EU Horizon Europe Call: Strengthening Climate-Resilient WASH Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa

The EU Horizon Europe call titled 'Strengthening Climate-Resilient WASH Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa' is a landmark initiative under the European Union's Horizon Europe programme. This call is part of Cluster 6, which focuses on food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture, and environment. It specifically targets the intersection of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) governance with climate resilience, recognizing that effective governance is a critical enabler for sustainable WASH services in the face of climate change. The call has a total indicative budget of €40 million, with individual project grants expected to range from €5 to €10 million over 48 to 60 months. The EU co-funding rate is up to 100% for all eligible entities. The call encourages consortia of at least three partners from three different countries, including at least one EU member state and one sub-Saharan African country. It invites a wide range of actors: research organizations, government agencies, international organizations, NGOs, and private sector entities. The overarching goal is to strengthen the governance of WASH systems at multiple levels—national, regional, and local—to make them more resilient to climate shocks such as droughts, floods, and water quality degradation. This involves enhancing institutional capacities, improving policy frameworks, promoting integrated water resource management, and fostering community participation. The call is aligned with the EU's Global Gateway strategy and the European Green Deal, as well as the Africa-EU partnership priorities. By investing in climate-resilient WASH governance, the EU aims to contribute to poverty reduction, public health improvement, and sustainable development in one of the world's most vulnerable regions. The call also emphasizes digital transformation, gender equality, and social inclusion as cross-cutting themes. Successful proposals will generate new knowledge, tools, and best practices that can be scaled and replicated across the continent.

Strategic Overview

Who is it For?

This call is designed for legally established entities in EU member states and associated countries collaborating with African partners. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, NGOs, public authorities, international organizations, and private sector entities such as SMEs and social enterprises. African participants must be from sub-Saharan African countries, including least-developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). The call encourages consortia with at least three independent entities from three different eligible countries, including at least one EU member state or associated country and one African partner. It particularly seeks applicants with proven expertise in integrated water resource management (IWRM), climate adaptation, governance reforms, and community engagement. Prior experience in EU-funded projects, such as Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe, is advantageous but not mandatory. Researchers and practitioners with track records in gender mainstreaming and human rights-based approaches are highly valued. The call also welcomes newcomers to EU funding, provided they demonstrate technical and financial capacity. Partners must commit to open access data principles, knowledge co-creation, and capacity building. The call targets hybrid consortia blending research excellence with operational delivery, such as water utilities, NGOs implementing WASH programs, and policy think tanks. Applicants must ensure that at least 30% of the budget is allocated to sub-Saharan African partners to foster local ownership and sustainability.

Priorities

The European Commission's global priorities for this call focus on strengthening governance systems to deliver climate-resilient WASH services in sub-Saharan Africa. Key investment KPIs include institutional capacity building at national and sub-national levels, deployment of early warning systems for water-related hazards, and integration of nature-based solutions (NbS) for water security. Donors prioritize projects that can demonstrate scalability and replicability across different geographic contexts, with a target of reaching at least 500,000 beneficiaries per project. Specific indicators include increased access to safely managed drinking water (SDG 6.1) and sanitation (SDG 6.2), reduction in waterborne disease incidence by 20%, and improved water governance scores using the OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework. The call emphasizes cross-sectoral integration linking WASH with health, agriculture, energy, and education, fostering multi-stakeholder platforms for policy coherence. Another priority is the digital transformation of WASH governance through smart water management tools, remote sensing for water quality monitoring, and mobile-based citizen engagement platforms. Financial sustainability is critical; projects must demonstrate a clear pathway to cost recovery and private sector involvement, such as performance-based contracts with utilities. The EU also champions gender equality and social inclusion, requiring a minimum of 40% female representation in decision-making bodies. Additionally, alignment with the EU's Climate Adaptation Strategy and the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative is expected, with a focus on reducing carbon footprints and enhancing water-energy-food nexus approaches. Projects should contribute to the EU's strategic goal of fostering resilient and peaceful societies, particularly in conflict-affected regions like the Sahel and Horn of Africa.

Eligibility

Eligibility for this call involves comprehensive financial, spatial, and legal compliance audits. Financially, applicants must demonstrate stable funding sources and a track record of managing grants over €1 million. The EU will conduct a financial capacity check based on the applicants' turnover, liquidity ratios, and audit history. Co-funders must provide evidence of matching funds where required, though this call typically funds up to 100% of total eligible costs for non-profit entities. Spatial eligibility requires that project activities be implemented in at least three sub-Saharan African countries, with a minimum focus on water-scarce regions such as the Sahel, Great Lakes, or Southern Africa. Proposals must include a clear geographical justification mapping climate vulnerability indices (e.g., ND-GAIN rankings). Legal audits ensure that all partners are legally established entities (non-profit, public body, or for-profit SME) with statutes aligned to the EU's ethical and social standards. For African partners, legal registration and tax clearance certificates must be provided. Consortia must sign a declaration of honor confirming no conflict of interest, adherence to EU anti-fraud measures, and compliance with Horizon Europe's Standard Model Grant Agreement. Additionally, the call requires conformity with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for any personal data collection. Researchers must adhere to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. Finally, proposals must demonstrate that they do not involve activities in countries under EU sanctions or linked to forced labor. The European Commission reserves the right to reject applications that fail to meet any of these criteria, hence a pre-submission eligibility checklist is mandatory.

Path to Success

Achieving success under this call requires a strategic roadmap integrating GSLI's capacity-building modules. Step 1: Assemble a Consortium and Identify Gaps. Map potential partners across research, government, and civil society. Conduct a readiness assessment using GSLI's Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) course to design baseline indicators for climate resilience and governance. Step 2: Develop a Theory of Change (ToC) Aligned with EU Priorities. Leverage GSLI's Writing Winning Proposals course to structure a robust ToC that links activities to outputs, outcomes, and impact. Ensure inclusion of cross-cutting issues like gender and digitalization. Use the course's templates for logframes and results chains. Step 3: Strengthen Financial Management and Compliance. Attend GSLI's Financial Management for NGOs and Grants Management courses to develop a robust budget narrative, internal control systems, and audit procedures. This addresses the EU's strict financial capacity checks and reporting requirements. Step 4: Design Implementation and Risk Mitigation. Utilize GSLI's Project Management for Development course to plan phased activities, with milestones at 18, 36, and 48 months. Incorporate risk assessments using a risk matrix template, and embed continuous learning loops. Step 5: Position GSLI as a Partner. GSLI can offer sub-contracted training services in WASH governance, public health, and procurement. Proposals that include a capacity-strengthening component have a higher success rate. GSLI's certified courses add credibility and demonstrate a commitment to institutional sustainability. Therefore, integrate GSLI's modules as a work package (e.g., Work Package 5: Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer). Step 6: Prepare a Compelling Submission. Use insights from GSLI's Writing Winning Proposals course to draft clear, concise narratives with evidence of past achievements. Include letters of intent from all consortium members, a gender action plan, and data management plan. Submit through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline. Post-submission, GSLI's network can provide peer review feedback. By systematically leveraging GSLI's courses, applicants can significantly enhance their proposal's quality and alignment with EU expectations.

Recommended GSLI Courses

WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)
Project Management for Development
Writing Winning Proposals

Deadline: 2026-08-15

Persona: General

Urgency: Normal