The Ishango Bone

Volume 19 Number 4 January 2016 ISSN 1015-4957 Photo Credit: Water and Sanitation Program in Africa, Global Water Practice, World Bank Innovations to tackle Africa’s water and sanitation crisis in the post-2015 era By: Magdaline Ncabira Nkando - Senior Knowledge Management Specialist for the Water and Sanitation Program in Africa, under the Global Water Practice at the World Bank he close of 2015 marked the imperative that the global community Notably, much less private capital has end of the Millennium continues to advance promising solutions been committed into water and sanitation Development Goals (MDGs)— and ensure they reach the communities than other infrastructure sectors, such as T a global drive from the year that can use them to transform their own energy and ICT. In this regard, the World 2000 to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods. New approaches are needed Bank Water Global Practice, through lives of people in developing countries— to identify priority innovations and ensure Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), has and the introduction of Sustainable Devel- the financial and technical support is there been working with key public and private opment Goals (SDGs) to anchor the glob- to bring these ideas to low- and middle- sector partners in Africa to mobilize al development agenda for the next 15 income countries. domestic credit and address operating years. inefficiencies that negatively impact on the In the context of the SDGs, the Water delivery of water and sanitation. The MDGs played a pivotal role in Global Practice at the World Bank is galvanizing the global community and leveraging on its international experience Making utilities more attractive to banks is intensifying investment to reduce by half and learnings to build a knowledge base of possible and has been done successfully in the proportion of the population without proven, scalable and sustainable solutions the Philippines and elsewhere. Some safe drinking water. Today, over 90 per for improving the state of water, sanita- approaches involve external means of cent of the global population has access to tion and hygiene in Africa. A key aim is to reducing lending risk (such as through improved sources of drinking water. But share knowledge, foster dialogue, and guarantees, pooled funds, or credit the world fell short on the sanitation identify common challenges and strategies enhancements); others involve robust target, leaving 2.4 billion without access to to leverage learning across the sector. ratings of the creditworthiness of improved sanitation facilities, especially in individual prospective borrowers. Africa and Asia. Already, there is a solid body of knowledge on innovative and evidence- In Africa, WSP partnered with the Water based approaches for improved water and Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) in sanitation in three broad areas: addressing Kenya to conduct a credit assessment of the financing challenge; reaching the poor 43 utilities. This resulted in 13 utilities and underserved; and, harnessing the being assigned an A or BBB rating potential of Information and (creditworthy), 16 assigned a BB rating Communication Technologies (ICTs). (potentially creditworthy) and 14 utilities assigned ‘no rating’. In 2014, one utility, Innovative approaches for financing Although immense progress was made the Embu Water and Sanitation Company, water and sanitation infrastructure towards the MDGs, Sub-Saharan Africa received the first-ever commercial loan of remains the only world region that fell Among the single biggest constraints in Ksh87 million shilling (US$1 million) from short of meeting the global targets for achieving the SDGs is that of mobilizing the Housing Finance Company of Kenya both water and sanitation. Nearly half of investments for water and sanitation (HFCK) to construct a water pipeline to the estimated 663 million people programs, particularly for constructing, expand connectivity to 6,000 households. worldwide without access to improved operating, maintaining, and rehabilitating This example demonstrates how public drinking water sources live in the water and sewer infrastructure. utilities can increase the overall funding continent. And the countries with the available to the water sector by lowest sanitation coverage are also Across Africa, water and wastewater strategically using their limited public funds concentrated in Africa. utilities frequently fail to recover enough to attract additional financing from revenue to cover even their basic commercial lenders. Towards a knowledge base of operating and maintenance expenses, let innovations alone depreciation of fixed assets and Even small-scale providers can be trans- generation of a return on assets sufficient formed into sound investments under the The SDGs on water supply and sanitation for any debt servicing or remuneration of right conditions and with the right sup- give new urgency to the challenge of invested equity. The major financing port, as demonstrated by another project water and sanitation development in sources—public resources and in Kenya that applied a blend of commer- Africa. To accelerate the gains achieved development assistance—are often cial loans from a micro-finance bank, equi- during the MDG era and to reach the insufficient to pay for major infrastructure ty from project owners, and subsidies . even more ambitious SDGs, it is investments. Continue on page 4 2 Science*Policy*Africa, January 2016 THE AFRICAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES From the ED’s Desk A legacy of driving scientific development 2015 was a momentous year for AAS. training of scientists through programmes Among the highlights was the launch of like AESA, CIRLCE and the Cell Biology AESA, an agenda setting and funding plat- Regenerative Medicine initiative where we form set up by the AAS, the NEPAD Agen- are helping early career and senior scien- cy and three global partners (UK Depart- tists to develop their ideas and provide ment for International Develop- research that can be used for policymaking. ment (DFID), Bill & Melinda Gates Founda- By empowering scientists, AAS is building a tion and the Wellcome Trust). AESA was critical mass to produce research and inno- also endorsed by the African Union Summit vation to overcome some of the conti- of January 2015. Three major STI pro- nent’s developmental challenges and ensure grammes are operating under AESA that Africa contributes its own solu- with dedicated programme managers al- tions to its own problems. Indeed, AAS is ready in place. Dr Tom Kariuki, a leading building this critical mass in climate change, biomedical scientist, an AAS Fellow and a health and areas critical to Africa. former member of the Governing Council Berhanu Abegaz, Executive Director, AAS of AAS is leading AESA. I wish to pay a It is also interesting to note the mentorship horizon beyond, the horizon beyond which huge tribute to Tom and to the senior role of the TWAS President during the Africa should develop into a healthier, happier Advisor Kevin Marsh who have worked formative years of AAS. Salaam (Nobel and more dignified continent. tirelessly to lead the implementation of laureate in Physics and founder of ICTP) AESA and to realize what has been had this to say at the inaugural meeting of I feel a sense of pride and gratification with achieved so far. We are also very fortu- AAS: the present state of the Academy. The last nate to have the unparalleled support of few years have seen a huge increase not ……the African Academy of Sciences is very only in number of Fellowships but also the President of Mauritius, HE Ameenah dear to us. It was initiated at the Third World Gurib Fakim who presided over the col- their achievements. There is also a similar Academy meeting in July 1985, and its foun- increase in number and quality of staff at ourful launch of AESA which received dation meeting was held at our Headquar- global coverage thanks to the efforts of our the Secretariat. We wanted our Strategic ters in December 1985. As a humble token, Plan 2013-2018 to be one that would posi- Communications Manager and back-up sup- we have placed and will continue to place port from BMGF and Wellcome Trust. tion AAS for better impact in Africa. In $50,000 in support of the African Academy looking at where we are, I can say we are The AAS is also marking its 30th year and annually. indeed poised to do just that. it is proper that we take a moment to re- No wonder then it was Mohamed Hassan flect upon the past three decades of exist- Our experience during the last two years, who took over as the President of AAS working with some of the key global fun- ence. I have found it inspiring to read the (1999-2011) after Odhiambo, concurrent foundation documents of AAS under the ders, has also taught us the need to ensure with his responsibility as the Executive Di- that we develop key policies that ensure leadership of Prof Thomas Odhiambo. As rector of TWAS. Hassan wrote a beauti- founding president he said the following good governance. The AAS Governing ful narrative of his reflections during the Council (GC) is particularly aware of this statement in the closing exhortation to the 25th Anniversary celebrations of AAS. He task force that was created to set up and and has raised the need to re- paid tribute to the former President of Ni- examine our constitution to ensure that launch the Academy on 10 December geria, Olusegun Obasanjo, who in 2005 1985: we follow good corporate govern- decided to help the Academy by con- ance practices. In the process of doing so, ….”It is vitally important for the African Scien- tributing ca $5million to the Acade- we are also advised that we align our con- tific Community to take initiative in this crucial my’s Endowment Fund. This growing stitution to a prototype issued by the Ken- matter so that we can begin to create the geo- Endowment now together with the assets ya Government Bureau for coordina- political climate in which science and technolo- (Estate, building, etc.) has grown to ca $8.3 tion of NGOs.

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