The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a $75 million loan to Angola to finance the first phase of the country’s Coastal Towns Inclusive Sanitation Project.

The Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), sponsored by China and administered by the Bank, has also approved $49.4 million to co-finance the project.

The funds will help Angola to improve access to climate-resilient and sustainable sanitation services in the coastal towns of Benguela, Baía Farta, Catumbela, and Lobito, with a combined population of 1.4 million.

Improving access to sanitation services is crucial to meeting the health demands of the rising population in Angola, increasing urbanization, and socioeconomic development. The project is part of the government’s Vision 2050 to promote sustainable and climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure and service. The project area is an important economic and logistics hub for Angola.

“Safely managed sanitation is essential for a healthy and productive society and the decision of the Angola Government to invest more resources in sanitation is a bold move,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

The project will spur the provision of sanitation infrastructure to ensure the effective treatment of wastewater and fecal sludge and improve the collection and disposal of household waste. Schools and health facilities in the project area will receive assistance to acquire modern sanitation facilities. It also covers capacity-building for young professionals and technicians as sanitation sector Champions. Altogether, the project will strengthen communities’ resilience and enhance service providers’ capacity.

Pietro Toigo, the Bank’s country manager for Angola, said: “This project builds on a strong track record of joint investment in the water and sanitation sector by Angola and the African Development Bank to deliver better quality of life in its growing coastal cities.”

Improving sanitation is a key priority under the African Development Bank’s Policy on Water and its Water Strategy 2021-2025. The project aligns with the Bank’s policies and strategies on gender, climate change, urban development, skills and jobs.

The Bank is currently supporting the Institutional and Sustainability Support to Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Service Delivery Project with $123.7 million in the provinces of Bengo, Cunene, Cuanza Sul, Namibe, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, and Cabinda. The project aims to improve sector governance, access, and service delivery.