Context

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with about 52% of Africa’s surface water reserves and 23% of its renewable water resources, is the most water-rich country in Africa. Nevertheless, at the national level, only 33% of the population, 52% of whom live in urban areas and only 19% in rural areas, have access to an improved drinking water supply.

The main water operator in the DRC is REGIDESO, a former state-owned company that has been transformed into a commercial enterprise. There are also small water operators and suppliers organised as private companies, local non-governmental organisations or user associations. With the 2015 water law, the management of the sector is delegated to the provinces. The provincial technical structures that should take over this responsibility are being established. The additional structures necessary for the liberalisation of the sector have yet to be put in place, such as the Public Water Service Regulatory Authority (ARSPE).

REGIDESO, which is one of the main urban water supply operators, has been undergoing a reform and restructuring process for some time. The objective of RESE II is therefore to support the REGIDESO in this process and to improve the institutional conditions for a high-quality, poverty-oriented and gender-sensitive urban water supply.

Project description

RESE II aims at strengthening the organisational capacities of the human resources management directorates and the secondary centres (SC) of REGIDESO to ensure a better supply of drinking water (AEP) by the SC/provincial directorates (DP). It strengthens human and technical capacity of sub-national sectoral authorities in the provinces to ensure gender sensitive and pro-poor drinking water supply. The MRHE General Secretariat is supported to implement the national public water supply policy.