5 November 2012: The African Water Facility has granted €1 million to 13 districts of the Atacora and Donga regions in Benin to build their capacity in developing and efficiently managing infrastructures, drinking water services and improved sanitation. The grant was approved by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the project is expected to benefit approximately 900,000 people.

The support was granted in the framework of a PROTOS project in Benin. PROTOS Benin is a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to improving water resources. The grant will serve to support the decentralization process in water services, hygiene and sanitation in the Atacora and Donga regions. According to AfDB, this decentralization is deemed essential to enable Benin to reach the drinking water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The methodology used by the project could be replicated in Benin or other countries. The cost of the three-year project amounts to 1,75 million euros, which will be co-financed in equal parts by PROTOS (0,5 million euros) and the districts (0,25 million euros each). [AfDB Press Release (in French)]