Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) play a pivotal role in protecting human health during all infectious disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 IIAG dataset contains a specific WASH indicator, measuring how African countries are progressing towards the 2025 Africa Water Vision, Agenda 2030’s SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), as well as Agenda 2063’s Water security priority area.

With a 2019 African average of 48.5 (out of 100.0), Access to Water & Sanitation is the second lowest scoring IIAG indicator in the Health sub-category.

Even though the continent has, on average, made progress in WASH both over the past ten years (2010-2019) and five years (2015-2019), the pace of progress in this IIAG indicator has slowed down in the latest five years with an annual average improvement of +0.30 compared to +0.43 over the decade.

When it comes to citizens’ perceptions about government provision of water and sanitation services, the analysis of Satisfaction with Water & Sanitation Services, a sub-indicator which is part of the IIAG’s new Citizens’ Voices (CV) section, shows that African citizens are increasingly satisfied (with an annual average improvement of +0.78 during 2015-2019 compared to +0.63 during 2010-2019).