By Abdullahi Lukman
The African Development Fund has approved a $24.45 million grant to expand access to clean water and sanitation in Somalia, targeting more than 500,000 people in the towns of Dollow, Qardho and South Galkayo.
The Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project will expand and rehabilitate water systems in the three fast-growing towns, which have absorbed large numbers of internally displaced people and face increasing climate-related shocks.
The project will finance the installation of 40 kilometres of transmission and distribution pipelines, the drilling or rehabilitation of 42 boreholes, and the construction of four water treatment plants and three water quality testing laboratories.
It will also provide 26 generators with solar panel backups to support operations.
To improve sanitation, about 915 shared household latrines will be built, alongside mobile desludging units to manage waste.
A hygiene promotion campaign, including menstrual health awareness, will target roughly 30 percent of the population.
The initiative also includes institutional capacity-building measures.
One hundred federal member state staff will receive training in water quality and groundwater monitoring using digital systems, as well as in infrastructure maintenance, budgeting and regulation.
Youth from marginalized groups will be trained in technical skills such as pipeline installation, borehole drilling and water treatment plant construction.
The African Development Bank said the project is expected to reduce waterborne diseases, cut the time women and children spend fetching water, and improve school attendance, particularly for girls.
Strengthening local water utilities and authorities is intended to ensure long-term sustainability beyond the project’s duration.
Bubacarr Sankareh, the Bank’s lead advisor for Somalia operations, said the investment marks a significant step toward expanding resilient urban water systems, improving public health and building local capacity.
