The Swiss government, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has financed with 11.1 million dollars (771.5 million meticals) a project to improve access to water and sanitation that has benefited more than 250,000 people living in Niassa province, in northern Mozambique.
This is the ‘GoTAS’ programme, which was set up in 2014 and, according to the Niassa Provincial Executive Council, is now in its third phase. 117 boreholes have already been built and five sanitation units rehabilitated in the districts of Mandimba, Sanga, Lago, Lichinga and Chimbunila.
‘Collaboration with partners continues to transform the lives of communities, promoting a more sustainable future. For this reason, a new investment of more than 800,000 dollars is planned for 2025 to help expand water, sanitation and health infrastructures,’ explained the organisation quoted by Lusa.
In August, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi stated that 63.6 per cent of the Mozambican population, corresponding to 20 million people, already had access to drinking water.
‘At the start of my mandate in 2015, access to drinking water stood at 51 per cent, i.e. 12.6 million people. With the implementation of various programmes, the level of coverage has risen to 63.6%, benefiting around 20 million by 2024,’ said the statesman.
Nyusi recognised at the time that access to water is still ‘a challenge’ for the country and explained that the government would have reached the 100% supply target if the Mozambican population had not grown so much.