USAID's WASH-FIN Zambia Country Brief

USAID’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN) program in Zambia provided strategic support to select Commercial Water Utilities (CUs) and the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation (MWDS). The interventions were designed to improve CUs’ operational efficiency, and in turn, creditworthiness, as well as increase sector capacity to mobilize finance. This is important because the sector has been significantly underfunded, with budget allocations averaging just 10 percent of investments needed. This brief provides context on local challenges in service provision, and gives an overview of WASH-FIN Zambia’s technical approach, achievements of the program, and lessons learned through implementation from 2019-2022.

USAID’s WASH-FIN program works in collaboration with national governments, development partners, financial institutions, service providers, and local stakeholders in eight countries. The program’s country briefs summarize the development challenges, activity design, and results to date for each country of operation. These briefs focus on the lessons learned and their applicability for local stakeholders, as well as for USAID and the broader water and sanitation sector.