Six Current and Former Heads of State presented with Presidential Global Water Changemakers Award

Six serving or former heads of state have received the Presidential Global Changemakers Award at the UN Water Conference in New York. Of these heads of state, four are co-chairs of the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa: H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Hage Geingob, President of Namibia, H.E. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and H.E. Jaya Kikwete, former President of the Republic of Tanzania. The other recipients are H.E. Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, and H.E. Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, who launched the Zambia Water Investment Programme and the Zanzibar Water Investment Programme.  

The International High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa was launched during the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal and aims to mobilise US $ 30 billion per year until 2030 to help close the existing investment gap in water and sanitation in Africa. The African Development Bank has estimated that Africa requires an investment of US $  64 billion annually in water and sanitation in order to achieve the Africa Water Vision 2025.  However current annual investments in the sector do not exceed US $ 19 billion, leaving a large investment gap.   

In July 2022, The Water Diplomat reported the ‘game changing’ launch of the first national Water Investment Programme under the Africa Investment Programme, i.e. the Zambia Water Investment Programme  which aims to leverage US $ 5.75 billion dollars.

The awards were presented to the six leaders on March 22, 2023, by HE Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana and Chair of the Presidential Global Changemakers Award. At the same event the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa released its report entitled “Water Investments in Africa: Pathways for Mobilisation of $ 30 billion Annually by 2030”.