$80M grant to expand drinking water, sanitation services in Burkina Faso

WASHINGTON, DC, May 28, 2009 -- The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved an IDA (International Development Association) grant in the amount of US$80 million for Burkina Faso to assist with the Urban Water Sector Project.

The objective of the project is to support improvement and expansion of potable water and sanitation services in the cities of Bobo-Dioulasso, Dédougou, Koudougou, and Ouagadougou.

The operation is a follow on to the project to supply water to the city of Ouagadougou from the Ziga dam, funded by IDA and roughly ten other donors, the success of which, in terms of the impact on the supply rate and sustainable management of the sector, justifies the commitment of technical and financial partners to continue their support with a view to achieving the urban and sanitation MDGs in urban areas.

The IDA grant provided to the Burkinabè Government will be transferred to the National Water and Sanitation Authority (ONEA) based on a bilateral agreement and under acceptable conditions for maintaining the financial equilibrium of the subsector and preserving consumer purchasing power.

Matar Fall, the World Bank Team Leader for the project, states that "the proposed project supports the National Water Supply and Sanitation Program (PN-AEPA) adopted in December 2006 by the Burkinabè Government with a view to achieving the water and sanitation MDGs. It is based on a strategy of facilitating access by disadvantaged population groups to water and sanitation services, through a program that provides shared water service connections and on-site sanitation facilities, thus strengthening the impact of urban water reform and building capacity in the subsector."

The project will be executed over a five-year period and over time, will facilitate direct access to potable water by 527,000 additional individuals, and to appropriate sanitation services by more than 245,000 inhabitants. Later on, this work will be reflected in expanded access rates in Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou:

• In the case of potable water: (i) Bobo-Dioulasso -- from 70 percent in 2008 to 94 percent in 2014, and (ii) Ouagadougou - from 90 percent in 2008 to 95 percent in 2014;

• In the case of sanitation: (i) Bobo-Dioulasso -- from 22 percent in 2008 to 50 percent in 2014, and (ii) Ouagadougou - from 25 percent in 2008 to 50 percent in 2014.

In addition, close to 120,000 students will benefit from access to water and sanitation services in schools, a situation that will also have a significant impact on hygiene in the area and will lead to behavioral changes.

>> More information on the World Bank's work in Sub-Saharan Africa
>> More information on the World Bank's work in Burkina Faso

###