The African Development Bank (AfDB) has appointed Osward Mulenga Chanda as Director for water development and sanitation, effective 1st December, 2021. Mr. Chanda, a Zambian national, joined the AfDB in 2009 as Chief Water and Sanitation Engineer. He was later appointed as Division Manager for water security and sanitation in the Water Development and Sanitation Department.
He has nearly 30 years’ work experience in policy dialogue and investment programming. 20 of which have been at managerial levels in water and sanitation investment project design, portfolio management, development finance, utility regulation, institutional reform, policy, and strategy development, for both public and private sector operations.
He has also led the design and implementation of transformational projects at the bank. This includes the Egypt Sustainable Abu-Rawash Wastewater Treatment Project, the Thwake Multipurpose Development Project in Kenya and Water Provision in Marrakech Region in Morocco. He also provided leadership in the preparation of the Bank Policy on Water (May 2021) and the Bank Group Water Strategy (2021-2025) and provided oversight over the annual water sector lending in 2016.
Chanda holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Melbourne University, Australia in 1994 and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Zambia in 1989.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Chanda said, “I am grateful for this opportunity. I will use this trust to work with the water team in forging stronger partnerships critical in securing water security for all, contributing to the socio-economic transformation of the continent.”
On his part, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the AfDB said, “Osward is a seasoned water and sanitation expert who will lead the team and drive the Bank’s water development and sanitation work programs, in line with the Bank’s ongoing support to Africa’s economic transformation, through the identification and promotion of sustainable and integrated solutions across the water value chain and sanitation.”