Micro finance for water and sanitation in West Africa

This paper focus on the challenge of financing the expansion and maintenance of water and sanitation services in poor rural areas and small towns. One possible solution lies in increasing flows of local finance through innovative financing mechanisms. These mechanisms must not only be available, but also be accessible to those who most need them. There is therefore a need to identify what capacities and support are required at local level to create the optimal conditions to promote and implement such mechanisms. The paper is based on a study undertaken by CREPA - Centre Régional pour l’Eau Potable et l’Assainissement à faible coût - in eight countries in West Africa which evaluated the impact and documented a number of experiences where micro finance has been used for water and sanitation projects.