Despite the country’s abundant water resources, Angolan citizens still face numerous sanitation problems. Last year, in a declaration framed within the International World Water Day, the President of the Country, João Lourenço recognized that “only 52% of the population has access to potable/drinkable water.” The Angolan Development Plan 2018-2022 stresses that “the large burdens of communicable diseases as well as the increase in chronic diseases are mainly due to poor hygiene, basic sanitation, and lack of access to drinking water.” In Luanda, the capital of the country boasting a population of 8 million, only 32% of its citizens obtain piped water, and most Angolans are forced to buy water from tank trucks at an exorbitant price.
The Government of the Republic of Angola has received financing from the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the French Agency of Development towards the cost of the Second Water Sector Institutional Development Project (WSIDP-2). The project's objective is to strengthen the institutional capacity and efficiency of Angola’s agencies in the water sector in order to improve access to the provision of water services. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Water (MINEA) and is aimed at strengthening its institutional and capacity development. This includes supporting the institutional framework for the water and sanitation sector, as well as building capacity at the recipient agencies, as well as at the national and provincial levels. Specifically, the project supports the Instituto Regulador dos Serviços de Electricidade e de Água (IRSEA).
The project is still in its early stages; however, it has already carried out studies regarding the improvement of water sanitation in the country. It will support the Instituto Regulador dos Serviços de Electricidade e de Água (IRSEA) in:
