AfDB backs Namibian water development program

African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $121.7 million loan and €3 million grant from the Rural Water Supply Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund to support Namibia’s five-year Water Sector Support Program (WSPE).

The WSPE is aimed at increasing water distribution to alleviate shortages caused by drought. The 2018/19 rainy season produced no more than 50% of average seasonal rainfall, cutting access to sustainable water and sanitation services to 85% and 54% respectively. The government’s WSPE aims to raise both of these to a universal target of 100% by 2030. The WSPE is expected to be complete in 2024.