The Lusaka Sanitation Programme received will receive a $20 million injection following the approval of a loan by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.

The program will deliver improved public health by improving access to climate-resilient sanitation and hygiene services to the peri-urban areas where the majority of the urban poor reside and also strengthen Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company’s management, institutional capacity and sustainability of sanitation services, the agency to implement the program.

With over 600 000 beneficiaries in the capital city, of whom 52% are women, the program will address a crisis in sanitation that is costing Zambia 1.3% of its GDP per year.

Speaking after the Board’s approval of the program, Mohamed El Azizi, Director for the Bank’s Water and Sanitation Department, said,

“The economic burden of inadequate sanitation falls most heavily on the poor who are most likely to have inadequate sanitation facilities.

“Therefore, the Bank’s intervention will result in residents gaining better health from improved environmental and sanitary conditions; especially those in peri-urban areas where most of the urban poor are residing”. He added that special focus will be given to vulnerable households within the project area.

As part of the program to ensure sustainability of the proposed infrastructure, training and capacity building of Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company personnel has been incorporated to better operate and maintain the expanding sewerage infrastructure.

The program will use $39 million for sewerage improvements, specifically to upgrade and expand sewerage systems in the peri-urban areas of Matero, Chelstone, and Chunga.

The program will also spend $9 million on decentralised sanitation facilities, fecal sludge management infrastructure and service providers, and sanitation and hygiene promotion.