Background of the Programme
The SADC Regional Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (SADC RWSSP) is an integral component of the Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) on Integrated Water Resources Planning, Development and Management.
It is a key project under the focus area of Infrastructure Development Support which consists of projects or developments aim at improving the provision of Water Supply and Sanitation so as to promote good public health, socio-economic development, regional integration and poverty alleviation.
The SADC RWSSP was developed in 2004 based on national and regional situation analysis of water supply and sanitation service provision in SADC Member States. The national assessment identified a number of issues and challenges that constrain provision of water supply and sanitation and the achievement of Water and Sanitation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the respective SADC Member States.
These issues vary from one country to another but they include:
- Poor financial performance
- Inadequate institutional capacities
- Poor monitoring and reporting systems
- Lack of effective sector plans, and
- Poor information sharing and sector learning.
Overall Goal
The overarching aim of the SADC Regional Water Supply and Sanitation Programme is to facilitate SADC Member States to effectively improve and fast-track the provision of safe water supply and sanitation (WSS) contributing to socio-economic growth, poverty reduction, and regional integration among SADC Member states in order to achieve the MDGs as well as other national, regional and global targets and visions.
Objectives
The purpose of the SADC RWSSP is to:
- Establish a collaborative regional framework for effective planning and management of water supply and sanitation.
- Enable the Member States to effectively improve and accelerate the provision of water supply and sanitation at country level in order to achieve the MDGs as well as the Southern African Water Vision.
- Develop tools, measures and approaches to overcome the identified constraints to effective sector performance in the SADC Member States.
Key Thematic Areas/Programme Priorities
Previous investigations and projects undertaken within the SADC region have indicated that the regional framework would be most effective at facilitating SADC Member States in achieving their sustainability and development goals and visions if it were built around five key pillars. Each of these pillars (hereforth refered to as components) are aimed at addressing the WSS sector challenges, their specific objectives and subcomponents are outlined below:
- Financing: Improving financial efficiency of the WSS sector in SADC member states.
- Institutional capacity: institutional arrangements, rationalisation and strengthening.
- Infrastructure development: water supply and sanitation infrastructure development support.
- Monitoring and reporting: development and implementation of a water supply and sanitation monitoring and reporting programme.
- Knowledge management and information sharing: focused around the basic water supply and sanitation to meet the MDGs
Programme Expected Outputs
The expected project outputs include:
- Established Financing strategies and mechanisms for water supply and sanitation services to achieve the MDGs and national targets.
- Strengthened capacities of national water supply and sanitation institutions to plan, implement and manage water supply and sanitation services.
- Improved national planning and implementation of water supply and sanitation plans for achieving national and MDGs targets as well as initiating development of transboundary water supply and sanitation projects.
- Improved and harmonised monitoring and reporting systems of access to water supply and sanitation in SADC.
- Developed water supply and sanitation knowledge and information management systems in SADC.
- Strengthened capacity of SADC Water Division to coordinate and facilitate development of WSS.
Achievements
The SADC RWSSP inception workshop marked the end of the inception phase of the Programme. Hosted in South Africa (24 and 25 September 2012), it was interactive and participatory in nature, which facilitated interactions between SADC Member States, enhanced the sharing of lessons learned and also provided a platform for countries by sharing information that had not proven to be easily accessible through standard desktop research. Input from the Member State officials was actively encouraged in order to be sure of the development of regionally and nationally implementable plans and strategies.
For the purposes of ensuring that a true and on-the-ground representation of the current situation of WSS within the SADC region, case studies (for Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania) will be developed in order to highlight some of the challenges and innovative best practices that are being seen within the region. For the development of these case studies, visits shall be undertaken by experts from the consortium to enable a better understanding of the local situation and to allow for input from the relevant officials of the Member States. These focused vists will enable effective relationships to build efficiency, for stakeholders as well as consortium representatives, in organising meetings, which will cut across the different programme components. Thus far, Country case study visits to Malawi and Mozambique had been undertaken. The Malawi case study has been developed and is currently under review.
Progress on Programme components is underway, the first interim phase of the project was completed with an interactive, participatory workshop hosted by Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls on 22-24 April 2013. The participants were guided through the use tools and mechanisms that have been developed to enable consultants to complete several deliverables.
Partners
The Project is fundede by the African Development Bank throught the Africa Water Facility, and is implemented by the SADC Secretariat through the Water Division within the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services.
Participtaion Member States include :
- Congo (Democratic Republic) - Comite National d’Action de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement
- Lesotho (Kingdom) - Ministry of Natural Resources : Department of Rural Water Supply
- Malawi (Republic) - Ministry of Water Development and Irrigation
- Mauritius (Republic) - Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities - Water Resource Unit
- Mozambique(Republic) - National Directorate of Water - Ministério das Obras Públicas e Habitação
- Seychelles (Republic) - Ministry of Health and the Division of Environment : Office : Public Utilities Corporation
- South Africa (Republic) - Ministry of Water and Environment - Department of Water And Environmental Affairs
Links to Relevant Websites
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme(JMP)
- WaterAid- Clean Water and SAnitation for Africam Asia and Central America
- United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)
- African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW)
- Water and Sanitation Program (WSP)
Relevant Documentation
Recent News Items
- SADC Launches a 2-Million Water Supply and Sanitation Programme
- SADC Launches Water Plan
- AWF confirms funding for water relief
- Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Manual
- Signing of the Agreement on a Regional Fund for Water and Basic Sanitation by SADC,KfW and DBSA
Contact Information
Senior Programme Officer (Water)
Mr. Phera Ramoeli
SADC Secretariat
Infrastructure and Services Directorate
Private Bag 0095
Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: +267 395 1863
Fax: +267 397 2848 / 318 1070
Email: water@sadc.int
Website: www.sadc.int