Freetown, 14th October 2026 – A World Bank delegation, accompanied by consultants and officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC), visited the Angola Water Treatment Plant and the Babadorie Facility at Regent to assess operational performance and inspect the proposed site for a new 60 million litre raw water storage facility at New Jersey, Angola Town.
The visit forms part of the World Bank-funded Sierra Leone Water Security and WASH Access Improvement Project (WASHIT), a multi-phase initiative aimed at strengthening water security and improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. Launched on 8th July 2025 at the Bintumani Conference Hall, the project commenced implementation on 1st October 2025.
Under the project, GVWC has secured US$16.25 million out of the total US$40 million allocated to its component. Component 3.1 focuses on strengthening the Company’s commercial operations, infrastructure management and operational capacity through a range of interventions.
These include overhauling GVWC’s commercial business processes, procuring and installing 23,000 smart domestic water meters, establishing four zones, West, Central, East and Mountain; to facilitate private-sector participation, and updating the Company’s geographical information system (GIS) mapping and asset inventory. The component also provides for a comprehensive safety assessment and proposed rehabilitation and upgrading of Guma Dam, including the diversion of the Upper Sussex Rivers, as well as the procurement and delivery of eight water bowsers to support water distribution.
At the Angola Water Treatment Plant, Engineer Benjamin Kanu, the engineer in charge, briefed the delegation on water production processes, metering systems and the daily and monthly collection and documentation of operational data. The World Bank representatives engaged the technical team on operational procedures and expressed satisfaction with the explanations and record-keeping practices presented.
The delegation also inspected the proposed site for the new raw water storage facility. Discussions focused on outstanding matters concerning Project Affected Persons (PAPs), the protection of land allocated by the Ministry of Lands against encroachment, and the permits that may be required if rock blasting becomes necessary during construction.
The team subsequently visited the Babadorie Facility at Regent, where Engineer Dauda Tholley explained that the capacity of the various reservoirs in the facility now total about 132 million litres from about 60 million litres a few years; he also spoke about the pumping schedules, population served, flow-meter systems, power supply and pumping station operations. The delegation also reviewed the facility’s data collection and operational practices.
The proposed 60 million litre raw water storage facility is an important planned investment in strengthening storage capacity at the Angola Town Water Treatment Plant. Alongside the wider WASHIT interventions, it is expected to contribute to improved operational resilience, more effective water resource management and greater reliability in water supply.
For households and businesses across GVWC’s service area, the significance of WASHIT extends beyond infrastructure development. Improved metering, commercial management, asset monitoring and dam safety are intended to help the Company reduce water losses, strengthen billing and revenue collection, and sustain the operation and maintenance of its water supply systems. These improvements are essential to enhancing service delivery and supporting the long-term sustainability of the Company’s operations.
The visit underscores the importance of continued collaboration among GVWC, the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the World Bank in advancing project implementation and addressing outstanding requirements. Ultimately, the success of these investments will be measured by their impact on the public: improved access to reliable water services, stronger water security and more sustainable service delivery for communities across Sierra Leone.
Guma Communication Unit
15th October 2026
