From Promises to Pipelines: Can The $180M WASH Project Deliver Real Change?
Monday, 8th July 2025 marked a historic moment for Sierra Leone’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector, as His Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Maada Bio officially launched the Sierra Leone Water Security and WASH Access Improvement Project and the National WASH Sector Development Programme (NWASHSDP) at the Bintumani Conference Centre in Freetown. Backed by an impressive one hundred and eighty million United States Dollars (US$180,000,000) funding commitment from the World Bank, this project signals the very beginning of a multi-phase transformation effort aimed at addressing long-standing WASH challenges across the country. The event brought together high-level stakeholders including ministers, development partners, community leaders, and civil society actors.As WASHNet, and in our role as civil society watchdog for the sector, we were honoured to deliver a statement during this high-level project launch, reinforcing the importance of transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in delivering on the promises of this ambitious initiative and the Government of Sierra Leone’s Big-5 Game Changers relevant to increasing health outcomes through WASH services.
Why We Can’t Pretend The WASH Sector is Fine?
Let’s be honest. For a country that receives so much rain, it makes no sense that over three million Sierra Leoneans still lack access to safe water. Despite receiving over 2,500mm of rainfall each year, among the highest in the region, Sierra Leone remains trapped in what the World Bank calls a paradox of scarcity in abundance. The water is there, but access is not. More than 3 million people still lack basic water services. Only 32 percent of the population has access to basic sanitation, and just 12 percent can access hygiene facilities. One in four people still defecates in the open.
The consequences are devastating. Poor WASH conditions account for 30 percent of the national disease burden and over 12 percent of diarrheal cases. Child mortality stands at a staggering 69.5 per 100,000, well above the sub-Saharan average. Beyond the human toll, the country loses 5 percent of its GDP every year to preventable WASH-related illnesses.
These are not just statistics. They are symptoms of deeper systemic failure. We have seen children fall sick because the school had no toilet. We have seen communities walk miles to unsafe wells while nearby water systems sit broken and dry. And we have watched policies pile up with little action where it truly matters.
What This Project Promises?
This is a huge opportunity. But it’s also a huge responsibility for all sector institutions.
Civil Society’s Message: Don’t Just Build Pipes, Build Trust.
As WASHNet, we’ve worked for years to amplify the concerns of citizens, especially in places where government presence is weakest. We’re not here to cheerlead. We’re here to ask the hard questions and to stand with communities when the promises don’t
match the results.
We welcome this new programme. But here’s what we want to see:
- Transparency: Citizens must know where the money is going and what’s being done in their districts.
- Accountability: Local councils and service providers must answer when systems fail.
- Participation: Communities must be involved in decision-making from day one; not just consulted when it’s time to take photos.
- Equity: Rural and marginalized communities must not be left behind as the project rolls out.
This project should and must be different from past ones that we have heard of and seen. It must close the access gaps in deprived areas, where girls skip school during menstruation because there are no toilets, and mothers still boil water every day just to protect their children from diarrhea.
We’re ready to:
- Track the roll-out of each phase with real-time community feedback;
- Push for timely budget releases and service delivery reforms;
- Mobilize local voices to participate meaningfully in project implementation; and
- Work closely with the Ministry and partners to bridge the gap between policy and practice.
This Is Not Just a Launch; It’s a Test
What has just been launched as a project can bring real change. Or it can become another missed opportunity. The difference will come down to leadership, coordination, and whether people on the ground are truly heard and involved, with their taps running water in a manner that is uninterrupted and their rights to dignity upheld through these services.
As WASHNet and as civil society, we will stay engaged, stay committed, and stay hopeful that this will be one significant step to dealing with the country’s WASH sector challenges, with one district at a time. Because clean water and safe sanitation should not be a dream; they are rights. And rights must be protected, not promised.
