Photo (left to right): Yousif Eltahir (Senior Economist, AfDB Sudan Field Office), Hisham Elamir (DWP Project Manager), Dr. Abdul Kamara (UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative), Mohamed Dodo (DWP Procurement Officer), Kenneth Onyango (Principal Country Operations Officer, AfDB Sudan Field Office)

From April 4-9, a team from the Sudan Country Office of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the project management staff of Darfur Water Project (DWP) for Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, undertook a Mission to Darfur to supervise the Darfur Water Project. The team was joined by technical staff from the United Nations African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The objective of the mission was to determine the progress in the implementation of activities, including rehabilitation of priority works, water sector investment study and community training workshop on sustainable water resource management.

The DWP is financed with 3.3 million euros from the AfDB's African Water Facility. The project was conceptualised in 2011 during a donors roundtable organized by UNAMID. The project implementation has progressed largely as a result of close coordination with the government and all the implementing partners.

The support of UNAMID has been instrumental through the provision of security, logistical and technical support. This has contributed to successful construction of boreholes, elevated water tanks, laying out of water pipelines and rehabilitation of water points in nine localities in the five Darfur states.

The project also entails a water sector investment study. This is being conducted in recognition of the significant resource requirements for investment in the water sector. The investment study will leverage additional financing of up to USD 100 million by providing detailed information and costing useful for development partners to further invest in the water sector in Darfur. The DWP is coordinating with the State Water Cooperation to collect data in selected 25 localities. Data has so far been collected in more than 10 localities and progress is being made in the other remaining areas within the five Darfur states. Training of over 150 water management staff and technical staff was conducted successfully. Community water resource management training workshop is ongoing in all the five Darfur states targeting more than 750 people.

In addition to the water project, the AfDB is also at an advanced stage of developing a Good Governance and Women Economic Empowerment project financed with US $23 million from grant resources of the Transitional Support Facility. The project is to be implemented in the five states of Darfur and Blue Nile state.

The mission met with the state governors, State Ministers of Planning, the Darfur Regional Authority, Deputy Joint Special Representative (DJSR) of UNAMID and the Director General of the State Water Corporation. The mission was led by Kenneth Onyango, the Principal Country Operations Officer in the AfDB's Sudan Field Office.