World Bank approves 385m to Horn of Africa Countries for groundwater potential

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have approved financial assistance of $385 million to boost the Horn of Africa countries’ capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The beneficiary countries include Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia. ;

The facility will also be utilized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

A statement released by the Bank indicates that the funds will help the benefiting countries to tap into the region’s largely untapped groundwater resources to cope with and adapt to drought and other climate stressors impacting their vulnerable borderlands.

Djibouti and South Sudan have also expressed interest in joining the program in subsequent phases.

The bank explained that the first phase of the project is estimated to reach 3.3 million direct beneficiaries, of whom at least 50 percent are women, through interventions designed to increase access to water supply and reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts.

It will also contribute to improving food security in a region undergoing a severe drought. ;

Project beneficiaries also include institutions responsible for groundwater management, including line ministries, government agencies, national authorities, and agencies at the national and sub-national levels. ;

“Groundwater constitutes a natural buffer against climate variability and change, as it is available in times of drought when other surfaces or subsurface resources are scarce,” said Daher Elmi Housssein, IGAD’s Director of Agriculture and Environment Division.

“The potential is vast, and we are committed to building inclusive community-level use of this shared resource, along with better information, infrastructure, and institutions to ensure our groundwater is sustainably managed for generations to come,” he added.

Boutheina Guermazi, World Bank Director for Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Northern Africa said experience shows that gaining knowledge on aquifers, building trust around shared groundwater resources, and jointly developing groundwater management mechanisms among countries involve a long-term trajectory that needs to be approached gradually.