BURKINA FASO: €43m from the AfDB for climate-resilient water and sanitation

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is providing around €43 million to improve access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Burkina Faso. The financing approved on 21 November 2023 will benefit vulnerable households.

The financial portfolios of the Project to Improve Water and Sanitation Services to Build Resilience (Pasepa-2R) and the Project to Promote Hygiene, Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, and Build Resilience to Natural Disasters and Climate Change in Rural Areas of Eight Provinces (Phepa-8P) have just been increased.

The two Burkina Faso government initiatives have received €43 million in funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB). They include a concessional loan from the Transition Support Facility (TSF) totalling €38 million and a €4.9 million grant from the African Water Facility (AWF).

As part of the Pasepa-2R launched on 21 November 2023, the AfDB funding will enable the construction of 30 drinking water supply systems (AEP), comprising 100 high-capacity boreholes, 200 autonomous water stations and 160 wash-houses in the Centre-West, Centre-North, Centre-South, North, Central Plateau and Sahel regions. The Burkina Faso government is also planning to modernise 30 existing water supply systems.

At the same time, hygiene and sanitation services will be improved with 10,000 new family latrines and 500 blocks of public latrines to reduce open defecation.

Raising awareness of good washing practices

Also financed by the AfDB, the Phepa-8P, launched on the same date, will enable the construction of 29 water supply systems, 30 autonomous water stations with a solar pumping system, 3,500 family latrines and 100 blocks of institutional and public latrines, targeting the populations of the Centre-West, Centre-South and Central Plateau regions in the West African country.

Phepa-8P will also enable the development of 700 domestic cesspools and 40 cesspool laundries in health centres, the supply of 100 hygiene kits to institutions, and the raising of awareness among at least 250,000 people about good water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash) practices, and the prevention of Covid-19 and gender-based violence. Phepa-8P also covers the construction of 10 climate-resilient faecal sludge treatment plants, as well as capacity-building for 300 employees and managers in the water and sanitation sub-sector.

The pan-African bank’s funding of nearly €43 million comes some 10 months after an initial disbursement of €46 million in March 2023 for the Pasepa-2R, the Phepa-8P, and the Support Project for Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation and Capacity Building for the Population’s Resilience to Covid-19 and Climate Change in the Outlying Neighbourhoods of Ouagadougou (Paepa-QP).