The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have invested US$171mn to improve sanitation in small municipalities in Tunisia
The AfDB and the EBRD have signed a loan agreement with the Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation (MDICI) and the National Office for Sanitation (ONAS).
The bank stated in a statement that almost 200,000 inhabitants of small municipalities in the country will benefit from significant environmental improvements thanks to the loan.
This programme is aligned with the strategies of both water and sanitation institutions and will include the construction of 24 new wastewater treatment plants, the expansion of 862 km of sanitation network systems and the construction of 30 new pumping stations, the bank added
It will promote better conditions of health, hygiene, the environment and economic development for 33 small municipalities in 19 governorates.
This improvement will help to alleviate environmental pollution and health risks associated with the current low level of sanitation services. It will also increase the amount of treated wastewater by 7.71mn m3 per year, thereby increasing the availability of usable water in the area.
Incorporating a capacity-building component for the National Office for Sanitation (ONAS) and targeted communes, the programme will help Tunisia to sustain the management of its sanitation systems and support private sector participation in infrastructure.
The bank said that the programme will contribute to a new dynamic of development and investment, a source of employment for young people in priority regions.
The signing ceremony at the MDICI headquarters was co-chaired by Zied Laadhari, minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Mohamed El Azizi, director general of the AfDB North Africa office, Antoine Sallé de Chou, head of the EBRD office in Tunisia and Abdelmajid Bettaieb, president and CEO of ONAS.
