Sustainable Water Provision: New Initiative For Crisis-Hit Zones

“In Cameroon, access to drinking water remains a major focus of the government's strategy to combat poverty and promote sustainable development.” This was the rationale for the launch of the Cameroon Water and Security Project (SEWASH) on June 29, 2026 in Yaounde. Aimed at achieving universal access to drinking water by 2035, with 90 per cent by 2030, through the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (SND30), the Minister of Water Resources and Energy (MINEE), Gaston Eloundou Essomba, revealed that “the Government through a 184.9 million Euros (about FCFA 121.3 billion) in funding from the World Bank for the first phase of the SEWASH Project implemented by MINEE and Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (CAMWATER) will prioritise urban, peri-urban, and rural populations likewise climate-stressed Adamawa, North, and Far North regions, with network expansions in Yaounde and Douala. Despite boosting 610.8 billion cubic meters of annual water resources, with 62 per cent of it being groundwater, the Minister lamented that Cameroon still faces severe distribution gaps with decades-old infrastructure in Yaounde and Douala buckling under urbanization, while the northern regions suffer from surface water scarcity and recurring waterborne epidemics like cholera. To reverse this, Phase 1 is designed to strengthen institutional capacities for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). With aims to improve institutional service delivery, establish a clear financial allocation framework to acceler...