Water sector initiatives

AfDB is currently hosting a number of complementary initiatives which together enhance the effectiveness of the Bank’s work and provides vital resources for scaling up and for promoting innovation and supporting knowledge management activities.

The four main initiatives underpinning the Bank strategy in the water sector are the:

• Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI)
• African Water Facility (AWF)
• NEPAD Water and Sanitation Programme
• Multi-donor Water Partnership Programme (MDWPP)

These initiatives are complemented by the Bank’s Urban Water Supply and Sanitation (UWSS) activities. 

These programmes and initiatives are complementary yet distinct. The African Water Vision and the MDGs provide the development focus and context, while the Bank’s IWRM Policy provides the framework that guides the conception, approach and implementation strategy of the initiatives and programmes. The MDWPP promotes the development and adoption of IWRM principles and strengthens the Bank’s capacity to promote IWRM on the continent; RWSSI and UWSS activities support water sector reforms, programme and project development, capacity building and large scale investments in rural and urban areas.

The AWF complements the ADB and ADF investment funds by supporting the development of robust sector policies, strategies and programmes to create the enabling environment for sustainable investments. Faced with the spectre of dwindling water resources and vagaries of climate change in Africa, the AWF also supports strengthening of national and transbounday water resources management as well as the establishment of water information and monitoring systems in the RMCs and reinforces the capacity of water institutions for planning and managing vital water resources. The NEPAD Water and Sanitation Programme also supports transboundary water resources management.