WASHINGTON, June 13, 2019 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved $300 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* to help Ethiopia provide its citizens with safe water supply and sanitation (WSS) services and promote improved hygiene practices to approximately three million people in selected rural and urban areas.
The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) has established a global model for integrated implementation of water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities that brings together four sector ministries with a horizontal implementation structure that extends from federal to community-level. The Government’s flagship program is the One WASH National Program (OWNP). The World Bank has supported the GoE’s shift from project-based interventions to a multisectoral, program-based approach (OWNP) and the establishment of the Consolidated WASH Account (CWA)—a harmonized funding instrument with pooled financing from GoE and development partners. The OWNP provides the framework for harmonizing Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and donor approaches to planning, financing, and implementation.
Ethiopia has made significant progress in increasing access to WSS in the past ten years, but much remains to be done. Water quality is a serious issue compromising the health benefits and impacting development efforts in the sector. Moreover, recurrent droughts, floods, and rising temperatures make it more difficult to manage water resources effectively and to ensure continuity in WSS service delivery.
“Provision of adequate water supply and sanitation services has far reaching impacts beyond the water sector and can significantly improve health, nutrition and education outcomes. Addressing water service delivery in the context of increasing frequency of droughts and floods is essential to ensure the sustainability and reliability of services,” said Habab Taifour, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist at the World Bank
To address these challenges, the Project aims to increase access to safe WASH services and strengthen the capacity for water resources management for service delivery. The Project prioritizes interventions in communities with low service coverage, high prevalence of excreta-and-water-borne diseases and stunting, as well as drought and flood prone areas. These communities are usually the poorest and are the most vulnerable to climate shocks. Beneficiaries will also include users of health and education facilities without adequate WASH services. In addition, WSS service providers will benefit from the supported institutional strengthening and income generation interventions.
“The World Bank is pleased to be a leading partner in helping the Government of Ethiopia provide fundamental basic services that sustain lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable and underserved citizens. This project will improve the quality of clean water supply sanitation services that will contribute to achievement of the human development outcomes,” Carolyn Turk, World bank Country Director for Ethiopia Sudan and South Sudan.
Project funds will be channeled through the CWA to implement the OWNP. The IDA financing is expected to have a catalytic role in attracting finance from other development partners.
The Project is fully aligned with the GoE’s Growth and Transformation Plan II, supports the World Bank’s twin goals and aligns closely with the World Bank’s Human Capital Project and efforts to build climate resilience. Ethiopia is an early adopter of the Human Capital Project, which aims to address three aspects of human capital: child survival, health (stunting and adult morbidity), and educational attainment. The Project is also consistent with Ethiopia’s international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 11 on water, sanitation and cities respectively.
