The government of Angola has received US $500M to support the implementation of the Bita drinking water project. World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD) signed the financing agreement with the Angolan authorities for the project.
The development objective of the water project is to improve access to potable water service in selected areas of Luanda. This is the second registered financing received after that of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a pan-African multilateral trade finance institution created in 1993 under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The project will involve construction of a 260,000 m3 drinking water plant in Bita, a town 40 km from Luanda. The plant will operate through an inlet on the Kwanza River, which flows through the capital Luanda and into the Atlantic Ocean.
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New distribution lines
There are also plans to install 82 kilometers of water mains to supply four new distribution lines in the suburban service area south of the capital. The distribution lines include; Cabolombo, Mundial, Ramiros and Bita.
The water project will be developed by a consortium formed by the French group Suez, Mota Engil, a Portuguese construction company and a civil construction company based in Porto, Portugal, Soares da Costa. Upon completion, the Angolan government estimates that the future drinking water supply facilities will benefit 7.5 million people.
The water supply network is also being expanded to supply two existing but under-served distribution centers on the outskirts of Luanda. Additionally, the municipalities of Camama and Benfica will no longer be supplied by tankers.
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