MTN Foundation, first corporate foundation in Cameroon is celebrating #WorldWaterDay on 22 March 2021, under the theme “valuing water”.

The company echoes the message of the United Nations which reminds that “water is at the heart of sustainable development and is essential for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and human survival. Water is vital for reducing the global burden of disease and improving health, well-being and productivity.

MTN Foundation’s commitment to providing access to potable water for all in Cameroon for several years now fits perfectly with this vision. Thus, it has just commissioned a modern potable water supply system in the young farmers’ village of Wassandé, in the Adamawa Region. The system also enables the irrigation of plantations of hundreds of water-deficient communities. In 2019, a similar system was deployed in Nlobesse in the South Region. For the happiness of hundreds of farmers and families living along the river.

Since 2006, MTN Foundation has been involved in the promotion of access to potable water. In this regard, roughly 50 potable water points have already been built across the regions of the country, benefiting some 180,000 people on a daily basis. Priority is given to rural areas where access to the precious liquid is still an enormous difficulty for communities exposed to water-borne diseases, as illustrated through a survey by the National Institute of Statistics dating from 2018. 77% of the urban population had access to drinking water in Cameroon, compared to 44% in rural areas.

The potable water access points built by the MTN Foundation are of several types: wells with hand pumps built in partnership with the Otélé Potable Water Project (PEP Otélé), boreholes constructed in partnership with organisations such as GIZ, entire potable water supply projects with distribution networks such as the one in the locality of Nzemelem, in the Western Region, or those in Nlobesse and Wassande.

“This year’s celebration comes in a particular context, which is that of Covid-19. This health crisis reminds us of the necessity and urgency for everyone, and especially for disadvantaged communities to have access to potable water in order to respect hygiene measures and remain safe from the virus. MTN Foundation is proud to contribute to protecting Cameroonians and remains committed to continue promoting access to safe drinking water, in addition to Education and Health”, says Jean-Melvin AKAM, MTN Foundation Trustee.