Senegal: Sustainable development in West Africa - EUR 100 million to water supply

On the side-lines of the World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, the Republic of Senegal and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed today a loan agreement of EUR 100 million to finance a project aiming to secure water supply in the city of Dakar.

The financing agreement and the project agreement for the Water supply loan were signed by Mr. Ambroise Fayolle, EIB Vice-President, and Mr Amadou Ba, Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning and Mr Charles Fall, Managing Director of the National Water Company (SONES).

The EIB’s financing will be used for the construction of a drinking water treatment plant with a capacity of 100,000 m³ / day upgradeable to 200,000 m³ / day, and a transport pipe of about 210 km.

The project will serve a population of 3.9 million (28% of the national population) including over 3 million in the Dakar region, as well as the cities crossed by the new pipe (Thies, Tivaouane, Louga, etc.) It will contribute to solving the current water supply deficit in Senegal’s capital, especially in the suburbs, to ensure water supply sustainability. The Société Nationale des Eaux du Sénégal (SONES), will be in charge of the implementation of the project.

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: "This is a key financing operation for Senegal which will have a strong social and economic impact. Access to clean water is one of our priorities in the field of sustainable development because it also provides each citizen with optimal living and working conditions. In the EIB, we are proud of our partnership with the Senegalese government which is determinant to improve water supply in the country."

This is the fourth project that the EIB will carry out in the Senegalese water supply sector, and the third with this public company since its establishment in 1996.

The European Investment Bank is the world’s largest international public bank and over the last five years has provided EUR 12.8 billion for investment across Africa.