Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Guma Valley Water Company in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO), Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), and the National Water Resources Management Agency (NWRMA), in a strategic effort to bolster Sierra Leone’s water sector engaged in a high-level consultative meeting with the Global Water Partnership (GWP).
The session was organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and marks a significant milestone as Sierra Leone has now joined formally the African Union Commission Multi-Country Programme to Accelerate the Water Investment Programme (AU AIP Multicountry GCF Readiness Project)” in the framework of the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP).
The AIP is a continent-wide initiative spearheaded by the African Union (AU) to close the water investment gap in Africa by mobilizing $30 billion/year in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) that aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Chairperson of Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA), Abdoulaye Sene, welcomed Sierra Leone’s inclusion in the AU AIP Multi-Country GCF Readiness Project, describing it as a strategic move to enhance the country’s readiness and capability to attract international climate finance and implement inter alia sustainable and climate resilient water management and development solutions.
“Sierra Leone’s participation in the project not only reflects its commitment to climate resilient water resources management and development, but also opens new avenues for regional integration and investment opportunities,” Mr. Sene noted.
Echoing this sentiment, GWP-WA Executive Secretary Mr. Armand Houanye detailed the scope and structure of the regional branch of GWP in West Africa. Established in 2002 and headquartered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, GWP-WA operates in 15 West African countries in the sub-region and includes 13 Country Water Partnerships, excepted in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“GWP-WA is committed to supporting States in policy development, investment planning and bankable projects preparation and financial resources mobilization for effective water governance and development as well as climate resilience building to achieve their national development objectives. We’re proud to extend this support to Sierra Leone,” Mr. Houanye said.
Mrs. Sarra Touzi, Senior Water and Climate Resilience Specialist at GWP-Southern Africa, provided a comprehensive presentation on the AU AIP GCF Multi-Country Readiness Project, outlining the 24-month initiative running from August 2024 to July 2026. She said the project targets 15 countries, including Sierra Leone, and aims to build national capacities for climate-resilient water planning and project development.
She listed key focal areas such as: Strengthened institutional and technical capacity, Development of climate finance pipelines, continental knowledge-sharing platform, and formulation of high-quality project concept notes.
Mrs. Touzi emphasized that Sierra Leone’s estimated contribution from the readiness program is projected at $300,000, aimed specifically at building capacity, establishing a robust AIP Water Investment Programme, developing a water climate resilient project concept note, and enhancing stakeholder competence in navigating GCF procedures.
“African countries often face limitations in accessing climate finance. Our goal is to empower these countries—particularly Sierra Leone—to take ownership of resilient water planning and project execution,” she said.
Following the presentations, Dr. Albert Harrison Harvey, Deputy Managing Director of SALWACO, expressed gratitude to GWP and called on sector agencies to take full advantage of the opportunity. He highlighted both “soft” and “hard” project challenges facing SALWACO:
Soft challenges: Lack of maintenance capacity, non-revenue water, automation difficulties, illegal connections, and infrastructure damage from urban development.
Hard challenges: Deteriorating water catchment areas, encroachment and deforestation, illegal mining, and high turbidity in water sources, exacerbated by inadequate energy supply.
Mr. Maada Kpenge, Managing Director of Guma Valley Water Company, supported these concerns, pointing out similar challenges affecting water service delivery across the Western Urban and Western Rural areas. He underscored the urgent need for investment in catchment protection and infrastructure rehabilitation.
Representing the regulatory body, Mr. Samai Sandi, Deputy Director General of EWRC, applauded the inclusion of Sierra Leone in the AU AIP GCF Readiness project, reaffirming EWRC’s dedication to ensuring water availability, accessibility, and affordability for all citizens.
Director General of NWRMA, Mr. Junisa P. Bangali, emphasized that capacity building and investment programming are critical for the effective governance of Sierra Leone’s water resources. “This project is timely. GCF and AIP offer us a golden opportunity to build the technical and institutional capacity of our stakeholders,” he noted.
The consultative meeting concluded with a joint commitment from all stakeholders to work collaboratively in implementing AIP goals in Sierra Leone. Discussions highlighted the importance of establishing a national coordination framework, harmonizing policies, and promoting data sharing to ensure impactful and measurable results.
With its inclusion in the AU AIP multi-country GCF Readiness project and the support of GWP, Sierra Leone is now better positioned to develop a comprehensive national water investment programme, secure climate finance, and implement strategic reforms that can enhance water security and sustainability.
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