Grant Approvals
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 31 January 2025 – The African Development Bank Board of Directors approved an African Water Facility grant of 6.2 million euros for the “Building Resilience to Climate Change through WASH in Qardho, Dollow and South Galkayo” project, to address water scarcity and sanitation challenges in communities across Somalia.
In 2023, approximately 3.9 million people were internally displaced due to conflict and violence, making Somalia one of the top ten countries globally with the highest number of conflict-related Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Subsequently, the move of IDPs into relatively stable areas put additional strain on limited water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in communities like Dollow, Qardho, and South Galkayo.
The WASH project aims to increase access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene. Specifically, it seeks to improve access to water supply and sanitation in the IDP camps through immediate interventions, prepare town masterplans and conduct feasibility studies and detailed designs to meet water, sanitation and hygiene needs, strengthen the capacity of water utilities under public-private partnership frameworks, and enhance regulatory capabilities at the federal and member states levels.
Speaking on the project, Mtchera Chirwa, Coordinator of the African Water Facility said, "By investing in the preparation of feasibility studies for climate-resilient infrastructure and community-driven solutions, the African Water Facility will complement the Government of Somalia’s efforts towards improving access to essential services and strengthening the resilience of communities to the impact of climate change. The Facility remains committed to improving the quality of life for rural and urban communities in Africa."
The project’s direct beneficiaries will include about 548,000 inhabitants in Qardho, Dollow and South Galkayo. Out of this, around 63,000 people will directly benefit from the rehabilitation works and water network expansion. Following realization of the downstream investments, an additional 484,000 people in the three communities targeting IDPs and informal settlements will also benefit from the project.
The WASH project aligns with Somalia’s national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.