Democratic Republic of the Congo: Drinking water for the city of Mbuji-Mayi soon, thanks to the African Development Bank

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

13-Feb-2020

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba launched the rehabilitation and modernization works of the drinking water production and distribution system of the city of Mbuji-Mayi, in Kasaï- Oriental, funded by the African Development Bank.

These works, financed to the tune of US $ 27 million, by the Bank will soon provide drinking water to nearly 2.5 million inhabitants of Mbuji-Mayi, or more than 57% of the population of this city. , chief town of the province of Kasaï oriental.

The Minister of Rural Development, Guy Mikulu Pombo welcomed the good cooperation with the Bank, which resulted in the financing of this transformative project. He also underlined the government's commitment to respecting deadlines for the well-being of the population.

Through this financing, the Bank will also allow beneficiaries to make savings on the household budget due to the reduction of water-borne diseases. A serious cholera epidemic struck the region and the city in 2018, killing dozens.

The 32-month project will create several jobs during its implementation phase.

Vadi Nsingi, representative of the Bank's country manager, stressed the importance of the operation for the Bank "because of its very strong social impact and its alignment with the Bank's High 5 operational priority, namely: Improving quality of life for the people of Africa ”.

The works will focus on the rehabilitation of the pumping station, the administrative building and the electrical and hydraulic networks on the site of Bakwa Kapanga, a peripheral district of the city. They will also allow the construction of two water towers with a capacity of 1,420 cubic meters each.

In addition, to lay nearly 18 kilometers of primary network, 41 kilometers of secondary network, 127 kilometers of tertiary network and the construction of several special connections and some 860 standpipes in the area of ​​influence of Bakwa Kapanga.

The national portfolio of the African Development Bank for DR Congo as of December 31, 2019 stood at UA 1,082,076,427.94, or approximately US $ 1.489 billion. The Bank's activities currently cover 28 national projects and 7 multinational projects.

In DR Congo, the Bank intervenes in the sectors of agriculture, transport, water and sanitation, energy, social / governance.