Mozambique receives $115 million in grants to increase access to sanitation

The World Bank approved an International Developnment Association (IDA) grant in the amount of $115 million equivalent to increase access to sanitation services in the cities of Maputo, Beira, Nampula, Tete and Quelimane, potentially benefiting approximately 200 thousand people across the country.

“Only one in ten households has access to sanitation services, and one in three to safe water in Mozambique,” noted Mark Lundell, World Bank Country Director for Mozambique. “The country’s rapidily growing population and sprawling informal setlements, as well as recurrent natural disasters, put added  pressure on an already precarious sanitation service delivery. This project is part of a series that will help Mozambique address just that.”

The project will fund sanitation related infrastructure expansion, support institutional and capacity developments, and provide technical assistance as follows: in Maputo, the project will rehabilitate and expand the Infulene Wastewater Treatment Plant, rehabilitate and upgrade existing sewers, pumping stations and sewer connections. In the cities of Quelimane and Tete, the project will finance the rehabilitation and expansion of the sewer networks and the construction of new wastewater treatment plants, as well as the construction of small to medium scale drains to channel excess storm water and water-logged areas to reduce risks of urban floods. The Project will also finance onsite sanitation facilities for the peri-urban residents of Quelimane and Tete, including in schools and markets aimed at improving menstrual hygiene management for women and girls. Additionally, the project will provide performance-based grants to finance service improvement activities in the cities of Maputo, Beira, Nampula, Tete and Quelimane.

“Poor sanitation is one of the key factors limiting school attendance and retention of female students,” noted Shelley Mcmillan, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist and the Bank’s task team leader for the project.Moreover, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation cause regular cholera outbreaks, endemic diarrheal disease, and widespread childhood stunting. On the other hand, the country’s high exposure to climate hazards compounds the existing pressure on sanitation infrastructures and services. “Without investments in flood resilient sanitation infrastructure, Mozambique cities will face increasing risks and set-backs in reducing high-mortality due to waterborne diseases,” added Odete Muximpua, Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist and the project’s co-task team leader.

This project is the first in a series aimed at supporting the implementation of the Government of Mozambique’s National Urban Water and Sanitation Strategy, and it is in full alignment with the Bank’s ongoing 2017-21 strategy, known as Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Mozambique. The project supports the implementation of the strategy’s key priorities such as investing in human capital, as well as the strategy’s cross-cutting goals on gender and climate change.

* The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.5 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.