The United Kingdom has invested €68.9 million in water supply systems in Mozambique since 2009, providing safe drinking water to 1.8 million people in rural areas, it was announced today.
“More than 1.8 million people in rural Mozambique now have access to safe drinking water,” the UK stated in a press release marking the closure of the Transforming Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (T-WASH) program, which ran for a decade.
According to the statement, through T-WASH, implemented between 2015 and 2026, the UK supported Mozambique’s National Rural Water and Sanitation Strategy, funding over 200 water systems and about 2,000 wells in rural communities, while strengthening planning, delivery, and maintenance of water and sanitation services.
The T-WASH program was executed in two funding phases, improving sanitation for 3.3 million people, with the UK supporting Mozambique’s rural water strategy (PRONASAR) since 2009. The program was implemented in partnership with the National Directorate of Water Supply and Sanitation (DNAAS).
Read more about this topic: British government to reduce foreign aid to Mozambique
“Women and girls benefited significantly. Surveys during the program showed that access to clean water improved women’s physical and emotional health, reduced time spent collecting water, and increased girls’ school attendance in some communities,” the statement said.
With the decade-long water access program concluded, the UK now plans to focus on mobilizing climate finance and private investment, reducing reliance on traditional aid funding and ensuring the long-term sustainability of existing infrastructure.
“As this program ends, we are changing how we work on our commitment to Mozambique’s water and sanitation sector, to mobilize climate finance and private investment. Our partnership with the Government of Mozambique has shown that sustainable water access must ultimately be driven by strong local systems,” said Dominic Ashton, UK Development Director in Mozambique.
Read more about this topic: Mozambique: UNICEF distributes 5k water purifiers to flood victims
In October, the Mozambican government indicated that the country needs around $4.1 billion (€3.5 billion) to accelerate the expansion of sustainable water and sanitation systems. In August 2024, then-President Filipe Nyusi stated that 63.6% of the population had access to clean water, noting the need to build more dams, especially in the north.
“At the start of my term in 2015, access to clean water was 51%, serving 12.6 million people, while our population was 20 million. (…) Through various programs, notably Água para Vida, coverage increased to 63.6%, benefiting around 20 million people by 2024,” Nyusi said during the inauguration of the Pemba water supply system in Cabo Delgado province.
