Japan is setting up a new technical assistance corps of groundwater and water supply system specialists to be known as "W-SAT," or the "Water Security Action Team", which will be dispatched to work in Africa. This is one of the new initiatives mentioned by Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in the opening session of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) in Yokohama. Fukuda announced that Japan would double aid to Africa, currently US$ 1.7 billion (EUR 1.1 million), by 2012. Japan will also provide ODA loans of up to US$ 4 billion (EUR 2.6 billion) to improve African infrastructure.

Peru will obtain US$ 80 million (EUR 51.8 million) in funding from the water and sanitation cooperation fund, created by the Spanish government. The fund, announced by Spain in November 2007, was launched on 16 May 2008 in Lima, during the Latin America and Caribbean-European Union heads of state summit. Peru will be the first country to receive resources from the fund, which has US$ 1.5 billion (EUR 1 billion) to distribute from 2008-2012.

Australia will invest AU$ 300 million (EUR 183 million) over three years, with AU$ 8 million (EUR 5 million) in 2008-09, to improve access to clean water and sanitation. Priority areas for Australian aid are the Pacific and Papua New Guinea.

Related news: Latin America: Spain launches US$ 1.5 billion Water Fund, Source Weekly, 10 Dec 2007

Web sites:

• Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD)
• MOFA – Japan’s ODA
• Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI)
• AusAID

Source: WASH News Finance, 6 Jun 2008, 25 May 2008 and 20 May 2008

Tags: africa, east asia & pacific, financing, latin america & caribbean, sanitation, water supply