Together with funds from the African Development Banks (AfDB) and the Gambian government, the country has locked down 2 million euros ($2.6 million) to fund a much needed water reform program. Through the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources, the Gambian government lent five percent of the project’s funding, according to All Africa.

The initiative, dubbed The African Water Facility (AWF), was created by The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), and launched Thursday June 20 by the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources. The project’s aim is to improve overall water sanitation, environmental factors that contribute to sanitation as well as better meet domestic water supply demands. Resources that will be applied are to ultimately upgrade Gambia’s entire water and sanitation sector.

“In efforts to address these challenges, my ministry conceived the National Water Sector Reform project, with the objective of supporting government to establish Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) inline with the National Water Policy and the IWRM roadmap,” Mass Axi Gai, Fisheries and Water Resources Minister, said in the report.

According to All Africa, final planning of the project took place in accordance with the launch. Ministry officials and water and sanitation sector authorities met at a consultative seminar where the implementation of the project — as it relates to national water sector reform studies — was discussed.

“The outcome of this seminar will go a long way in achieving the objective of this all important project and thereby ensuring effective and sustainable management of water resources to support socio-economic development and environmental integrity in The Gambia,” Gai said at the event.

Although Gambia’s water sector has seen improvement, All Africa reported that the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources implied reform was essential to properly and further contribute to the development of the country. The AfDB’s partnership, ministry secretary Amadou Saine said, is the backbone of the project’s — and Gambia’s water sector success.