African Water Facility's 2023 Newsletter: Issue One

It gives me great pleasure to share our first newsletter for 2023. This issue is extra special for me as it coincides with my first anniversary as Coordinator of the African Water Facility (AWF). I’m proud to be associated with the AWF, which carries a strong history of leadership and delivery in the African water sector, and with the people who work tirelessly to bring its vision to life.

Since 2006, the African Water Facility has provided grants for project preparation to strengthen Africa’s water governance and work towards water security on the continent. To date, it has supported 133 water and sanitation projects in 52 African countries through $192.72 million in grant funding. Funding from the Facility has also provided access to safe water supply for 13.5 million people, sanitation services for 8.4 million people, and $1.66 billion in downstream investment financing.

Our latest investment case, first published in March 2022, has been updated to reflect resource requirements for the Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII), under development as a special window to be hosted by the African Development Bank, within the African Water Facility. We’re at a crucial time in Africa’s water sector, where we must innovate and mobilise resources to guarantee access to safe water and sanitation on the continent. We must continue to ‘work for water’ which is to deploy all resources – both public and private and across industries – to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 for Africa.

This first quarter of 2023 has been productive for us, with project preparation and supervision, and our team ensuring that the AWF was represented to contribute at key industry events including the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. We trust that you will enjoy the first issue of our newsletter, and we welcome any feedback and engagement. Please connect with us via email, through our social media platforms, or on our website.

Mtchera Johannes Chirwa

Coordinator, African Water Facility

Download the newsletter in PDF below.