The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a US$31.3mn grant for the upgrade of water and sanitation facilities in the Sudan’s North and South Kordofan states.
The project comprised of funding from both the African Development Fund (AFD) and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund, which aims to improve livelihoods and build resilience against climate change.
The improved reliability of water and sanitation services as well as enhanced public health system is projected to benefit 435,000 people. The project is also expected to create income-generating opportunities and encourage other livelihood activities. This is because current economic activities in the area are heavily dependent on reliable water supply.
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The AfDB board of directors welcomes the funding, commenting that the project will address basic needs and tackle gender differences as well as ensuring economic empowerment of the communities, bolster stability in the country.
Wambui Gichuri, Director of Water Development and Sanitation Department of the African Development Bank said that in addition to improving water and sanitation services in the target areas, the project will also ensure women’s equitable participation in decision making and provide alternative livelihood sources.
Sudan is located in the Greater Horn of Africa and forms boundaries with Egypt to the north, Red Sea to the north-east, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, Central Africa Republic to the south-west, Chad to the west, and Libya to the north-west.
It is Africa’s largest country with a surface area of 1,862,905 km2 of which less than 10% is arable under rain-fed agriculture. The River Nile and the Sahara Desert are the main dominant features of The Sudan.
