Although sanitation is a basic human right essential for public health, environmental sustainability, and overall well-being, Africa faces a severe sanitation crisis, with:

779 million people (over half of the continent’s population) lacking basic sanitation services
208 million practicing open defecation
839 million without basic hygiene services

The African Development Bank reports that the number of people without access to urban sanitation in Africa increases by over 10 million annually, driven by rapid population growth, exacerbating the continent’s already alarming sanitation gap.

To close this sanitation divide, the African Water Facility , founded by Africa Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), has launched a new sanitation financing initiative to achieve three key objectives:

• Mobilize and deploy funding for sanitation projects.
• Develop bankable and investment-ready projects.
• Implement innovative approaches like city-wide inclusive sanitation, offering customized solutions for neighborhoods and cities.

This initiative, which is hosted by the African Development Bank and tagged “Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII)” was launched on 27th August 2024, during the World Water Week 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Over the next decade, the Facility targets:

• Mobilizing $320 million to provide 15 million people with access to safely-managed sanitation services through 50 sanitation projects. Ten percent of the $320 million is expected to come from climate-focused funding sources.
• Attracting an additional $7 billion in investments to support sanitation development.

This initiative, which will support governments, utilities and other stakeholders in the sector, is expected to accelerate progress in sanitation access and infrastructure development across Africa.

This is a giant stride towards realizing sanitation rights for all and ensuring dignity for all.