African Development Bank Group

Before the #Lesotho Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project, women and girls in villages across Maseru and Berea districts would wake before dawn to begin their daily ‘pilgrimage’ to distant springs and unprotected wells. The journey often stretched more than a kilometer each way, with women carrying heavy containers while navigating challenging mountain terrain.   "We had to send children to fetch water from the unprotected wells around our communities. It was about one and a half kilometers walk from the school," recalls Sekete Primary School headteacher Sello Matlali.   This daily expedition meant losing children's classroom time and productive hours for women. Worse still, the unprotected water sources harbored pathogens causing diarrheal diseases that disproportionately affected the community's most vulnerable members.   When the African Development Bank's initiative reached these communities, it didn't merely install infrastructure – it unleashed potential.The project, set to conclude in March 2025 after more than a decade of implementation, has delivered remarkable results: 190 kilometers of pipeline to distribution networks, water storage reservoirs with a total capacity of 3.48 million liters, and 166 public water points serving approximately 28,266 people across eight zones in Maseru and Berea districts.   Beyond water supply, the project expanded sanitation infrastructure, constructing 266 sanitation facilities for vulnerable households and 284 toilets at schools and healthcare facilities.   More on the impactful project: https://bit.ly/4hI0cin #AfDBinLesotho #WorldWaterDay

La Banque africaine de développement, en collaboration avec le bureau régional pour l'Afrique du Programme des Nations unies pour le développement (PNUD | UNDP) et la Commission économique des Nations unies pour l'Afrique (CEA | United Nations Economic Commission for Africa), organise un dialogue régional de haut niveau sur les systèmes de finances publiques en Afrique sur le thème suivant : « Moderniser la responsabilité et la transparence dans les systèmes de finances publiques en Afrique ». L'évènement se tiendra à Cotonou, au #Bénin, les 25 et 26 mars 2025. Ne ratez pas ce rendez-vous crucial  sur le système des finances publiques en Afrique ! Pour en savoir plus, regardez le message de M. Eric Ogunleye, directeur de l'Institut africain de développement de la Banque. #DialogueSystemesFinances

 King Letsie III of Lesotho and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, were deeply impressed by the Food4Education initiative during their recent visit to Ruiru Primary School in Nairobi, #Kenya. The program's growth is remarkable—from feeding just 25 students in 2012 to now providing daily meals to 500,000 children across 10 Kenyan counties. Having delivered over 100 million meals, #Food4Education is transforming education alongside fighting hunger. At Ruiru Primary School alone, enrollment has more than doubled from 600 to 1,500 students, with attendance rates climbing as children eagerly come to school for nutritious meals. Seeing these concrete results, King Letsie III and Dr. Adesina called on governments and corporate leaders to intensify efforts to combat classroom hunger. Their visit highlights how targeted innovation addressing a fundamental need can create profound, far-reaching change: https://bit.ly/4hr5Vcc Wawira Njiru Ministry Of Education, Kenya (MOE)

For Chef Ibrahim Jallouli water isn't just an ingredient – it's the foundation of his livelihood. Like many in #Morocco, he's witnessed the impact of climate change on this precious resource. With rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, accessing water is a growing challenge. But there's hope. The Moroccan government, through National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE), launched the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Programme (PNAEPI) 2020-2027, with support from the African Development Bank Group. The recently completed project, a new 11-km water pipe from the Ibn Battouta dam, is optimising water resources and preventing losses due to evaporation. This investment, part of a larger EUR 1.2 billion commitment by the Bank to Morocco's water sector, is vital for the region's socioeconomic development and the well-being of its residents. As Ibrahim says, "Water is life. If there were no water, there would be no life.”  The bank is complimenting Morocco's vision for a water-secure future. #WorldWaterDay #WaterSecurity

#AfDBJobs: We're hiring! Apply today or share with your network. Visit https://bit.ly/AfDBJobs for the full list of vacancies at the African Development Bank.

African Development Bank-funded “Climate-Resilient Sanitation and Institutional Support” project, approved in November 2024, will develop an urban sanitation system in #Juba, #SouthSudan, and strengthen sanitation sector institutions, answering inadequate capacity for faecal sludge treatment, reliance on fossil fuel in the operation of wastewater and faecal sludge plants, and an incomplete sanitation service chain.   Measures include: 💧 Improving energy efficiency and use of renewable energy to power the treatment facilities. 💧 Constructing a leachate treatment facility to control the release of methane gas resulting from untreated leachate. 💧 Incorporating circular economy practices to manage sludge from the wastewater treatment plants by installing multi-screw pressure units to produce bio-solids for use by farmers as organic fertilizer. This will reduce reliance on expensive chemical fertilizers, a source of soil and water pollution as well as being carbon intensive to produce.    The project is expected to benefit about 361,000 people – 80% of the households residing within the targeted divisions (Payams) of Juba, Kator and Munuki, where the population density is highest.   More: https://bit.ly/41L85h1 #WorldWaterDay

This year’s #WorldWaterDay theme, Glacier Preservation, may feel remote from Southern Africa’s dry plains and bustling cities, but it is critically relevant. Glaciers—though thousands of kilometres away—are key regulators of the global water cycle. As they melt due to accelerating climate change, the impact is being felt in the form of disrupted rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events across Africa. Glacier loss in the Andes or the Himalayas may seem far removed, but the resulting climate instability reverberates across borders—drying rivers in #Zimbabwe, altering rainfall in #Malawi, and increasing flood risk in #Mozambique. The melting of glaciers is a distant alarm bell with local consequences. At the African Development Bank, we believe that addressing water insecurity means recognising these global interconnections—and responding with urgency and unity. More from African Development Bank Director General for Southern Africa, leila Farah Mokaddem: https://bit.ly/4it2GlR 💧

#WorldWaterDay 2025: Preserving Africa’s Water Resources Africa is home to vital natural water towers, including mountains and glaciers that play a key role in water security and climate resilience. But these precious resources are under serious threat. Glaciers in the Rwenzori Mountains, Mount Kenya, the Virunga Mountains, and Mount #Kilimanjaro are shrinking at an alarming rate and are expected to vanish entirely by 2050, jeopardising water supplies for millions of people. On World Water Day, the urgency to protect what remains and to collaborate on securing water resources for the future has never been greater, says Mtchera Johannes Chirwa, Director for Water Development and Sanitation, and Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank Group. Tackling Africa’s #WaterSecurity and climate challenges require strategic planning, investment in resilient infrastructure, and policies that integrate climate adaptation into water management frameworks. The African Development Bank’s ongoing initiatives demonstrate that placing water at the heart of climate action—by investing in resilient infrastructure, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening governance—is crucial in mitigating climate change’s impacts and preserving the continent’s water resources for future generations. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4hHGkvS

#AfDBJobs: We're hiring! Apply today or share with your network. Visit https://bit.ly/AfDBJobs for the full list of vacancies at the African Development Bank.

Imagine walking 20 km for water. Not just any water, but water shared with livestock, strained through cloth to ward off disease. This was Evelyne Samande's reality in Narok, #Kenya. One shared by countless pastoralist communities, where water scarcity meant daily hardship and relentless competition. Today, we celebrate a different story. Thanks to a transformative water project, funded by the African Development Bank Group and conceptualised by the Narok County Government, Evelyne's children now access clean water at home. Before this, a single, old dam—built in 1976—served the entire region. The water was unclean, a source of constant health risk. But in 2019, change arrived. The Bank invested in 81 km of reticulation systems and connected 2,400 meters within the town, including a vital water treatment plant. This #WorldWaterDay, let's remember that access to clean water is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right. #WaterSecurity #WaterIsLife