The African Development Bank (AfDB) is committed to supporting the Namibian Government in future interventions in the water sector, the bank’s representative, Herbert Chinokoro, has said.
Speaking in Windhoek on Monday, Chinokoro, AfDB’s senior water and sanitation engineer, said the support will help the government increase access to water and sanitation services for 100 per cent of the population.
He said the support will further “ensure sufficient water reserves for industrialisation and land servicing, and housing development purposes, and enhance resilience to climate change in alignment with National Development Plan goals on environmental sustainability and resilience.”
He said this at the beginning of the National Workshop on Water Security and Climate Change in Namibia.
The two-day workshop is held under the theme “Enhancing synergies and breaking down silos in water resources management for sustainable development in Namibia.”
Chinokoro said the African Development Bank underscores the importance of water security to improve Africa’s social and economic development.
He added that the bank is currently supporting the Namibian Government with N.dollars 1.9 billion and a N.dollar 61 million grant towards the Water Sector Support Programme.
“The aim of the programme is to increase access, quality, security and sustainability of water supply and sanitation services in Namibia, and also to strengthen the capacity of sector agencies to deliver better services as a first step to responding to the threats of water scarcity and climate change,” he said.
Since 2012, the AfDB has invested an estimated USD$6.5 billion in water resources, water supply, and sanitation services. At the end of October 2021, Chinokoro said the bank’s active water sector portfolio stood at USD$5.02 billion, comprising over 100 projects implemented in 40 countries.
“Climate finance will play a key role in making low-carbon and climate-resilient investments bankable by lowering the cost of capital and buffering risks both for sovereign and non-sovereign operations. The AfDB will continue to play a key role as a financier, partner, and advisor to its regional member countries to assist them in enhancing access to available resources, as well as capitalise on future financing opportunities from climate-related funds,” said Chinokoro, who is the AfDB task manager responsible for Namibia, Zambia, and Lesotho.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency