Congo - Technical assistance request to improve drinking water supply and sanitation in rural Congo

Background: The proposed project involves technical assistance for the creation of an environment conducive to improving access to drinking water and sanitation in rural areas of the Republic of Congo. It aims to contribute to improving the socio-economic resilience of the population in rural areas of the Congo by improving access to drinking water and sanitation. The technical assistance requested by the MEH will ultimately help to create a favourable environment for improving access to drinking water and sanitation in rural areas, thereby improving the socio-economic and health situation of the target populations. The funding mobilised during the Investors' Forum will eventually enable the MEH to implement the PNAEPAR, to have a viable mechanism for financing sector development and a management model for WATSAN facilities in rural areas. The expected medium-term results are (i) an increase in rural water security in the country; (ii) an increase in safely managed sanitation in rural areas of the country; and (iii) an increase in the livelihoods of the rural population through the development of water in agriculture. The expected short-term result is a favourable environment for improving access to and management of WATSAN in rural areas. The project is structured around three main components: (1) technical assistance to support the preparation of studies and carry out capacity building; (2) organisation of the Investors Forum and (3) management and monitoring of the mission.

Objectives: The overall aim of the project is to contribute to improving the resilience and socio-economic situation of rural populations in the Congo, by creating a favourable environment for the construction and management of infrastructure.

Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of the project are (i) the Direction Générale de l'Hydraulique (DGH) and the Agence Nationale de l'Hydraulique Rurale (ANHYR) of the Ministère de l'Energie et de l'Hydraulique (MEH), the Délégation Générale des Grands Travaux (DGGT) of the Ministère de l'Aménagement du territoire, des infrastructures et de l'entretien routier (MATIER), and the Ministère de la Santé et de la Population (MSP), which will have tools for implementing national WATSAN policies and a favourable environment for their interventions ; (ii) the main development players, who will have an intervention framework clearly defining the terms of their involvement in the development of the rural WATSAN sector; and (iii) the TFPs and investors involved in the sector, who will now have better visibility for planning their investments and interventions in the sector.