In Kananga, a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a 164 million dollar project supported by the World Bank is set to improve access to clean water for nearly 1.5 million residents. On Monday, October 5, the Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, Aimé Sakombi Molendo, officially started construction on the Kananga potable water supply project in the Central Kasaï province. The project includes building a new water treatment plant on the Lulua River, upgrading and expanding the existing Kanyuka plant, and improving the city's water distribution network. According to the data shared during the launch, the project is expected to increase the daily supply of clean water to about 125,000 cubic meters. This comes in response to long-standing challenges in providing enough water to meet the needs of a growing population, which has limited regular access to clean water in the city. Nationally, access to clean water and sanitation remains a major concern. The World Bank reports that the DRC has one of the lowest rates of access to basic water and sanitation services in the world. Nearly 65% of the population lacks access to basic water, and 84% do not have access to basic sanitation services. The World Bank identifies a lack of investment as one of the main barriers to improving the sector. Insufficient funding, incomplete decentralization of services, and limited efficiency in public financial management make it difficult to implement effective water and sanitation policies. Despite some progress in recent years, the improvements made in access to water and sanitation have not kept pace with the growing population. Rapid demographic growth has absorbed much of the progress made in expanding coverage. In this context, the Congolese government is implementing the Access, Governance and Reform of the Electricity and Water Sectors Project (AGREE), with support from the World Bank. This initiative aims to increase access to electricity and clean water in several cities, using renewable energy solutions where possible. The DRC government has set a goal to increase the rate of access to clean water to 60% by 2035. This objective depends on deep reforms within the water sector and a significant increase in investment. The Kananga project is one of several efforts aimed at addressing the country's long-standing water challenges and improving the quality of life for its citizens.