More than 400 million people across Africa continue to live without access to basic drinking water, while over 700 million remain without safely managed sanitation, highlighting the scale of one of the continent’s most pressing development challenges.
The figures were presented by Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, during the Forty Ninth Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Addressing ministers from across the continent, Gatete said that improving water security must be viewed as a central component of Africa’s wider economic transformation rather than as an isolated social challenge.
According to Gatete, inadequate access to clean water and sanitation continues to affect public health, agricultural productivity, education, food security and industrial development. He noted that increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns and climate related shocks are already placing additional pressure on water resources while reducing agricultural output in many parts of Africa. In some economies, these climate impacts are estimated to cost as much as five per cent of gross domestic product annually.
The meeting, convened under the African Union’s 2026 theme, Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063, examined how water security intersects with broader priorities including regional integration, infrastructure, financing and sustainable development. Delegates discussed approaches aimed at strengthening resilience while supporting inclusive economic growth across the continent.
Gatete argued that water should be integrated into planning across agriculture, energy, climate policy, industry and urban development. He said coordinated planning would help governments maximise investments while addressing interconnected challenges that affect communities and economies simultaneously.
He also highlighted the importance of expanding domestic resource mobilisation and strengthening African financial systems to support long term infrastructure investment. Among the measures proposed were broader use of local currency financing, mobilisation of pension and insurance funds for development projects, stronger public financial management and the creation of investment ready projects capable of attracting both public and private capital.
The Executive Secretary further noted that almost 600 million Africans continue to live without access to electricity, a constraint that affects industrialisation, productivity and economic competitiveness. He said that addressing deficits in water, sanitation and energy simultaneously would strengthen efforts to achieve sustainable development objectives while supporting the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Despite these challenges, Gatete emphasised that Africa possesses significant strategic advantages, including abundant renewable energy resources, a rapidly growing and youthful population and substantial reserves of minerals that are increasingly important to the global energy transition. He suggested that these assets provide opportunities to expand manufacturing, agro processing, renewable energy technologies and modern services, provided they are supported by appropriate infrastructure and coordinated public policy.
The discussions reflected a broader recognition that Africa’s development priorities are closely interconnected. Improving access to water and sanitation has implications not only for health outcomes but also for education, gender equality, agricultural resilience, industrial development and regional economic integration. Participants acknowledged that sustained investment, stronger institutions and closer collaboration among African countries will be essential to meeting these objectives.
The Executive Council session concluded with renewed attention on the role of water security as an enabling foundation for sustainable development across the continent. As African governments continue implementing Agenda 2063 alongside the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the discussions underscored the importance of African led solutions that respond to the continent’s diverse realities while strengthening resilience and expanding opportunities for future generations.
