France is about to lend South Africa approximately R1.9 billion. The goal is to tackle the everyday issues millions of South Africans are dealing with.
According to Crown Publications in January, South Africa has been struggling with water shortages.
It has also been battling unstable electricity and poor waste management. 
Places like Johannesburg and Durban have seen declining service delivery, with frequent power cuts and water outages becoming the norm.
France lending South Africa €100 million will support the government’s Metro Trading Services programme, which is an initiative led by the National Treasury of South Africa. The programme is focused on fixing water and sanitation systems, improving electricity supply, and upgrading waste management.
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The loan from France is not the only one South Africa is taking. It will add to a $925 million package from the World Bank, which is already backing the same programme.
In addition to this, South Africa has also been actively reaching out to global partners. It has been reaching out to France’s development agency, the Agence Française de Développement, to increase funding.
The programme for which they are lending money will target a third of the country’s population (22 million people) and roughly 30,000 square kilometres, which is almost 20 times the size of London.
According to David Martinon, France’s ambassador to South Africa, the loan is about helping cities renovate and modernise infrastructure, rethink how services are delivered and support the broader shift toward cleaner energy.
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