$25m in funding secured for Malawi water-development programme

The World Bank, the lead financier of the multimillion-dollar national water development programme in Malawi, has signed an for a $25-million grant to be used as additional funding for the second phase of the programme.

Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe, says the money will be used for the urban water-supply and sanitation component of the programme, which involves the development of piped water supply-systems in cities, towns and market centres.

The grant, which is the second financial package from the bank for the second phase of the programme – after an initial injection of $50-million – will be used to acquire spare parts for water pumps, rehabilitation and maintenance work, and baseline surveys in the cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre to ascertain how unserviced low-income or peri-urban areas can also gain access to safe water.

The Malawi government is implementing the national water development programme through various water boards.

World Bank country manager in Malawi Timothy Gilbo says the $25-million grant has been derived from the Africa Catalytic Growth Fund (ACGF), a multidonor trust fund, and that Malawi has been chosen as a beneficiary because of its excellent economic performance.

"Through the grant, we hope Malawi will achieve sustainable economic growth because without good water and sanitation, economic growth cannot be fully realised," says Gilbo.

He says the Bank hopes the programme will yield results in United Nations' Millennium Development Goal number 7, which is to ensure environmental sustainability by having the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

"We hope that in 12-months time, people will be able to point at real benefits (of the grant) on the ground," says Gilbo.

The second phase of the national water development programme is a five-year project that is meant to ensure that 500 000 people have new or improved water supply services, that 4 040 connections are rehabilitated, that 1 700 new community water points are established, that 3 700 new water connections are installed, and that about 2 25-million people have improved sanitation.

In a related development, the Central Region Water Board is inviting tenders for the supply of pipes and fittings, and new water-connection materials.

Bidding will be conducted in line with the World Bank's international competitive bidding procedures, and bid documents may be obtained on paying $40.

Malawi launched the second phase of the national water development programme last year, after completing the first phase, which was implemented at a cost of over $800-million.

The other financiers of the programme include the European Union and the government of the Netherlands.