Switzerland grants US $4M for water and sanitation in Niger

Switzerland has granted Niger a sum of US $4M to support the country’s efforts to provide access to water and sanitation.

The funding will be used to implement the Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Sector Program (Proseha), which is an initiative subject of a partnership between the governments of the two countries. Proseha includes five sub-programs dedicated to drinking water supply, hygiene and sanitation, monitoring and protection of water resources, governance and pastoral hydraulics. These sub-programs will be implemented in three successive phases.

The Swiss government’s funding will help accelerate the work at the various sites, with the goal of ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. According to the Swiss Confederation, less than 50% of Nigeriens have access to safe drinking water and only 7% have basic sanitation.

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Stong cooperation

“It will also be necessary to explore the functionality of a relatively new national mechanism that will advance the decentralization of the water sector,” said the Swiss ambassador to Niger, Georg Steiner.

The Nigerien government estimates that overall cost of Proseha will be more than US $6M. The other part of the financing is provided by the Nigerien public treasury, local authorities, technical and financial partners, the private sector, etc.

Since the beginning of cooperation between the two countries in 1979, the supply of water to the population has improved, according to Berne. Switzerland has also financed the Rural Hydraulics Program to support the water and sanitation sector (Phrasea). Between 2012 and 2015, the program benefited from approximately US $18 million and over the period from 2016 to 2020 from an additional investment of more than US $16.4 million.