Online Reporter
Kudakwashe Mugari in ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Zimbabwe has positioned itself among leading African countries advancing sustainable access to water and sanitation, driven by major investments in rural water supply, dam construction and groundwater development aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Authorities say the country’s integrated water strategy — anchored on a nationwide 35 000-borehole programme, construction of high-impact dams and improved water resource management — reflects a deliberate shift towards treating water not only as a social service but as a strategic economic enabler supporting agriculture, climate resilience and rural industrialisation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing African Union’s 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government here, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said Zimbabwe had already aligned its national policies with the continental water vision.
“The theme for 2026 focuses on sustainable access to water and sanitation services. For Zimbabwe, this is not a future aspiration; it is already under implementation,” said Dr Masuka.
Running under the theme “Sustainable Access to Water and Sanitation Services for Inclusive Growth and Development”, the AU agenda seeks to accelerate universal access to safe water across the continent amid mounting pressures from climate change, rapid urbanisation, population growth and environmental degradation.
Central to Zimbabwe’s strategy is the rural water access programme targeting the drilling of one borehole per village as part of a broader effort to ensure universal access to safe and potable water.
“We have pronounced a policy to provide universal access to safe and potable water through the drilling of 35 000 boreholes across the country. This ensures that every village has access to reliable water supplies,” he said.
The programme forms part of President Mnangagwa’s broader development agenda, which positions water as a critical driver of rural transformation, food security and industrial growth.
Apart from borehole drilling, the Government is accelerating dam construction, with 12 high-impact projects underway or nearing completion.
Key projects such as Lake Gwayi-Shangani and Kunzvi Dam are expected to enhance urban and rural water supply, expand irrigation schemes, boost agricultural production and strengthen national climate resilience.
Zimbabwe’s water strategy, Dr Masuka said, reflects a paradigm shift towards recognising water as a catalyst for economic development under the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy.
“We now look at water beyond the constitutional right dimension. It is an economic accelerator that underpins agricultural production, food security and rural industrialisation,” he said.
