African leaders adopt water vision 2063, targets $30bn funding gap

African heads of state have formally adopted and launched a new continental water policy, elevating access to safe water and sanitation to the center of Africa’s long-term economic and climate agenda.

The Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy was unveiled on Feb. 15 on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, signaling what officials described as a shift from political declarations to coordinated action.

The framework aligns with the African Union’s 2026 Theme of the Year, dedicated to water and sanitation, and positions the sector not simply as a social service challenge but as a foundation for economic transformation, regional integration and climate resilience.

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the African Union Commission, represented at the event by Moses Vilakati, AU commissioner for agriculture, rural development, blue economy and sustainable environment, called the decision to dedicate 2026 to water and sanitation “a historic turning point to the African Continent.”

“Investing in water and sanitation is not a cost,” he said. “It is one of the highest return on investments Africa can make. If we secure water and sanitation, we secure Africa’s economic transformation.”

The new vision outlines eight strategic pillars, including universal access to safe water and sanitation, sustainable water availability, ecosystem protection, improved data systems, human capital development and stronger transboundary water cooperation. It will also form the basis of Africa’s common position at the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.

Moses Vilakati emphasized that the focus must now move to delivery. “This Theme is designed to accelerate implementation,” he said, warning that Africa remains off track on its water and sanitation commitments and that the sector is “significantly under-financed.” Success, he added, would be measured by how many Africans gain access to safe water and resilient services.

Hakainde Hichilema, president of Zambia, who led the launch through his minister of water development and sanitation, described the policy as “not just a policy, but a transformative blueprint.”

“With 90% of our surface water crossing borders, cooperation is no longer an option, it is our only path to survival,” he said, framing shared river basins as potential engines of integration rather than conflict. He also pointed to an estimated $30 billion annual investment gap in Africa’s water sector, urging governments and partners to close it.

The policy builds on lessons from the earlier Africa Water Vision 2025 and monitoring by the African Ministers’ Council on Water, which have highlighted persistent gaps in financing, governance and service delivery despite pockets of progress.

European partners, including the European Union and Germany, supported the development of the new framework through the Blue Africa Action initiative.

With its endorsement by heads of state, the Africa Water Vision 2063 now moves from strategy to execution, setting a continent-wide benchmark against which governments will be judged in the years ahead — not by declarations, but by taps that run and toilets that function.