The Hon. Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has on Thursday 8th December, 2022 launched the Western Area Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan at the New Brookfields Hotel, Jomo Kenyatta Road in Freetown.
The launching, which took place during the WASH Sector Investment Forum, brought together senior government officials, donor partners and other stakeholders in the WASH Sector. It was organised by the Government of Sierra Leone partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Water Facility and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency with the theme “Improving Safe Clean Water Supply in the Western Area”.
In his keynote address, VP Jalloh said that the WASH Sector Investment Forum is timely and important as it is directly linked to the effort of government is making in transforming the water sector, particularly giving the numbers of challenges facing the sector; ranging from geographical, finance as well as man-made.He said that the provision of clean and affordable water supply is at the core of Sierra Leone’s Human development plan, noting that private sector participation is essential in achieving Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs); which is providing safe drinking water by 2030 which resonate with our Medium-Term Development Plan. “You will agree with me if there is one word that resonates with our development aspiration in this country is Human capital development, which is the vision of His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio,” he said, adding that, “at the core of that vision, is our effort to transform this sector”.
He added that the water sector is critical in transforming the country’s economy and that as a government; “Our focus therefore is to progressively improve access to water supply in the urban areas from 79% to 90% and from 53% to 80% in the rural areas by 2030. He said that the provision of good water supply requires good water supply infrastructure and sound operation and management of the facilities.
The Vice President asserted that since 2018, considerable progress has been made in the water sector; “we have undertaken progressive government and institutional reforms to boost the standards, for instance, we have established through the $ 44 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, established the Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission so as to regulate water and electricity in the country and have also strengthened the institutional capacity of Guma to be a commercially viable institution”.
Giving the overview of the Water Sector and the WASH Master Plan, the Minister of Water Resources, Hon. Philip K. Lansana said that the government’s strategic plan in increasing water in the Western Area included the Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan.
Minister Lansana said that the government’s Medium Term Development Plan is built on eight strategic drivers including water and sanitation with special focus on increasing access to water, sanitation and hygiene; noting that the government is very passionate about increasing access to water supply in the Western Area.
He said that the government strategic action towards increasing access to water particularly in the Western Area includes the implementation of the Western Area WASH Master Plan and Investment Studies Projects and the Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Project (WASHAERP).
The Water Resources Minister explained that the Freetown WASH Master Plan seeks to provide long term and medium-term investment to incrementally meet the water and sanitation needs of the people, whilst the WASHAERP aims to improve the socio economic and environmental conditions of urban and peri-urban population of Greater Freetown/Western Area through improved access to sustainable WASH infrastructure and services. He pointed out that the WASHAERP seeks to increase access to water supply by 15% and 7% increase access to improved sanitation in Sierra Leone.
“The government through grants ‘assistance from the Africa Water Facility and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency secured the needed financing amounting to 2.973 million Euro for the concluded Master Plan and Investment Studies Project”. He added that President Julius Maada Bio is working hard under the New Direction towards achieving Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals; which is providing access to safe and clean water supply for all Sierra Leoneans by 2030.
The Bank Director, Water Development and Sanitation Department of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Mr. Oswald Chanda Mulenga assured the Government of Sierra Leone that the AfDB was ready to mobilize additional resources in addressing water and sanitation in the country, pointing out that they would talk to other partners to support the country.