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In the vast rainforests of Mai-Ndombe Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where towering trees absorb millions of tonnes of carbon each year, a quiet revolution is taking place — one measured not only in reduced emissions, but in clean water flowing from newly installed taps in remote communities, and in the livelihoods and economic opportunities that follow.
Access to safe water is not only a prerequisite for health and sanitation – a key concern at a time when the DRC is experiencing a deadly Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province, far from Mai-Ndombe, it is also a driver of jobs, productivity, and prosperity.
This economic potential is at the heart of the World Bank Group's Water Forward initiative, a global platform launched at the 2026 World Bank Group Spring Meetings to advance water security as a catalyst for job creation and economic growth. The ambition resonates powerfully in the DRC: at those same Spring Meetings, Prime Minister Suminwa reaffirmed her government's commitment to reach 60% access to safe drinking water by 2035. This ambitious target will require accelerated infrastructure investment, stronger sector governance, improved operator performance, and strong private sector partnerships. The DRC's experience in Mai-Ndombe offers a compelling illustration of that vision already taking shape on the ground.
On June 6, 2025, the DRC received its first-ever carbon credit payment of $19.48 million for the verified reduction of 3.89 million tonnes of carbon emissions (during the first reporting period, 2019–2020). This was also the first results-based payment for a jurisdictional REDD+ program in the Congo Basin. The payment comes from the DRC’s Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA) with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Carbon Fund (FCPF), a results-based financing arrangement that pays the country for verified reductions in carbon emissions from forest loss and degradation. The agreement supports the DRC’s Mai-Ndombe Emission Reductions Program, a jurisdictional REDD+ program designed to reduce deforestation, promote sustainable forest management, and improve local livelihoods. The country has committed to channeling a portion of these revenues directly to the communities that serve as the forests' stewards, through a benefit-sharing mechanism that is now translating into life-changing infrastructure.
Nowhere is the impact more visible than in access to safe drinking water — and in the economic ripple effects that come with it. When communities no longer spend hours fetching water, women and girls can redirect their time toward income-generating activities, schooling, and productive work. Local economies become more viable, and the conditions for job creation and investment improve.
In the territory of Kutu, in Mai-Ndombe Province, the Commune Rurale de Kutu long relied on unprotected water sources, exposing residents to waterborne diseases. Today, a solar-powered hybrid borehole drilled to a depth of 52 meters delivers clean water at a rate of 30 liters per minute, with two public taps now serving 1,000 people directly in a commune of 8,000 inhabitants. The reduction in time spent fetching water is already freeing up hours that residents, particularly women, can devote to farming, small trade, and other economic activities.
Nearby, in the densely populated neighborhood of Nioki, the impact is even broader. A second hybrid borehole, 51 meters deep, produces up to 37.5 liters per minute and is fitted with three faucets that serve residents throughout the day. Completed in just nine days, this location now provides clean water to 5,000 people. Among them are approximately 700 Indigenous Peoples from the local Pygmy community, a group that has historically faced significant barriers to basic services. The construction and maintenance of these facilities created local employment opportunities, engaging community members as technicians and caretakers — a model that builds local skills and sustains infrastructure over the long term. Their inclusion in the project reflects a deliberate commitment, embedded in the ERPA benefit-sharing framework, to ensure that the most marginalized communities are not left behind.
The scale of impact grows even larger in Oshwe, one of the largest territories in the DRC, spanning some 43,000 square kilometers of forest, rivers, and scattered settlements. A potable water borehole installed in the Rural Commune of Oshwe is serving an estimated 212,741 people — approximately 7,490 households — who previously lacked reliable access to safe water. In a territory of this size, where infrastructure has long been scarce, this single investment represents a generational shift in quality of life. Reliable water access supports agricultural productivity, reduces health-related absenteeism, and creates the enabling environment for small businesses and local entrepreneurship to take root.
Across all three sites, the technology of choice, solar and hybrid-powered pumps, reflects a forward-looking approach suited to remote areas with limited electricity access. These systems offer sustainability and low maintenance costs, ensuring that the benefits endure well beyond the initial investment. They also create opportunities for local technicians to be trained in operation and maintenance, building a cadre of skilled workers in communities that have historically had little access to technical employment.
During the construction phase of a borehole, a total of 140 temporary jobs are created, for skilled and unskilled workers alike. Once each borehole is commissioned, an additional 20 permanent positions are established for ongoing management and operations. The employment benefits, however, extend well beyond these direct figures. Reliable access to water frees up time previously spent on water collection, a burden borne disproportionately by women and children, enabling greater participation in income-generating activities, agriculture, and education, with lasting positive effects on household welfare and community development.
Taken together, these water projects have already reached more than 218,000 direct beneficiaries and they are part of a broader benefit-sharing portfolio that serves over 856,000 people across the region. They stand as a powerful testament to what becomes possible when forest conservation is paired with fair and transparent revenue sharing, clean water, restored dignity, new economic opportunities, and communities invested in protecting the forests that sustain them all. In line with the Water Forward vision, these investments demonstrate that water security and job creation are not competing priorities, they are two sides of the same coin.
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