AFRICA – The Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) is expanding its partnership with the organization Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).
The goal is to accelerate access to clean cooking around the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
SEforALL is an organization that works in partnership with the United Nations (UN), governments, the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society to strengthen and stimulate actions towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) which calls for universal access to renewable energy by 2030.
In this new part of their partnership, OFID and SEforALL intend to mutualize their efforts in order to facilitate the financing of the access to clean cooking in the world, notably in Africa south of the Sahara.
As OFID reminds us, approximately 2.6 billion people still do not have access to ecological cooking solutions, with the lowest access rates recorded in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Through the Energy Compact process, unlocking much-needed financing, and providing data and analysis, we will accelerate progress toward SDG 7 and ensure a just and inclusive energy transition that leaves no one behind,” promises Damilola Ogunbiyi, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and co-chair of UN-Energy.
SEforALL and OFID are also planning to co-organize events to facilitate the sharing of perspectives between green cooking solution providers, governments, and financial institutions.
With this in mind, the two partners co-organized the “Finance for Clean Cooking” event on March 23, 2022 in Vienna, Austria. The event explored concrete cooperation opportunities and innovative financing solutions to increase investment in clean cooking in developing countries.
OFID Lends US$15m for Water and Sanitation in Dowa
Meanwhile, OFID is providing a US$15 million loan to the Malawian government to strengthen water and sanitation services in Dowa town. The project will benefit 100,000 people.
The loan agreement was initialled on April 15, 2022 by Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, the Managing Director of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OFID) Fund for International Development.
The US$15 million financing is for the extension of the water and sanitation system in the city of Dowa in central Malawi. According to OFID, Dowa currently lacks safe facilities, resulting in the proliferation of water-borne diseases and a slowdown in socio-economic activities.
The project is expected to benefit 100,000 people in the town and surrounding areas. The project includes the construction of a surface water pumping station near Dowa to supply a new drinking water plant. The future plant will have a production capacity of 14,300 m3 per day.
The drinking water will then flow through a 51 km long distribution network to the new community water points. Existing water points will also be rehabilitated.
On the sanitation side, the project will replace the sewage system at Dowa District Hospital and install sanitation facilities in the Dzaleka refugee camp. The implementation of this project will bring Malawi closer to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which aims to achieve universal access to water and sanitation by 2030. According to OFID, approximately 88% of the population is provided with safe drinking water in the East African country.
OFID’s funding supports the funds released several months ago by the World Bank and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Through the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank lent US$100 million in 2021 for the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project (LWSP).
In the same year, Malawi also received a loan from the EIB. The funds are for the extension of the drinking water network in southern Malawi, including Balaka and Liwonde. This other drinking water project will supply 150,000 people until 2050.
Liked this article? Subscribe to DealStreet Africa News, our regular email newsletter with the latest news, deals and insights from Africa’s business, economy and more. SUBSCRIBE HERE
