Six exemplary water and sanitation project nominees from across Africa

26 09 2025 | 10:13 ESI Africa

African Power & Energy Elites profiles projects and people from all over the continent

Angola: Urban water supply and sanitation

The African Development Bank’s Institutional and Sustainability Support to Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project, running from 2015 to 2025, is transforming communities in Angola through improved access to clean water, sanitation and strengthened utility services.

By building infrastructure, supporting seven utility companies, and promoting gender inclusion, the project has delivered 59,008 household water connections, reaching more than 472,000 people, while indirectly benefiting nearly 1.5 million.

Set to conclude in December 2025, initiatives such as women-run water kiosks, the construction of water quality laboratories, and the development of sanitation master plans have strengthened service delivery and resilience.

Seven utility companies have been legally established and received technical assistance to establish a strong financial management function, and engage the private sector in operation and maintenance. Beyond infrastructure, the project has empowered women and youth through employment and training, reduced disease, and restored dignity through improved sanitation.

Kenya: Alupe dam water supply and sanitation project

Kenya has launched the Alupe Dam Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Busia County to improve access to safe, reliable water for households, institutions, and agriculture. With Phase One costing about KSh470 million ($3.6 million), the scheme will serve 39,000 people by 2025 year-end and expand to reach 92,000 by 2046.

Implemented by the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency, the project involves rehabilitating the historic Alupe Dam with a 145,000m³ storage capacity, building a 3,000m³/day treatment plant, and installing transmission pipelines, pumping stations and storage tanks.

Beyond boosting water availability, it will enhance sanitation, strengthen public health, and support economic development in the region. This strategic investment underscores Kenya’s commitment to expanding sustainable water infrastructure and ensuring long-term resilience for communities in Busia County.

Morocco: Desalination plant irrigating desert plantation

A water supply project in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region of Morocco uses an innovative autonomous solar-powered seawater and brackish water desalination solution. The treated water is used to irrigate a 38-hectare ecological plantation in the desert as part of a regenerative agriculture programme.

The project, founded in 2022 by Franco-Moroccan company Sand To Green, is inspired by oases, which reverses soil degradation to render desert soil fertile. The freshwater produced by this plant follows the Farming the Desert Through Desalination agroforestry model.

The model comprises three components: agroforestry software, soil bioengineering, and the use of unconventional water (brackish drilling water).

For the water treatment component, Sand To Green enlisted OSMOSUN to install a plant capable of producing up to 140 million cubic metres of freshwater per day. ESI