World Bank evaluates the Water and Sanitation Access Program in DRC

The Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Olivier Mwenze, exchanged, on Wednesday April 5, 2023, with a delegation from the World Bank led by Susanna Smets.

The World Bank has expressed its willingness to support the Water and Sanitation Access Program (PACEA) .

 “The delegation came to meet with the Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, Olivier Mwenze Mukaleng, on the evolution of the Congolese Government’s Program financed by the World Bank.

 It was first a question of thanking Minister Mwenze for the progress of various projects financed by the World Bank. 

This is particularly the case of the program for access to water and sanitation services (PACEA), which is currently being prepared. 

We reassured him of the support of the World Bank for this project. explained Patrick Ndolo, principal water specialist of the World Bank residing in Kinshasa.

For her part, Susanna Smets, head of the delegation indicated that “ this PACEA project is currently at the evaluation stage and that everything is going very well ”.

And to add: “ This program will have several phases to support the Government of the DRC to accelerate and minimize this course of access to water and sanitation. »

Note that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is faced with a paradox of access to drinking water of less than 3% and the average in sub-Saharan Africa of more than 60%, while nature has endowed the country with a huge reservoir of fresh water and almost non-existent sanitation service.

It was to meet this challenge that the central government had launched the drinking water supply and sanitation project in rural and peri-urban areas with funding from the World Bank. An initiative that aims to materialize the promise of the Congolese Head of State, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi.