Liberia WASH partners sign deal to build national water data system

Liberia’s WASH Commission, WaterStep and Kijani Group signed an agreement to develop a national water and sanitation management information system. The effort is meant to improve repairs, coordination and access to safe water across Liberia, building on a pilot already underway.

Why it matters: - Liberia’s water system needs better visibility into broken infrastructure, repair needs and service coverage. - A national WASH management information system could help extend safe water access and make repairs more sustainable. - The partnership is designed to scale from a pilot to a system that could support hundreds of thousands of people.

What happened: - Liberia’s National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission, WaterStep and Kijani Group signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a national Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Management Information System, or WASH iMIS. - The system is intended to improve the sustainability of WASH infrastructure and access to safe water across Liberia. - The agreement was announced Oct. 30, 2026. - WaterStep is already piloting a digital platform in Liberia that will feed into the proposed system.

The details: - The planned WASH iMIS is meant to help institutions and communities monitor water infrastructure. - The system is also designed to identify breakdowns, coordinate repairs and support better decisions about water services. - The partnership builds on the Liberia WASH Initiative, led by Kijani Group and WaterStep with Liberian partners and government institutions. - The initiative has assessed more than 260 handpumps. - The initiative identified critical infrastructure needs and trained local technicians. - Repairs supported by the initiative improved water access for about 5,000 people in rural Liberia. - The work is laying the groundwork for a larger program intended to reach hundreds of thousands of people. - WaterStep brings safe water solutions and training experience to the effort. - Kijani Group is contributing local implementation and technology development work. - The WASH Commission is providing national leadership for the partnership.

Between the lines: - The deal signals a shift from isolated repairs to a data-driven water management model. - A national information system could help Liberia track assets, prioritize maintenance and improve accountability across the sector. - The partnership combines nonprofit, private-sector and government roles, which may improve scale if the pilot translates into national adoption.

What's next: - The partners plan to continue developing the WASH iMIS and expand the broader Liberia WASH Initiative. - More information is available in WaterStep’s hand pump repair materials. - The National WASH Commission says its long-term focus includes coordination, regulation and improved information management across Liberia’s WASH sector. - Kijani Group and WaterStep say the broader goal is a sustainable, accountable and scalable approach to water management.

The bottom line: - Liberia is moving toward a national digital system for water service management, with the aim of turning repair work and local training into a more durable public-health platform.