The African Water Facility (AWF) organized a supervision mission to Bouaké and Katiola, from June 2 to 4, 2021, to assess the progress that the Promoting access to toilets and employment in Bouaké and Katiola Project (PATER) realized in these two municipalities.

Thanks to funding of €1.3 million from the African Water Facility and an excellent collaboration with Union des Villes et Communes de Côte d'Ivoire (UVICOCI) and the two municipalities, the PATER project funded the construction of a Sewage Sludge Treatment Station (STBV) in Katiola.

The new STBV will treat the faecal sludge of this city of nearly 70,000 inhabitants from 2022 and until at least 2050, and thus help reduce pollution of soils and waterways.

CARE international is the implementing partners of the PATER Project. The international organization has built 324 toilets in Bouaké and 93 in Katiola, allowing nearly 3,000 vulnerable households to have access to improved toilets.

"We are delighted with the progress made within the framework of this project. They will significantly contribute to strengthening the capacities of Côte d'Ivoire in terms of sanitation and reduce the risks of disease for the populations", said Samuel Blazyk, Program manager at the African Water Facility.

"The PATER Project aims to facilitate sustainable access for the populations of Bouaké and Katiola to infrastructure and services related to the management of toilet emptying products", said Franz Hollhuber, project manager at the AWF. He adds that the project will improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations in urban communities in the eastern regions of Côte d'Ivoire, through the promotion of economic activities in the various links of the emptying product management chain.

The African Water Facility has supported a study to provide Odienné, Man and Daloa towns with sludge treatment stations. The PATER Project has also supported the development of a strategy to improve the service for collecting and transporting emptying products, training of emptiers in accordance with the standards of Office National de l’Assainissement (ONAD) and has provided them pre-service kits.

The project also financed strategy documents for improving access to toilets in Vavoua, Sinématiali and Bangolo, medium-sized towns in Côte d'Ivoire.

The project will end on June 30, 2021.