Summits, meetings, panels and other talk shops are all good and well, but without concrete action, Africa's water crisis will persist, continuing to leave millions without access to clean water and sanitation.
African leaders, global policymakers and development financiers met last week in Cape Town for high-level talks hosted by South Africa's Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) on ambitious water investments, hoping to mobilise $30-billion annually to address Africa's water crisis.
But the grand speeches and ambitious commitments ring hollow against the harsh reality on the ground -- nearly half of South Africa's drinking water systems fail to meet basic safety standards; the country faces a projected 17% water supply shortfall by 2030; and 70% of water treatment plants are at high risk of failure.
On the sidelines of the International Water Association (IWA) Congress in Cape Town last week, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina hosted a group of high-level delegates - including African ministers and former President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete - at a preparatory meeting for the African Union-Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP) Water Investment Summit 2025 to take place in August 2025 in Cape Town.
The preparatory meeting was touted as a crucial platform to consolidate bilateral partnerships and secure commitments from key stakeholders, including government representatives, international development agencies, private sector investors and civil...
