The African Development Bank Group has approved over $18 million in financing to support Mauritania’s efforts to expand access to safe water and sanitation in rural communities facing acute water scarcity and climate-related pressures.
The funding will support the launch of the 3R-Water Project, a multi-sector intervention designed to strengthen climate resilience in water supply systems across the Brakna, Tagant and Adrar regions.
The project, valued at more than $20 million, is co-financed by the Mauritanian government, which is contributing 12 percent of the total cost.
Beyond infrastructure development, the initiative integrates technical assistance from the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, a partnership between the African Development Bank and the Global Center on Adaptation, aimed at ensuring climate-smart investments and long-term sustainability in the Sahel’s fragile ecological context.
The project is expected to directly benefit over 450,000 people, with women and young people accounting for the majority of beneficiaries.
It will deliver climate-resilient drinking water systems for households, improved water access for agriculture and livestock production, and upgraded sanitation facilities in public institutions.
Speaking on the approval, the Bank’s Regional Division Manager, Ousseynou Guène, described the project as a strategic intervention that goes beyond physical infrastructure to address social stability and livelihoods in rural areas vulnerable to resource-related tensions.
Implementation will include the construction and rehabilitation of solar-powered water supply systems, the establishment of 20 pastoral watering stations, and the installation of sanitation facilities in 124 schools and 23 health centres, alongside community-based hygiene programmes.
The project will also strengthen sector governance through improved budgeting frameworks within the Ministry of Hydraulics and expanded opportunities for women in water service management.
The 3R-Water Project aligns with Mauritania’s National Strategy for Sustainable Access to Water and Sanitation, while contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
It also builds on lessons from the earlier African Development Bank–supported water sector interventions aimed at improving climate resilience and integrated resource management in the country.
