Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo [email protected]
AFRICA must close a widening financing gap for water and sanitation if it is to meet development goals, build climate resilience and drive economic transformation, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) executive secretary Mr Claver Gatete has said.
Speaking at a high-level side event on Financing Africa’s Water Investments during the African Development Bank Group 2026 Annual Meetings, Mr Gatete said the challenge was not a lack of solutions but the need to prioritise, finance and implement them at scale.
The event, convened with the African Development Bank, African Union Commission and the African Ministers’ Council on Water, focused on advancing the Africa Water Vision 2063 for a water-secure and resilient continent with safe sanitation for all.
Mr Gatete said Africa requires more than US$50 billion annually to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Number Six on clean water and sanitation, but current investment stands at only US$12 to US$15 billion per year.
He noted that more than 400 million people in Africa lack access to basic drinking water and over 700 million remain without safely managed sanitation.
Globally, 2,2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water while 3,4 billion lack safely managed sanitation.
Despite water being the main channel for climate impacts such as droughts, floods and variability, water-related investments receive less than three percent of global climate finance.
“This imbalance has created a growing disconnect between the scale of the risk and the scale of investment,” said Mr Gatete.
He called for water to be treated as the bloodstream of African economies, not just a utility, saying it underpins food systems, energy generation, industry, public health and regional integration.
“Underinvestment in water is not only a social concern but a structural economic constraint,” he said, adding that it affects agriculture, energy, industry, urban development and public health.
Mr Gatete said water was also central to unlocking Africa’s blue economy and should be treated as an investable asset capable of driving growth, jobs and resilience.
He outlined four priorities, which are, integrate water into economic policy by embedding it in national development plans, fiscal strategies and investment frameworks, and strengthen project preparation to build a pipeline of bankable water projects, including wastewater reuse, nature-based systems and climate-resilient sanitation.
Other priorities include expand blended finance and risk-sharing through platforms like the African Water Facility to crowd in private capital and diversify funding sources, alongside stronger debt management and improve governance, data and accountability to ensure investments deliver measurable and inclusive outcomes.
“The next phase must focus on turning the discussions into tangible results, including financed projects, stronger partnerships and improved access to water and sanitation for millions across Africa,” he said.
Mr Gatete reaffirmed ECA’s readiness to work with the AfDB, AUC, AMCOW, Regional Economic Communities and partners to implement Africa Water Vision 2063.
