AAAP in the Media
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Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Program
Water and sanitation coverage in Sierra Leone is estimated at 58% and 13% respectively of the country’s 7 million inhabitants. Urban water supply coverage is estimated at 74% and urban sanitation coverage at 23%. The densely populated capital city, Freetown, is part of the urban WASH sub-sector. The poor water and sanitation services in the city exacerbate the negative effects of the dense settlement. Women and children bear the overwhelming burden of collecting water in water-starved communities in the city.
The city has less than 4 km of sewers, which discharge directly into the seas without any form of treatment. The poor water and situation is further aggravated by the intense encroachment into and widespread degradation of the Western Area Protected Forest, which forms the watershed and the only water lifeline for the capital city.
The Bank has been actively engaged in the water sector in Sierra Leone for over a decade and has accumulated significant experience in the environment.
The overall objective of the Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Program is to improve water supply and sanitation services while ensuring the sustainability of the vital aquatic ecosystem in the Western Area/Freetown.
Specific actions/objectives are:
- Water Supply Infrastructure Improvement
- Integrated Infrastructure Improvement
- Capacity for IWRM and Livelihood Improvement
- Project Management
The project aims to achieve a 15% increase in access to safe water supply and a 7% increase in access to improved sanitation in Freetown.
- GCA specialised technical expertise in the area of climate resilient water resource management, catchment protection, and NBS.
- GCA to prepare a detailed term sheet and financial model how the financial structure is financially viable (risk return) in order to achieve the proposal’s objectives, determining the level of concessionally, and demonstrating the coherence between the selected financial instruments, proposed activities and overall project financial structure.
- Rehabilitated and expanded water treatment, transmission, storage and distribution systems.
- Improved solid and liquid waste collection, treatment and disposal services.
- Established infrastructure and enhanced capacity for the effective protection of the Western Area Protected Forest/Watershed.
- Promotion good sanitation, hygiene and child nutrition practices of the primary beneficiaries while facilitating their gainful participation in the improvement of WASH services.
- The project will directly benefit an estimated 1,400,000 people (51% women) benefitted through access to safe water, including new access for 1,000,000 people and restoration of a regular daily water service for 400,000 people.
- Over 2,700 jobs created.
- The Freetown peninsular watershed restored, and impact of the extreme climate events to living conditions reduced.
US$164 million.
US$43 million requested from GCF
Digital Climate Adaptation Solutions Training – Southern Africa
Harnessing the power of technological innovations and digitalization to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen climate resilience has been recognized as one of the potential game changers to address many of pressing climate concerns and rural transformation challenges facing Africa today.
Digital climate-informed advisory services are tools and platforms that integrate climate information into agricultural decision-making. These services range from digital mobile apps, radio, and online platforms to digitally enabled printed bulletins based on climate models and extension services that utilize climate information platforms. DCAS offers crucial opportunities to build the resilience of small-scale producers in the face of worsening climate change impacts, particularly when bundled with complementary services (such as financing, input supply, market access, insurance).
The objectives of the DCAS trainings are as follows:
- Capacity enhancement for agricultural stakeholders across Southern Africa in DCAS
- Supporting trainees to improve their confidence and capacity to design and implement DCAS projects to reach the last mile and farmers for improved food security and climate resilience
- Facilitating knowledge/experience sharing of participants on contextual issues and approaches to scale up DCAS
- Increase the knowledge of stakeholders from across Southern Africa on opportunities and new approaches for the design, mainstreaming and use of digital tools and data-enabled agriculture to combat the effects of climate change
- enhancing capacity to use digital agriculture advisory services and solutions to ensure uptake by of DCAS among stakeholders in Southern Africa
- Over 50 Participants trained in digital agriculture and digital climate adaptation solutions
- A new cohort or platform of African public officials, researchers, farmers organizations leaders and agricultural NGO focal points with improved expertise in DCAS (for subsequent experience capitalization follow up and training)
- Training evaluation assessment report
- Improved understanding / knowledge of target stakeholders in Southern Africa through training and information sharing including lessons learned on the challenges, opportunities and new approaches to the design, mainstreaming and use of DCAS and data-enabled agriculture
- Enhanced capacity of selected agricultural stakeholders in public institutions and farmers groups across Southern Africa to use digital agriculture advisory solutions, implement digital climate smart advisory solutions, and train their members/colleagues to use DCAS tools
€100,000