In collaboration with the Republic of Senegal, the African Development Bank and the African Water Facility disseminated findings of the diagnostic report on urban sanitation in Senegal. 

The African Water Facility and the African Development Bank held a workshop in Dakar, in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Senegal, to present the findings of the diagnostic report on urban sanitation in Senegal, the first one of 12 flagship reports produced by African Water Facility as part of its new window: the African Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII).

This workshop was organised under the patronage of the Senegalese Minister of Hydraulic and Sanitation, His Excellency Dr Cheikh Tidiane DIEYE, with all major stakeholders of the sector present. 

The workshop had objectives to disseminate results of the diagnosis report on the urban sanitation sector in Senegal and strategic points were discussed to deploy and scale up solutions identified for urban sanitation in Senegal. The workshop discussed the Senegal’s readiness based on the thorough analysis in the diagnostic report to engage with Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative’s in a more programmatic approach. 

This approach will bring about more systematic interventions including a range of financing instruments—technical assistance, grants, guarantees, and risk capital, that lead to more impactful results. The diagnostic report estimated the value of the sanitation market to growth from $565 million in 2025 to approximately $1.3 billion by 2050. The private sector will have to play an important role in achieving this growth. 

The workshop was also a call to development partners to join forces in a programmatic approach. Engagement of the African Water Facility enables the Senegalese authorities to strengthen their commitment to building a sanitation sector that is efficient, resilient and wealth-generating through an ambitious and inclusive sectoral policy. 

Dr Dieye stressed the importance the Government attached to the sanitation sector. He welcomed the diagnostic report and the analysis of the urban sanitation sector. He saw this as a good starting point for further cooperation with the African Water Facility’s AUSII and was positive on the idea to set up a multiyear programmatic approach for the urban sanitation sector and join efforts with other development partners.  

‘’In accordance with the vision of Senegal 2050, we have made the water and sanitation sector an absolute priority. And when I say priority, it is not simply a figure of speech: it is a strong political commitment, translated into clear strategic guidelines and structural reforms’’, said Dr Dieye. The minister indicated that the issue of sanitation and water is discussed at every cabinet meeting.

Supported by the Gates Foundation and the Nordic Development Fund, the African Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative was launched in 2024 to address the structural challenges of urban sanitation in Africa and is a flagship initiative of the African Water Facility managed by the African Development Bank.