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
Liberia -Program for Advancing Youth Entrepreneurship Investment (PAYEI)
In Liberia, the unemployment rate is estimated at 85% with the youth (15-35 years) accounting for 75%. The youth population (15-35 years) is growing 3% per annum on average and currently makes up nearly 40% of the country’s total population of about 5.2 million. Out of the young working population, 90% face vulnerable or irregular employment. Youth, not in employment, education, and training (NEET) amount to 45% of youth (15-24 years).
Employment creation in Liberia faces extraordinary challenges. A significant number of youths are engaged in the development of MSMEs – or aspire to be – yet many of them operate in the informal sector with low productivity due to limited access to financial and non-financial services which are hindering their growth. While limited education and industry and business skills may be impeding youth entrepreneurship and MSME development, weak infrastructure, limited finance, low institutional capacity, and other structural issues are limiting the prospects for rapid and sustainable MSME development and the generation of jobs
The overarching goal of the project is to foster an optimal environment for the development and promotion of youth entrepreneurship and youth-led businesses in Liberia by establishing sustainable vehicles and mechanisms to deploy financial services and non-Financial Services. This is achieved through:
- Establishing governance and stewardship for entrepreneurship
- Strengthening support to entrepreneurship and SME development
- Unlocking accessible financing to young entrepreneurs, youth-led growing small businesses and established SMEs.
- Conducting labor market assessment to identify potential adaptation jobs using an established adaptation taxonomy
- Building capacity in enterprises for climate resilient jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in adaptation by embedding training into local institutions such as TVET centres
- Propose recommendations to create adaptation jobs through existing MDB investments in the country
- Create at least 1050 direct jobs (including 30% climate adaptation jobs)
- Support at least 300 Youth-led enterprises
- At least 1000 youth to be trained in entrepreneurship and business development to secure formal work or self-employment
- Improved support systems and frameworks for entrepreneurship that ensure young entrepreneurs, youth-led growing small businesses, and established SMEs receive the necessary guidance, mentorship, and resources to thrive
- Enhanced ecosystem that provides comprehensive support to entrepreneurs and SMEs. This includes access to business development services, training programs, networking opportunities, and technical assistance
USD 17 Million (African Development Bank, OPEC, EU)