Bamako – Last November, Bamako witnessed the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding between Italy and Mali for the implementation of “drinking water supply in the city of Bamako from the station of Kabala.” The overall objective of the Kabala Programme is to increase access to potable water in Bamako (for 1.2 million new users and improved services for about 350,000 existing users). The beneficiaries will be about 1.6 million inhabitants, or 64% of the population. The specific objective of the component of the project funded by Italy is to ensure access to safe drinking water in areas gravitating near the Doumanzana tank. 105,000 people will have access to drinking water; of these, 25,000 through private connections and 80.000 through public fountains. Approximately 95,000 people will be provided with an improved service in terms of quantity and quality. The program will have a total cost of EUR 280 million, of which EUR 17.2 million paid by the Malian government. The main donors are the EU, the African Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank (WB), the French Agency for Development (AFD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IADB). The project will be implemented over a period of four years. (9Colonne)
