quality testing labs, as well as installing 26 generators as solar panel backups across the localities.

Additionally, an estimated 915 shared household latrines are expected to be constructed, along with mobile desludging units to address overflowing waste. A hygiene promotion campaign on menstrual health will be rolled out targeting 30 percent of the population.

Institutional capacity-building support will train 100 federal member state staff in water quality and groundwater monitoring using digital systems, as well as in water analysis, infrastructure maintenance, budgeting, coordination, and regulation. The project will also provide skills training for youth from marginalised groups in pipeline installation, borehole drilling, reservoir rehabilitation, and water treatment plant construction.

The project is expected to deliver far-reaching outcomes. Health risks associated with waterborne diseases are expected to decline, as will time spent fetching water, increasing productivity. Children—especially girls—are expected to attend school more regularly. Capacity support for local and federal authorities, alongside improved operations and maintenance by water utility companies, will help ensure that benefits extend well beyond the project’s life.

The African Development Bank’s lead advisor for Somalia operations, Bubacarr Sankareh said, “This investment deepens our engagement in Somalia and marks another important step toward improving access to reliable water supply and sanitation services. By expanding resilient urban systems, we are enhancing health and hygiene and building local capacity.”

Source: AfDB