Angola: Governance of Water and Sanitation in Angola’s Poor Neighbourhoods

The model of governance proposed entailed promoting a network of autonomous units of small utilities, with the local government at the ‘centre’ confining its role to monitoring the network, regulating the sector and pushing for the autonomy of communities in the management of their water scheme.

The programme's specific goals were to:

1. Establish an institutional framework guided by a rights-based approach;
2. Set up a regulatory framework to ensure equity and an inciting environment to private providers;
3. Reinforce the capacity of local administrations to monitor the network, mobilize resources and fund community water projects; and
4. Put in place an accountability system.

Main achievements:

• As a result of the programme, approximately 258,000 people, 100,844 of them women, were benefited with new or rehabilitated water systems. Some 68,216 people were trained in Community Led Total Sanitation, which is an approach to sanitation considered as strategic by the Executivo Angolano and included in its “Estratégia de Combate a Pobreza” (Poverty Reduction Strategy). 
• More than 100,000 individuals now benefit from better access to drinking water within walking distance from their home, thanks to water ponds that were renovated or built by the Joint Programme in the 6 participating municipalities. The most vulnerable population groups were supported to create income-generating activities, which will in turn allow them to contribute to the efforts to maintain the ponds.
• The programme made significant contributions to the development of the water and sanitation public policy frameworks that are in the process of institutionalization, namely: (1) three studies that will facilitate the effective implementation of the Lei de Águas; (2) Plano Nacional de Saneamento Ambiental; (3) Plano Estratégico Nacional de Gestão de Resíduos Sólidos, which was partially sponsored by the programme.
• In addition, the Modelo de Gestão Comunitária de Água, developed by the Angolan non-governmental organization Development Workshop in partnership with UNICEF and the European Union, was widely applied by UNICEF during the programme implementation and has been officially endorsed by the Ministéro de Energia e Águas.

Click here for more detailed results from the Joint Programmes in Angola.