Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS)
WALIS provides technical, programmatic, administrative, and logistical support to improve the capacity of African water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector.
Overview
Despite significant investments over the past 30 years, hundreds of millions of people in Africa still do not have access to basic services or use safely managed drinking water and sanitation facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrated the critical importance of sanitation, hygiene, and adequate access to clean water for preventing and containing diseases. To help address the lack of access to water and sanitation services and facilities from a regional perspective, USAID created the WALIS program. WALIS focused on building the capacity of national and regional leaders to capture and apply evidence to deliver improved access to safely managed water and sanitation for all.
For five years, WALIS strengthened the ability of African leaders, institutions, and stakeholders to use data and analyses to shape WASH policies, plans, and budgets while also fortifying regional institutions to better serve the Africa WASH sector. In its sixth and final year, WALIS reinforced core program activities while strengthening the integration of WASH into COVID-19 response and research efforts. DAI led the WALIS Team and engaged with multiple partners and key investors in Africa’s WASH sector.
WALIS’s three Intermediate Results (IRs) were:
- WASH Policy and Governance: Foster transparent WASH sector multi-stakeholder leadership for evidence-based decision-making processes and better governance;
- Monitoring: Strengthen capacity of regional and national institutions for WASH sector monitoring, evaluation, and reporting; and,
- Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Increase levels of coordination, capacity development, communication, knowledge-sharing, and peer-to-peer learning among institutions within the African WASH sector.
WALIS Activities 2015-2021
Partners

THE WALIS TEAM AND ITS IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS
DAI engaged many implementing partners to form a dynamic and responsive team to build the capacity and competency of national and regional decision-makers in Africa’s WASH sector. Our team included:
- Cayman Consultants
- Centre de Suivi Ecologique (Center for Ecological Monitoring)
- ENGIDRO
- Mann Global Africa
- Maple Consult
- The Cloudburst Group
- Taoti Creative
- Training Resources Group
- ValuAdd Management Services
- WaterAid
Resources
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Combatting COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons Learned Series Volume 5: Financial Impact Assessments Case Studies The financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis have impacted water utilities in Africa, including drastically reducing revenues in the short-term and slowing investments in the long-term, increasing operational costs, and dramatically… |
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Understanding the WASH Response to COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Malawi Case Study Case Studies The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event in the present age that has raised questions about the national emergency Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) response in Africa. In February 2020, USAID tasked the Water for Africa Through… |
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Understanding the WASH Response to COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Madagascar Case Study Case Studies The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event in the present age that has raised questions about the national emergency Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) response in Africa. In February 2020, USAID tasked the Water for Africa Through… |
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Understanding the WASH Response to COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Liberia Case Study Case Studies The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event in the present age that has raised questions about the national emergency Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) response in Africa. In February 2020, the USAID tasked the Water for Africa Through… |
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Understanding the WASH Response to COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa Technical Brief The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event in the present age that has raised questions about the national emergency WASH response in Africa. With the COVID-19 and WASH Response Study, the Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional… |
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The African WASH Ministers’ Guide to Finance Brief This guide, produced by the USAID Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) program and the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) provides an overview for African WASH ministers and their teams of essential finance-… |
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Financing Africa’s Future with Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Blog In my home country of Ghana, while 81% of people have access to at least basic drinking water services, only 18% have access to at least basic sanitation services (USAID). Across the African continent, more than 400 million people do not have access… |
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Combatting COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons Learned Series Volume 4: Nigeria Case Studies This case study, part of the Lesson Learned Series by African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS), highlights a small NGO in Nigeria working to improve the health of low-… |
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The African Ministers’ WASH Finance Brief Technical Brief All African countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calling for universal and equitable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030. But at current rates of progress, it will be another 150 years before the continent… |
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WALIS COVID-19 Response Video Video This video captures the USAID Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) response to COVID-19 in Senegal in interviews with local leaders and project staff (in French, with English subtitles). Since 2018, USAID’s WALIS… |
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Combatting COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons Learned Series Volume 3: Senegal Case Studies This case study, part of the Lesson Learned Series by African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS), addresses how sanitation is important in fighting both COVID-19 and gender… |
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Combatting COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons Learned Series Volume 2: Mozambique Case Studies The African Ministers’ Council on Water and Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) have developed the Lessons Learned Series, which examines emerging experiences, knowledge, opportunities, and challenges of African-led… |
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Documenting a Common Understanding of the Sanitation Situation in Five African Countries Blog The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably raised awareness of the water and sanitation crisis in many of Africa’s developing nations. The enormous sanitation and hygiene challenges and opportunities were evident as the pandemic hit Africa and will only… |
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Water and Sanitation for All: Senegal Works to Meet WASH Goals Case Studies Senegal is actively working to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), despite the low technical capacity of WASH institutions in the country. Senegal is particularly focused on monitoring and evaluation… |
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WALIS Country Sanitation Profiles Report 2020 Sanitation Profile: Ethiopia 2020 Sanitation Profile: Ghana 2020 Sanitation Profile: Madagascar 2020 Profil: Madagascar (Français) Profil de l’assainissement 2020 : Madagascar (Français) 2020 Sanitation Profile: Mozambique Perfil… |
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Combatting COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons Learned Series Volume 1: Tanzania Case Studies USAID’s Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) project focuses on building the capacity of sub-Saharan Africa’s national and regional leaders to capture and apply evidence in the development of policies, strategies,… |
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WALIS Year Six Fact Sheet 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… |
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USAID Supports a Sanitation Revolution in Africa Blog Sustainable access to sanitation and hygiene has consistently lagged behind access to water in both the Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) and the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030). According to the United Nations, six out of every 10… |
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Laying the Foundation for Sanitation Revolution in Africa: WALIS Technical Brief Technical Brief After the slow progress made by African countries in meeting sanitation-related Millennium Development Goal targets, African governments and sector stakeholders renewed efforts to realize an African sanitation revolution via the “AfricaSan” movement… |
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USAID Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) Program Summary Summary The Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS) Program reflects the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s latest thinking on achieving transformative improvements in access to clean water and improved… |
Blog
Check out blogs by or about the WALIS program.
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Financing Africa’s Future with Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Blog In my home country of Ghana, while 81% of people have access to at least basic drinking water services, only 18% have access to at least basic sanitation services (USAID). Across the African continent, more than 400 million people do not have access… |
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Documenting a Common Understanding of the Sanitation Situation in Five African Countries Blog The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably raised awareness of the water and sanitation crisis in many of Africa’s developing nations. The enormous sanitation and hygiene challenges and opportunities were evident as the pandemic hit Africa and will only… |
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USAID Supports a Sanitation Revolution in Africa Blog Sustainable access to sanitation and hygiene has consistently lagged behind access to water in both the Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) and the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030). According to the United Nations, six out of every 10… |
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The Capacity Gap: Addressing Human Resource Needs in the WASH Sector Blog Low levels of investment in recruitment, education, and skills development in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector have resulted in significant shortages of skilled professionals needed to sustain WASH interventions and to satisfy the… |
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Remote Sensing to Power Senegal’s Water Use Blog Lac de Guiers is a complex ecosystem south of the vast rice paddies along the Senegal River Delta in the Louga and Saint-Louis regions of Senegal. Not only does the lake and its surrounding land comprise an important bird area, fisheries, and… |
Contact Us
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