The East African countries are focusing to increase access to water and electricity in the region whiles Uganda and Kenya received a fund of USD244 Million through the All-Purpose Water Resources Development Project (AWDP) to establish a cross-border regional initiative that was launched at the 22nd Ordinary Summit of Heads of State at the organisation’s headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, on 21-22 July 2022.

A total of 20,000 households will receive continuous access to clean water and 3,300 hectares of land (1,180 hectares in Kenya and 2,120 hectares in Uganda) will be restored in Uganda and Kenya. The new dam will also generate 1.75 MW of electricity that will be fed into the power grids of both countries, contributing to the achievement of Uganda’s Vision 2040 and Kenya’s Vision 2030.

In 2022/23, the Tanzanian government endorsed a total of USD308 million and announced that along with the larger strategic dams planed to be build in the county, the government also plans to construct 23 medium-sized dams, especially in semi-arid areas for rainwater harvesting. Also, 381 new water projects in rural areas and 175 in urban areas are planed to be executed in the next coming years across the country with an approved budget planned by the government.

In 2023 Rwanda is planning to receive a loan of about €107 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the Muvumba multi-purpose dam project which the raw water from the Muvumba dam will be used for agricultural component, includes irrigation works on 8,800 hectares throughout the Eastern Province, the dam will also provide drinking water for more than 118,000 people by 2035, according to the Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority (RWFA), and also generate electricity, with an installed capacity of 1 MW, or an annual production of 6.94 GWh according to the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB).

There is a grate interest of the East African Communities to invest heavily in Water Dams and Reservoirs infrastructures, as the population keep growing and it is crucial for the development and livelihood of the local communities in urban an rural communities as one

The governments of East Africa are working hard to upgrade and spread its transmission and sanitation water infrastructures in the region to improve access to safe water in rural and urban areas in East Africa.

 In March 2022, Tanzania received USD125.3 million from Africa Development Bank (AfDB) to expand water resources and boost climate resilience in the Dodoma region. It is expected to enhance access to potable water for 2 million people and provide better sanitation services for about 1.5 million people by 2051.

In March 2023 the International Development Association (IDA) provided a USD145 million grant to Malawi. The country will use the funding to increase access to safe water and sanitation for approximately 500,000 people in the city of Blantyre.

Also, in March 2023, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding a five-year program in Kenya to support water, sanitation and hygiene services. The initiative is funded for approximately USD130 million. The five-year program will strengthen basic or improved sanitation services for 1 million people in the country through the construction of new facilities, including latrines.

All these projects and more are creating a huge market for water solutions for additional projects and countries in the region, funded by international organisations with the aim of meeting the East African government’s development agenda and goals.