Unlock African development by availing water, Schlettwein urges

Africa needs to unlock its development potential by availing water as a pivotal enabler for all socioeconomic development, including agriculture.

This according to agriculture, water and land reform minister Calle Schlettwein, who was speaking at the 23rd African Water Facility Governing Council meeting held in Swakopmund last week.

Africa can become the breadbasket of the world, he said, adding that it has a resource base that should enable the continent to achieve industrialisation and prosperity for all.

“Unfortunately, however, it is equally correct to state that the development, investment and financing of sanitation and water on the continent is regressive.”

Africa’s immediate challenge is to meet the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which involves supplying fresh and safe water to 400 million people and to provide sanitation to 800 million people, he said.

Development ambitions must be achieved while facing a severe climate change crisis which holds existential risks for life, livelihoods and global bio diversity, Schlettwein noted, adding that the effects are now clearly visible - in droughts, floods, out-of-season storms, intense wild fires, unprecedented heat waves, glaciers melting and rising ocean levels.

All these climatic changes have severe effects on the water cycle, making secure sanitation and water supply more difficult, more expensive and often out of reach for developing countries, he said.

Funding shortfalls

“Shortfalls in the required funding to address climate change and related water cycle aspects remain significant.”

He added that the current debt crisis, exchange trends, inflation and the weaponising of financial rules are fuelling inequality and make the future prospects for developing economies difficult.

Shletwein also pointed to a political crisis, and said wars and political instability are on the rise. This brings about enormous collateral damage for Africa and its people, the minister noted.

The African Water Facility was established in 2004 by the African Ministers Council on Water and set up a special fund in the African Development Bank. It is a unique and transformative continental accelerator, mobilising financial resources for the preparation of water and sanitation investment projects to support the achievement of water security and sanitation for all.

“As the governing council, our function is to determine the general policy direction of the facility, to approve the operational focus, and to review the annual report of activities financed from its resources.”

Since inception, it has mobilised over N$4 billion in grant funding, which has supported the preparation of 135 water and sanitation projects in 52 African Union member states.

“However, it is abundantly clear that we are nowhere near the levels of investment required in the sector if we are to make a significant impact on improving access, and to harness the full economic potential of investing in water for food production, industrialisation, sanitation and hygiene services and managing climate change impacts in Africa,” Schlettwein said.