More than $10-billion has been committed for priority water projects across dozens of countries during a three-day inaugural African Union-Africa Water Investment Programme-hosted Water Investment Summit, held in Cape Town last week, which left Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina confident that more investment will follow.

During the summit, which brought together heads of State, Ministers, investors and development partners to drive solutions to challenges of water provision, about 80 priority water investment projects from 38 different countries were identified.

These have already attracted an estimated projection of $10-billion to $12-billion a year worth of investments.

The summit was convened under the auspices of the African Union, the High-Level Panel on Water Investment for Africa and South Africa’s G20 Presidency.

The commitments were made by 20 Ministers responsible for water, sanitation and environment across the continent and beyond, as supported by the African Heads of State and Government and other global leaders.

“Accordingly, the 1 690 delegates in attendance at this summit rallied support behind the achievement of South Africa’s G20 priorities of rapid and inclusive economic growth, eradication of poverty and hunger, and climate sustainability, by accelerating investments into climate-resilient water and sanitation,” she said.

“We came together with a shared mission: to close Africa’s $30-billion a year water investment gap, and we leave with renewed momentum, concrete commitments and a bold vision for the future,” she said, highlighting the $30-billion-a-year water investment gap that requires bridging to meet the continent’s growing needs.

The inadequate investments in water have affected the gains made across all the UN Sustainable Development Goals on water and sanitation, and the critical role that water plays in climate change adaptation and mitigation and the goals of Agenda 2063.

She further noted that the Africa Water Investment Summit, hosted in the context of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, helped to advance efforts on inclusive and sustainable economic growth and social advancement.

Committed focus was promised during the summit on the governance, finance, capacity and data gaps in the water sector, Majodina continued, adding that a pipeline of bankable water and sanitation projects were showcased to prospective funders and investors.

“We are making a call to governments to help level the playing fields in order to attract investment. Let us eliminate long and unnecessary red tape which undermines and discourages investment,” she said.

“What we are grateful for is that the matchmaking sessions during the three days have managed to strengthen relations between governments, project developers and financiers, building trust and paving way for long-term collaborations.”

In December 2023, during COP 28 in Dubai, the African Union Commission and the Africa Water Investment Programme’s International High-Level Panel launched the Africa Water Investment Action Plan, outlining how countries can mobilise the additional $30-billion a year required to ensure water security and sustainable sanitation on the continent.

The summit also served as a platform to consolidate the position of African Union member States on water investment in preparation for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which will be hosted by the Government of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.