Developing saving and credit products for water and sanitation in Senegal

Aqua for All signed a two-year partnership agreement with La Banque Agricole (LBA) and the Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) to develop Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) specific financial products and services for low-income households in Senegal.

The partnership will contribute to increasing access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation services at affordable costs and will serve as a pilot for LBA to further scale the product to other Senegalese regions through their network of offices and agencies. At the end of the two years of the project, 3,000 households will have succeeded in having improved access to water and sanitation.

Aqua for All will leverage its expertise in WASH and innovative financing for WASH to support this pilot with Technical Assistance requirements to develop successful financial products.

WASH financial services for low-income households

LBA will develop loan and saving products for three regions - Fatick, Kaolack and Diourbel, with the aim to

• Finance connections to drinking water networks in partnership with operators.
• Finance construction of household latrines in partnership with construction companies.
• Allow small deposits through a savings plan-type product.

LBA will identify clients from its customers base - agricultural cooperatives with an existing credit history – and will implement awareness and marketing campaigns to target other groups.

Based on the partnership’s results, LBA will scale its product offerings to other regions of Senegal through its existing 40 offices and agencies with a goal to reach 80,000 people in 5 years.

SCBF will provide funding support for the Technical Assistance for financial sector partners to develop and scale client-centered financial products and services. With this partnership, SCBF and Aqua for All aim to form a long-term strategic partnership putting WASH on the agenda.