Launch Of High-Level Panel On Water Investments In Africa

Recognises Need To Mobilise $30 Billion USD Per Year To 2030

3 Apr 2022 by The Water Diplomat
DAKAR, Senegal

At the closing ceremony of the 9th World Water Forum, Senegal’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, Serigne Mbaye Thiam, announced the creation of a high-level international panel on investment in water in Africa.

The objective of the panel is to find concrete ways to mobilise $30 Billion USD per year until 2030 to implement the Africa Water Investment Programme . The African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW) has estimated that an additional $30 Billion USD is needed to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) on water and sanitation. Currently, only between $ 10 – 19 Billion USD is being invested annually in water and sanitation.

Globally, the investment gap to achieve SDG6 by 2030 is estimated at $114 Billion USD, a figure that relates exclusively to the capital costs for infrastructure expansion and excludes maintenance costs of the facilities installed.  

The panel is led by three co-chairs: H.E. Macky Sall, President of Senegal, as co-chair in his current capacity as chair of the African Union, H.E. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, as co-chair in his capacity as co-host of the UN 2023 Water Conference, and H.E. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, as co-chair in his capacity as host country of the Presidency of AMCOW.

Alongside the mobilisation of finance, the Africa Water Investment Programme will develop a water investment scorecard to track progress, establish a blended investment platform, strengthen the enabling environment, address bottlenecks in project preparation and implement climate resilient infrastructure development programmes.