Expanding Solar Power in the East Africa WASH Sector

Solar technology can transform the water sector in East Africa by increasing access to and availability of water. Solar can also reduce dependency on fossil fuels and boost the sector’s resilience to climate change. This is especially relevant now when the region faces unprecedented drought and the resulting food and water insecurity. To increase the use of solar power in East Africa’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, USAID hosted a two-day symposium to promote collaboration and learning amongst key stakeholders in the sector between 1-2 November.

The Kenya WASH Solar Symposium, which was co-hosted with the National Treasury; Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation; Strathmore University; and GIZ in Nairobi, brought together over 200 participants representing government, water utilities, academia, the private sector, and development partners from Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, the United States of America, and Zambia, to learn about and discuss a wide range of topics including technical, regulatory, and financial aspects of the use of solar for water supply and sanitation services.

The symposium built on evidence developed through the implementation of pilot WASH solar projects across the continent funded by USAID in Kenya and Zambia. Water service providers from these countries shared the positive impact of investing in solar in their work. In one case, water supply increased from 6 hours to 50 hours. In another, the water company saved over 30 percent of its power utility bills.

The Symposium had high-level government participation from the Principal Secretary of the National Treasury, Dr. Julius Muia, who officially opened the symposium. He emphasized the need for all stakeholders to take climate action at individual and group levels. The USAID Kenya and East Africa Deputy Mission Director, Ms. Sheila Roquette, gave opening remarks noting the essential role solar power can provide in ensuring climate-resilient WASH services in Kenya and highlighted the critical support that USAID has provided to the sector. Engineer Francis Kyengo of the Kenya Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation emphasized the importance of solar power for WASH service delivery and financial resilience.  

Solar energy training for water supply engineers at Strathmore University.

TetraTech/USAID

Professor Izael Da Silva of Strathmore University gave a keynote speech on the place of solar in broader climate change discussions and implored participants to avoid the trap of “NATO” or “No Action, Talk Only” in addressing the twin challenges of water supply and climate change.  

In closing the symposium, Ms. Gilian Caldwell, USAID’s Climate Change Coordinator, noted the importance of adopting climate-resilient solutions, such as solar pumping, to ensure sustainable water and sanitation supply in Kenya and around the world.  
In response to the calls for action, the symposium produced and endorsed a Communique after the symposium noting the need for the WASH sector stakeholders to pursue the following activities to promote the uptake of solar in the sector.

In response to the calls for action, the symposium produced and endorsed a Communique after the symposium noting the need for the WASH sector stakeholders to pursue the following activities to promote the uptake of solar in the sector.  

Policy and regulation: Promote an enabling environment to fast-track solarization of water and sanitation supply, including the adoption of solar pumping technologies through formulation and operationalization of appropriate policies under the finance, energy, technology, and WASH dockets within governments. 

Capacity Building: Work with academia and other relevant stakeholders to develop custom-tailored training in WASH solar technologies for water service providers. 

Financing and Investment: Enhance access to appropriate finance to support the solarization of water and sanitation supply, including providing quality solar pumping, leveraging available public finance, and enabling private sector participation in providing investment and technology options. 

Knowledge management and learning: Establish a community of best practices for solar application in WASH skills through advisory groups, learning hubs, symposia, and technical working groups.
The discussions and conclusions from the symposium provide a strong basis upon which the newly awarded WASH-FIN 2 activity will build to support Kenyan and other Water Service providers on the continent to scale solar power for WASH to enhance access to climate-resilient WASH services while strengthening the utilities financial resiliency.