Publications
Summary of publication
The government of Zimbabwe enlisted help from seven donors (Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and United Kingdom) in 2010, to address challenges the country was facing in its water, sanitation and power supply services. Many parts of the country were experiencing limited access to clean water and unreliable power supply, bringing to the fore threats of waterborne diseases as experienced with the 2008 and 2009 cholera outbreaks.
The Zimbabwe Multi Donor Trust Fund (ZimFund) was established as part of an emergency response to assist the Government of Zimbabwe improve the supply and quality of water, sanitation and power services. Australia's contribution to the ZimFund is $26,856,535 over six years (2010–11 to 2018–19).
The African Development Bank (AfDB) manages the ZimFund and a Program Oversight Committee comprised of the Government of Zimbabwe, AfDB and donors, including Australia, oversees program implementation.
The AfDB commissioned an evaluation of two projects supported through the ZimFund;
1) the Urgent Water Supply and Sanitation Rehabilitation Project and
2) the Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project.
The Independent Outcomes and Impact Evaluation was conducted between 24 October 2016 and 24 December 2016 and a final report submitted in February 2017. The report found that the two projects contributed to significant improvements in water and power delivery. Six major towns participated; benefits included upgrades to essential infrastructure, plus more reliable and increased supply of water and power. A number of recommendations related to infrastructure are being implemented to further improve quality of water. The implementation of recommendations related to improved hygiene awareness and increasing the capacity of Local Authorities to collect revenue will be constrained by the prevailing socio-economic conditions in Zimbabwe and the technical infrastructure focus of the ZimFund. The AfDB is implementating the recommendations of the evaluation and providing progress reports to the ZimFund Program Oversight Committee.