Togo secures $100M from the World Bank to boost access to drinking water in Greater Lomé

Infrastructure

Friday, 14 April 2023 15:25

Togo secures $100M from the World Bank to boost access to drinking water in Greater Lomé

(Togo First) - Togo has secured a financing of $100 million (about CFA60 billion) from the World Bank at the institution’s Spring Meetings in Washington. The funds will help the West African nation bolster access to drinking water in Greater Lomé and improve sanitation services in the surrounding area.

Sani Yaya, Togo’s minister of finance, and Coralie Gervers, who heads the World Bank’s operations in Togo and other African countries, signed the financing agreement on April 13.

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Commenting on the matter, Yaya declared: "This new operation reflects the World Bank's commitment to helping Togo overcome water and sanitation challenges. It will significantly contribute to the government's roadmap, which aims to bring to 80% the drinking water coverage rate in the capital, Lomé, by 2025…By increasing access to clean water and sanitation, we will help improve the health of the population, reduce the number of waterborne diseases, and create more favorable conditions for Togo's economic and social development.”

The financing aligns with The Togo Urban Water Security Project (TUWS). This is a project that aims to boost the availability and quality of drinking water in Greater Lomé, as well as improve sanitation services in the area. Specifically, the TUWS will bolster providers’ operational performance and improve the management of water resources, and wastewater management, promote public health, and address the problem of unbilled water.

Moreover, the project involves rehabilitating water supply infrastructure, building a sludge treatment plant, carrying out technical studies to achieve sustainable water production on a large scale, and reinforcing the distribution network.

The new World Bank financing will support Togo’s plans to make drinking water accessible to more people. This year, the Togolese government aims to invest CFA25 billion in water supply initiatives (under the 2023 finance bill). This is as 61.5% of the Togolese population, according to data updated in 2021, has access to drinking water. Respectively, 60.25%, 52.88%, and 69.49% of Togo’s urban, semi-urban, and rural populations have access to the resource, according to the data.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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