Sanitation, water security, and hygiene have become central to U.S. foreign policy as the world recovers from the largest public health crisis in a century and faces the growing effects of climate change while also grappling with increasing threats to peace and security.
In Africa, an astonishing US$50 billion will be required every year (equivalent to US$40 per inhabitant on the continent) if water security is to be achieved by 2030. Donor-funded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives therefore play a pivotal role in bridging the funding gap by implementing sustainable and community-based solutions.
In this DevelopmentAid article, we explore the impact of USAID’s WASH programs, specifically RAPID in Kenya, Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA), Transform WASH (T/WASH), WA-WASH, and WASH Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability Project (WASHPaLS) in the promotion of water accessibility and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa. By addressing some of the challenges in water accessibility and sanitation, the programs of USAID and other donors play a vital role in advancing SDG 6 which refers to universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.
An overview of aid programs for WASH initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa
Developed nations and donors such as USAID and the AfDB help sub-Saharan African countries in capacity building to be able to develop refined water and sanitation services. In FY 2019, this region received at least US$9 billion in aid as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Official Development Aid for WASH projects in sub-Saharan Africa from 2002-2020
Source: SDG 6 Progress Analyses in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2015-2020.
USAID is one of the world’s leading donors for WASH programs in sub-Saharan Africa with an annual investment of approximately US$1 billion. In collaboration with the World Bank, the European Union, the AfDB, and other donors, since 2008 USAID has helped approximately 70 million people to access climate-resilient water services and 55 million to access sustainable sanitation services. According to the Global Water Strategy Report within the results by mission section, in FY 2023, approximately 1.7 million people accessed sustainable drinking water services, and 2.5 million people accessed sustainable sanitation services in Africa, courtesy of USAID’s partnership with other development partners.
USAID’s collaboration with other donors is expanding water and sanitation accessibility in sub-Saharan Africa by pooling resources, skills, and infrastructure to promote large-scale WASH programs that reach vulnerable communities effectively and sustainably.
USAID WASH programs in sub-Saharan Africa
🔹 Kenya’s Resilient Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development (RAPID) Program
RAPID is a five-year program that ran from 2015 to 2020 which united the public and private sectors to promote water and sanitation access to communities and livestock in Kenya’s arid regions. The program, with approximate funding of US$31 million, came under Millenium Water Alliance (MWA) implementation with primary financing from USAID and the SDC. A notable achievement of Kenya RAPID was that it enabled 184,172 people to access safe drinking water and 22,512 people to access basic sanitation services. The program also helped 4,302 farmers to integrate new technologies to facilitate effective household diets and income and provide water for 314,501 livestock in arid regions.
By integrating pre-paid water meters in water kiosks and supporting agro-pastoralism, the program introduced innovative sustainable strategies. The pre-paid meters installed in Marsabit, Isiolo, and Turkana counties in Kenya promote sustainability by reducing cash transactions, therefore improving financial accountability by enabling budgeting and reducing water wastage. Agro-pastoralism innovations have enhanced sustainability by equipping farmers with technical skills to grow diverse crops, particularly drought-tolerant varieties, to ensure sustainability amid the effects of climate change.
🔹 Transform WASH (T/WASH) Program
T/WASH is an 8-year partnership program that has run from 2017 to 2024 with funding of approximately US$47 million. Its core objective is to enhance sustainability by developing and progressing market-driven frameworks to improve the demand and supply of quality and less costly WASH products in Ethiopia. Through the T/WASH network, at least 360,000 families have been reached on their doorsteps, and approximately 110,000 have been willing to invest in improving their toilet facilities. The T/WASH program has supported almost 500 businesses to sell sanitation and hygiene products, with almost 70% of the enterprises being operational in 2024. T/WASH focuses on market-based frameworks instead of depending on aid with the aim of creating a self-sustaining supply chain of WASH products.
🔹 Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) Program
This 6-year (2009-2015) USAID regional program promoted a change in the way water and sanitation services were delivered in sub-Saharan African urban areas. The program increased the presence of USAID in the urban water and sanitation sector in sub-Saharan Africa while in Kenya, the initiative enabled at least 1,500 metered connections for approximately 8,500 beneficiaries. SUWASA/Nigeria projects enabled Bauchi state to become eligible to apply for loans from a US$400 million pool funded by Nigeria and the World Bank.
🔹 West Africa Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Program (WA-WASH)
This USAID partnership program operated from 2011 to 2017 to promote WASH activities in West Africa. USAID funded the program with US$24 million and the main objective was to increase community access to potable water and to improve sanitation. WA-WASH interventions provided 65,690 in Niger, Ghana, and Burkina Faso with access to improved drinking water sources and at least 62,000 people with access to better sanitation facilities. Since 2012, WA-WASH has provided capacity-building interventions that have benefitted at least 21,300 stakeholders, including local authorities, women’s groups, farmers, and students across the three countries which demonstrates the program’s innovative approach to ensuring that knowledge and skills for sustainable water and sanitation were embedded in communities.
🔹 Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability Project (WASHPaLS)
The WASHPaLS initiative operated with funding of almost US$29 million and its main role was to improve USAID’s WASH programming by providing technical support to the ICT intervention for Kenya RAPID’s activity in its five-year implementation period. The ICT assistance included the installation of sensors on water borehole pumps to promptly transfer information to data dashboards to enhance water management by enabling accurate monitoring of water levels and ensuring sustainability through effective water management.
Wrap up
USAID’s efforts in implementing WASH programs have played an important role in increasing the accessibility to clean water and sanitation services across sub-Saharan Africa. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation for millions of people has been possible through innovative strategies such as ICT monitoring, pre-paid water meters, market-based service frameworks, and capacity-building which have also empowered local systems to manage water resources as well as having tackled preventable diseases and improved the quality of life across communities.
