By Lloyd Takawira
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced its annual list of high-priority countries for safe and resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance with Zimbabwe excluded.
USAID in a statement said, it has designated 21 High Priority Countries (HPCs) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.
“The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has redesignate 17 of the countries designated as HPCs for FY 2021, as well as four new additions: Guatemala, the Philippines, Rwanda, and Zambia. In total, the 21 HPCs for FY 2022 are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Nepal, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania”.
The exclusion of Zimbabwe is a big blow to the country’s health sector as the country remains off track to achieve the sustainable development goals for water and sanitation, with millions of in Zimbabwe still lacking access to even basic water.
