By Fanta L. Keita
MONROVIA, Oct. 7 (LINA) – Liberia is seeking more than €2.3 million from the African Development Bank to fund water infrastructure, data systems and long-term financial sustainability, as it works to make the Presidential WASH Compact attractive to investors.
National WASH Commission Chief Executive Officer George W.K. Yarngo announced the plan Thursday, October 1, 2026 at a press engagement organized by the Ministry of Information.
He said the Compact, a national framework covering coordination, financing, institutional reforms and accountability in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, has been completed.
It is now under review at the World Bank, and the proposed interventions are being costed so the framework can attract financing.
The proposals include about €368,000 for a WASH Management Information System, an independent platform for collecting and sharing sector data, and €1 million each for One Water Liberia and the Build, Run and Sustain (BRS) initiative.
Mr. Yarngo said BRS targets a persistent problem: water systems that are well built but fail for lack of money for operations, maintenance and repairs.
He also reported progress on water projects in Margibi and Montserrado Counties that were disrupted when U.S. government development funding was withdrawn, as several have been restored or completed and await formal handover to communities, including 13-kiosk systems in Gbarpolu and Kakata, as well as facilities in Sarah Johnson near 15th Gate and in Dolo Town, where four systems with 13 kiosks are expected to be dedicated.
The Commission has validated Liberia’s Open Defecation Free Roadmap and is developing an implementation plan. It has also endorsed a proposal for UNICEF to seek Japanese government support for a climate-resilient WASH project covering Liberia and Guinea, including the Conakry area.
The Commission is also working with lawmakers and civil society on a consolidated water-sector budget to replace fragmented allocations.
A major WASH data assessment is being prepared in Ganta and will inform the proposed information system.
Mr. Yarngo said Liberia is preparing for the UN Water Conference in December and will attend Cairo Water Week and Arab Water Week in Egypt from October 25 to 29, as well as the UN Water and Health Conference in North Carolina.
“In Abu Dhabi in December, the Compact is expected to be presented as the country’s main political commitment to expanding water and sanitation access,” he said.
He said the goal is to develop bankable projects, and that closer collaboration among government, development partners, civil society and the private sector will be needed for investments to deliver reliable, accessible services.