Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa

This document compiles an Africa-wide atlas of sanitation and wastewater conditions and their implications for water quality, public health, and development targets under SDG 6. It outlines trends from the MDG period into the SDG baseline era, describing persistent rural–urban disparities in access to improved drinking water and basic sanitation, and noting that most sub-Saharan countries remain below basic service thresholds. It explains wastewater sources and typical contaminant profiles, links inadequate management to ecosystem degradation and disease burdens, and discusses outbreaks and endemic water-related infections. The atlas also presents country-level snapshots covering water resources, wastewater treatment status, and institutional, legal, and policy frameworks.