World Water Day 2023: Accelerating change in solving Africa’s water and sanitation crises | African Development Bank

Water is an essential resource with a direct impact on Africa’s economic potential: insufficient access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services reduces economic opportunities.

One in three Africans has to deal with water scarcity. According to the 2022 WHO/UNICEF JMP report ^[1]411 million people in Africa still lack basic drinking water supplies, 779 million people lack access to basic sanitation and 839 million people lack access to basic hygiene.

Climate change is causing water scarcity and drought, leading to water scarcity for nearly 230 million Africans and as many as 460 million people living in areas where demand for water periodically exceeds available supply by 2025. This also has implications for food and energy security as the continent’s population continues to grow. Access to water remains a concern and efficiency in water use is now a critical issue.

The theme of World Water Day 2023, “Accelerating Change”, is a wake-up call to do even more to solve water and sanitation crises. We need collective and urgent action from governments, regional associations and global development partners. We also need to take into account the complex interplay between water and energy supply and demand, food ecosystems and the impacts of climate change in order to meet the diverse needs and uses of water, develop innovative ideas and optimize financing in the water sector .

This year’s World Water Day also coincides with the United Nations’ mid-term review of the Water Action Decade. This provides an opportunity for leaders, governments and businesses to pause, reflect and determine urgent actions needed to accelerate progress in the delivery of universal access to water and sanitation. Together, these commitments form the Water Action Agenda that will be launched at the 2023 UN Water Conference (22-24 March) – the first event of its kind in nearly 50 years

Within the High 5 strategic priorities of the African Development Bank, water security underpins food security (agriculture accounts for 70% of total water consumption), energy security (high dependence on hydropower and water is an input for other energy sources), industrialization (water as an important input and catalyst), regional integration (through transboundary waters) and in particular improving the quality of life of the people of Africa (impacts on health, nutrition, education, gender equality and livelihoods). The bank’s water policy is based on a vision to improve water security in Africa and transform water resources to promote sustainable, green and inclusive socio-economic growth and development.

Massive investments in integrated water development and management are essential for achieving sustainable water, food and energy security while ensuring green and inclusive growth. By 2022, our $473 million water and sanitation portfolio provided water access to an estimated 6.8 million people and jobs to more than 24,000 people in Africa.

Over the past 10 years, the bank has also invested approximately $5.2 billion in the water sector to support and strengthen water and sanitation resilience for nearly 97 million people in Africa. Since 2015, the bank has invested an average of $900 million per year.

In Kenya, projects such as the Kenya Towns Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Program have improved the quality of life for beneficiaries such as Emmaculate Anyango, who used to have to walk two kilometers to collect water for cooking, drinking and other household uses. The program initiated projects to ensure access to a clean, safe and consistent water supply in 28 small towns in Kenya. For example, the Oyugis Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which was completed in January 2023, already serves more than 60,000 people by producing 12,000 cubic meters of water every day.

By 2030 and beyond, the African Development Bank will continue to work with and support African countries to meet the goals of Sustainable Development Goal 6. It will do this through funding, sector reforms and governance, knowledge generation, private sector partnerships and involvement, environmental and social responsibility, and climate change mitigation.

Let’s all do our part and be the change!