African water initiatives receive total €45m government pledges

The governments of Chad, the Republic of Congo and France have announced that they would pledge some €45 million to support the African Development Bank’s Rural Water and Sanitation Initiative and the African Water Facility.

The announcement was made at a conference on water security in Africa organised by the African Development Bank (AfDB) within the framework of the Sixth World Water Forum in Marseille, France.

The pledge from the French government was €40 million and that of Chad was $1 million to support the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI), said the AfDB March 16, 2012 in a statement.

The Republic of Congo announced a $5 million pledge for the African Water Facility (AWF).

These funds are in addition to a $20 million contribution to the RWSSI from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, announced in November 2011.

“These pledges are important for ensuring progress in the water sector, as much as political will, which is manifest and strongly reaffirmed at this historic conference” said AfDB president, Donald Kaberuka.

By Ekow Quandzie