WALIS Year Six Fact Sheet

Despite significant investments over the past 30 years, hundreds of millions of Africans still do not have access to basic services or safely managed drinking water and sanitation facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of sanitation, hygiene, and adequate access to clean water for preventing and combating diseases.

To help address the lack of access to water and sanitation services and facilities from a regional perspective, USAID created the Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) program. WALIS focuses on building the capacity of national and regional leaders to capture and apply evidence in the development of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) policies, strategies, programs, and investments.

WALIS has spent the past five years (2015-2020) bolstering the ability of African leaders, donors, and stakeholders to use data and analyses to shape WASH strategies, plans, and budgets. WALIS provides technical, programmatic, administrative, and logistical support to improve the capacity of the African WASH sector. DAI leads the WALIS team and engages with multiple partners and key investors in Africa’s WASH sector.