The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), announces that Mozambique was named a high priority country for the Global Water Strategy. The global strategy will guide USAID’s work with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique (GRM) over the next five years to strengthen the capacity of the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector.

The water security, sanitation, and hygiene needs in Mozambique are significant. In 2022, WHO estimated that only 63 percent of the Mozambican population had access to basic water services, 38 percent of the population had access to basic sanitation facilities, and the national rate of open defecation was 29 percent.

USAID/Mozambique’s investments in the water and sanitation sector will provide clean water and sanitation for at least 325,000 people. Thousands of families across northern Mozambique will be less susceptible to diseases and have an improved quality of life. This work will also provide basic water and sanitation services for 90 schools and clinics. Thousands of Mozambican children will have access to water and toilets, improving not only health, but retention in school. It will strengthen the Mozambican water and sanitation institutions by developing and strengthening laws, policies, and regulations while also improving the capacity of water service providers, regulators, and local government officials. Ultimately, USAID’s investments will mobilize additional private sector funding of up to $21 million for the WASH sector.

USAID Deputy Administrator, Isobel Coleman, visiting from Washington DC, highlighted on a recent visit to Nampula province, that USAID is currently implementing WASH activities in close collaboration with the Mozambican government in Nampula, Zambezia, and Cabo Delgado. Coleman noted, “We believe that by working together, we can achieve our shared goal of providing safe water and sanitation for all Mozambicans.”

This water strategy signals a new era of collaboration and progress, underscoring the U.S. government’s unwavering dedication to global water security. In Mozambique, USAID is investing more than $100 million in WASH activities over the next four years. Support for water, sanitation, and hygiene is a critical component of the broader U.S. Government assistance in Mozambique.  In close collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, the U.S. Government provides more than $812 million in annual assistance to improve the quality of healthcare, education, to promote economic prosperity, and stability to support the overall development of the nation.