Zambia is moving forward with important water-sector investments aimed at strengthening climate-resilient water supply, sanitation services, utility performance, and dam infrastructure.
The Government of Zambia, with support from the World Bank, has launched the Zambia Water Supply and Sanitation Services in Growth Centres Programme for Results. The programme is supported by US$33 million in financing and is designed to improve access to safe, reliable, and sustainable water and sanitation services.
The financing package includes US$27 million under the Programme-for-Results framework and US$6 million for capacity building and technical support. This combination is important because sustainable water development requires both infrastructure investment and stronger institutional capacity.
The programme places particular focus on rural growth centres and selected commercial utilities. It aims to support climate-resilient systems, improve service delivery, reduce non-revenue water, strengthen operational efficiency, and expand access to safe water and sanitation in underserved areas.
According to Zambian media reports from the programme launch, more than 99,000 people are expected to benefit directly, while about 1.7 million people are expected to benefit indirectly through improved sector performance and stronger utility systems.
The World Bank programme appraisal document explains that the Zambia Water Supply and Sanitation Services in Growth Centers Program is intended to improve water-sector accountability and strengthen the operational efficiency of selected water supply and sanitation commercial utilities. This makes the programme highly relevant for utility managers, engineers, planners, and governance specialists.
The programme is also important because Zambia continues to face major water and sanitation access challenges. Improving commercial utility performance, reducing losses, strengthening cost recovery, and expanding services to growth centres can help the country move toward more reliable water and sanitation services.
At the same time, Zambia is also advancing dam infrastructure. The Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation recently announced the reconstruction of Lundazi Dam and construction of nine dams under the 60 Dams Project. This follows the devastating floods of 30 December 2025, which caused severe damage to Lundazi Dam infrastructure.
This connection between water supply, sanitation, utility efficiency, and dam infrastructure shows the wider direction of Zambia’s water sector. Climate resilience is not only about one type of project. It requires safe dams, reliable utilities, resilient water supply systems, sanitation services, flood preparedness, drought planning, and strong operation and maintenance systems.
For African water professionals, Zambia’s current water investments are highly relevant. The country’s programme creates important lessons in utility reform, rural water expansion, non-revenue water reduction, climate-resilient service delivery, commercial utility strengthening, dam rehabilitation, and water infrastructure planning.
Opportunity Watch:
- Water supply systems in growth centres
- Rural water infrastructure
- Sanitation services improvement
- Climate-resilient water systems
- Commercial utility performance
- Non-revenue water reduction
- Water-loss control
- Smart operation and maintenance
- Institutional capacity building
- Technical assistance and training
- Dam reconstruction
- Small and medium dam construction
- Flood-damaged infrastructure rehabilitation
- Dam safety assessment
- Hydrological and hydraulic studies
- Water storage planning
- Construction supervision
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Community water services
- Public-sector water governance
This project should be followed closely by water engineers, sanitation specialists, utility managers, hydrologists, dam engineers, hydraulic engineers, civil engineers, environmental specialists, climate-resilience experts, contractors, consultants, NGOs, researchers, and students across Southern Africa.
For AquaLinked / Water for Africa Experts, Zambia’s water programme is an important example of how African water development is becoming more integrated. The future of the sector will require not only new infrastructure, but also stronger utilities, better management systems, resilient dams, technical training, and long-term maintenance capacity.
Zambia’s current direction shows that water security must be built at many levels: from household access and sanitation services to commercial utility performance, dam infrastructure, and national water investment planning.
This is a project story worth following because it speaks directly to Africa’s future water priorities: safe water, stronger institutions, climate resilience, infrastructure rehabilitation, professional capacity, and sustainable service delivery.
Sources
Official references used for this article.
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