2026 Proposals Invited for Supporting National Implementation of Harmonised Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Approaches in Africa, Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance (WES) provides a non-invasive, population-level approach to strengthen public health, ecosystem protection, and One Health collaboration. UNEP’s harmonised approach for Africa promotes flexible implementation based on national priorities while encouraging stakeholder coordination, quality assurance, responsible data management, capacity building, and evidence-based action.

This Call for Proposals seeks governmental and intergovernmental institutions in African countries to support UNEP’s WWS4Africa Initiative. The initiative aims to establish national foundations for WES systems that can later be scaled up to support environmental and public health objectives.

The project contributes to protecting freshwater and marine ecosystems by addressing wastewater, nutrient pollution, and habitat degradation through a Source to Sea approach.

UNEP will support five African countries to demonstrate the initial national implementation of a harmonised WES approach over a four-month period. The initiative is supported by the European Union’s HERA and implemented with partners including Africa CDC, WHO, and UNU-INWEH.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the full details and submit their applications before the specified deadline to seize this grant opportunity.

Last Date of Submission: 19^th August 2026

2026 Proposals Invited for Supporting National Implementation of Harmonised Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Approaches in Africa Overview

2026 Proposals Invited for Supporting National Implementation of Harmonised Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Approaches in Africa Objective of the Call

The Call for Proposals aims to support five governmental or intergovernmental institutions in leading the initial national implementation of a harmonised Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance (WES) approach. The focus is on national ownership, cross-sector collaboration, capacity building, adaptation, early use of project tools, and generating lessons for wider regional scale-up.

2026 Proposals Invited for Supporting National Implementation of Harmonised Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Approaches in Africa Funding and Eligibility

Eligible Governmental Applicants

Eligible applicants may include:

• Ministries responsible for health, environment, wastewater, or related areas
• National public health institutes and environmental or wastewater authorities
• Government and reference laboratories involved in surveillance or monitoring
• Other legally established government institutions with relevant mandates and adequate administrative and financial capacity
• Intergovernmental organisations with an established operational presence in the country and a relevant mandate

Applicants must provide an official endorsement letter from the head of the relevant national authority confirming support for the proposal and implementation arrangements.

Lead Applicant Requirements

A single eligible governmental or intergovernmental institution must serve as the lead applicant and grant recipient. Intergovernmental organisations must demonstrate clear national government ownership and identify a designated government counterpart.

Proposals may involve collaborating institutions, but the lead applicant remains responsible for grant management, implementation, coordination, and technical and financial reporting. Intergovernmental organisations may apply on behalf of more than one country.

All proposals should clearly define the roles of public health, environment/water/wastewater institutions, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders.

For more comprehensive details read the complete call here

How to apply?

Submission Instructions

Applicants should submit all questions regarding the Call for Proposals and proposal package to Josphine Nduguti at josephine.nduguti@un.org by the specified deadline.

The complete proposal package must be prepared and submitted in accordance with all requirements outlined in the Call for Proposals.

Why This Grant Opportunity Matters

This opportunity is important because it can help African countries establish the foundations of national Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance (WES) systems that support both public health and environmental protection. UNEP notes that wastewater data can help decision-makers identify health and environmental risks and respond in a more targeted and cost-effective way.

The funding is particularly valuable because it promotes national ownership and cross-sector collaboration rather than treating wastewater surveillance as the responsibility of a single institution. Selected countries can use the grant to strengthen coordination between health, environment, water, wastewater, laboratories and other relevant institutions.

With up to USD 135,000 per country, the four-month grant can provide resources to test practical WES approaches, build institutional capacity, use harmonised tools, and generate lessons that can support future national and regional scale-up.

Tips for a Strong and Successful Proposal

1. Demonstrate strong government ownership
   Clearly explain which government institution will lead the project and how other relevant ministries, agencies and institutions will participate.
2. Build a strong cross-sector partnership
   Show meaningful coordination between public health, environment, water/wastewater, laboratories, academia, civil society and other relevant stakeholders.
3. Focus on practical implementation
   Avoid proposing an overly ambitious programme. With only four months available, present activities that can realistically be initiated, tested and documented within the implementation period.
4. Show how WES will be used
   Explain how surveillance data will generate actionable information for public health, environmental management or One Health decision-making.
5. Use the harmonised approach effectively
   Demonstrate how your country will adapt the WES approach to its national context while maintaining common reference points and standards.
6. Include measurable results
   Set specific targets for activities such as stakeholder coordination, training, laboratory capacity, surveillance sites, data systems, tools adopted or institutions engaged.
7. Demonstrate existing capacity
   Highlight your institution’s experience in wastewater surveillance, environmental monitoring, public health surveillance, laboratory systems, data management or related areas.
8. Provide a realistic four-month workplan
   Break the project into clear activities, milestones, responsibilities and deliverables. Make sure the timeline matches the proposed budget.
9. Explain sustainability beyond the grant
   Show how the systems, skills, partnerships and tools developed during the project will continue after the four-month funding period and support future scale-up.
10. Secure the required endorsement
    An official endorsement from the head of the competent national authority is required. Make this a priority before submitting the proposal.

Note: For more comprehensive details click the link below

Get full access to the grant information, visit the Official Website Link

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much funding is available?

Selected countries can receive up to USD 135,000 each. UNEP plans to award grants to five African countries.

2. Who can apply for this opportunity?

Eligible lead applicants are governmental institutions and intergovernmental organisations in African countries with relevant mandates in areas such as WES, wastewater surveillance, environmental surveillance, public health, laboratory systems, environmental management or One Health.

3. Can multiple institutions apply together?

Yes. A proposal can include collaborating institutions, but one eligible governmental or intergovernmental institution must serve as the lead applicant and grant recipient. The lead applicant remains responsible for implementation, coordination and reporting.

4. How long is the implementation period?

The grant has an implementation period of four months from the date of signing the agreement. Therefore, applicants should propose activities that can produce meaningful initial results within this relatively short timeframe.

5. What should a strong proposal demonstrate?

A strong proposal should demonstrate national government ownership, cross-sector coordination, realistic implementation, measurable outcomes, relevant institutional capacity, effective use of harmonised WES tools, and a clear pathway toward longer-term national scale-up. UNEP’s broader WWS initiative emphasizes strengthening national systems, capacity and collaboration for scalable wastewater surveillance in Africa.

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