The African Development Bank (AfDB), through its African Water Facility (AWF) window, signed a grant agreement with the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on November 13, 2019, to finance the “Promotion of Access to On-Site Sanitation Services in Urban Areas” (PASAAU) Project.

This project is part of the national effort to improve urban populations’ access to efficient, sustainable, and inclusive sanitation services.

It aims to contribute to improving the living conditions of urban populations through the development of a professional and sustainable on-site sanitation system, supported by an effective public-private partnership (PPP).

Specifically, the project aims to:

• Strengthen the regulatory, institutional, and technical framework governing on-site sanitation services in urban areas;
• Delegate the management of on-site sanitation services to qualified private operators, according to a transparent and performance-based model;
• Improve urban households’ access to improved sanitation facilities through promotional activities, awareness campaigns, and financing facilitation;
• Encourage private sector participation and the mobilization of alternative financing for on-site sanitation;
• Strengthen the capacities of public and private stakeholders involved in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of sanitation services;
• Ensure the capitalization and dissemination of knowledge generated by the project to guide future policies and programs.

The project is structured around three main components:

1. The delegation of on-site sanitation services to qualified private operators;
2. The promotion of access to on-site sanitation services for urban households;
3. The management and capitalization of the project to strengthen governance, transparency, and the sustainability of achievements.

The project has achieved significant results at the institutional, technical, and social levels, including:

• The development of texts to update the regulatory framework for on-site sanitation in Côte d’Ivoire;
• Implementation of a pilot project for outsourced sanitation services with private operators;
• Capacity building for over 60 septic tank emptying operators;
  Direct awareness-raising activities for nearly 23,000 households on hygiene and on-site sanitation.