Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) has formed a partnership with Eastern and Southern African Water and Sanitation Regulators Association (ESAWAS) to help strengthen the delivery of services to the poorest urban residents.
The collaboration will help to improve national regulatory frameworks, based on international standards, to assist how water and sanitation utilities can deliver affordable, high-quality services to all urban residents.
The role of regulators in delivering of services is vital: they have the responsibility for monitoring and reporting progress towards universal access for water and sanitation, under Sustainable Development Goal 6.
ESAWAS is the only African-led membership organisation of regulators and focuses on strengthening regulators and fostering regional co-operation including monitoring and benchmarking utility performance. The current membership comprises eight regulators from: Kenya (WASREB), Zambia (NWASCO), Mozambique (CRA), Tanzania (EWURA), Rwanda (RURA), Lesotho (LEWA), Zanzibar (ZURA) and Burundi (AREEM).
Read more about how the national regulator in Kenya, WASREB, is driving change across urban areas.
WSUP believes strongly in the role of regulators in extending access to safe reliable water and sanitation to unserved communities. Our work has an important emphasis on capacity building including support to utilities and regulators to improve the efficiency, and financial viability of services.
Peter Njaggah, Director, Technical Services at WASREB, Kenya and Chair of the ESAWAS Technical Committee said:
“Strong and sustainable water and sanitation utilities and regulatory agencies are key to the realization of the SDG 6 goals on availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and specifically for sub-Saharan Countries which lag behind. The collaboration with WSUP will help with strengthening these institutions”.
Baghi Baghirathan, WSUP’s Director WASH Finance said:
“ESAWAS and WSUP have common objectives to develop sustainable water and sanitation utilities, through the development of effective regulatory frameworks. WSUP’s aim is to increase access to water and sanitation services in low-income urban communities, and we look forward to working with ESAWAS to further this aim.”
Top image: Customer accessing water at a pre-paid dispenser in Korogocho, Nairobi. Credit: Eric Gitonga