Training and technical assistance were provided to water and sanitation utilities in the development of strategic business plans, gender mainstreaming and women empowerment aspects, preparation and implementation of performance improvement plans, water demand management, billing and revenue collection, customer care and block mapping have contributed to improved capacity to deliver effective and efficient water supply services on a sustainable and commercially viable basis.
Peer-to-peer exchange mechanisms have also created opportunities for practical exchange of experiences among utilities. For instance, the capacity of water and sanitation service providers in solid waste management improved as a result of interventions in the Lake Victoria region and Kibera in Kenya.
The capacity of local governments, NGOs and community-based organizations to address the sanitation needs of the poor was significantly enhanced through a sanitation micro-credit programme for female headed households  that has been launched in a total of ten cities in Africa under the Water for African Cities and Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Initiative.
A major step forward for the Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Initiative is the development of a project formulation study, funded by the African Water Facility and currently nearing completion, to scale up the programme to another 15 towns in 5 Countries. A total funding package of over US$150 million is envisaged with the African Development Bank that is expected to take the lead role in providing the necessary financing for follow-up investments.
In 2009, several monitoring initiatives to track MDGs and improve benchmarking of water and sanitation service providers were implemented. A first initiative is the “h2.O Monitoring to Inform and Empower Initiative”, a partnership with Google.org. Implementation of Phase I of the initiative in Zanzibar is well underway and on track for completion in 2010.
During the year 2009, sanitation micro-credit projects were also launched in nine towns under the Lake Victoria Initiative with the aim of providing affordable sanitation for 9,000 households and demonstrating a viable approach for expanding access to sanitation for the poor (See Box 2). The projects have already achieved significant results by mobilizing community savings, training local community groups and local artisans in building low-cost toilets, as well as by strengthening partnerships at the local level between the local authorities, NGOs, community groups and micro-finance institutions.