Freetown, 29th September 2025- The World Bank has approved a landmark $40 million grant under the International Development Association (IDA) to launch the Sierra Leone Water Security and WASH Access Improvement Project. This initial funding marks the first phase of a $180 million, decade-long program aimed at transforming water access, sanitation, and climate resilience across the country.
A press statement from the institution notes that the project which will focus initially on the Western Area, is expected to deliver tangible benefits to five million people, including 2.5 million women and 1.5 million youth, through improved water supply systems, sanitation infrastructure, and institutional reforms.
Despite Sierra Leone’s abundant rainfall, the country faces economic water scarcity due to underdeveloped infrastructure and weak governance. According to sector data: Only 63% of the population has access to basic water services. Just 23% enjoy improved drinking water sources on premises and sanitation access is even lower, with only 32% having safely managed or basic sanitation.
Shockingly only a mere 12% of the population has access to basic hygiene facilities. These figures underscore the urgent need for systemic reform and investment, needs the World Bank project aims to address head-on.
Beyond health and hygiene, the project promises significant economic dividends including:
The creation of 1,400 direct jobs through infrastructure upgrades and service expansion. Training of 600 sector professionals to strengthen institutional capacity, the annual addition of 50,000 cubic meters of fecal sludge treatment capacity, improved water services for 400,000 people in the Western Area and a total of 1.3 million people to benefit from enhanced sanitation and hygiene, including 80,000 with access to upgraded public facilities.
The initiative also includes the development of a national water resources masterplan, operational improvements at the Guma Valley Water Company, and a national behavior change campaign to make Sierra Leone “Open-Defecation Free.”
“This project is a critical step forward,” says Abdu Muwonge, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone. “It enhances public health, environmental sustainability, and lays the foundation for resilient economic growth.”
The broader $180 million Multiphase Programmatic Approach will unfold over ten years, with future phases building on institutional reforms, regulatory frameworks, and pooled funding mechanisms to advance Sierra Leone’s WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) agenda.
