Over 400 million Africans lack access to basic drinking water – UN

More than 400 million Africans still lack access to basic drinking water, while over 700 million people remain without safely managed sanitation, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said on Tuesday.

The ECA said water sits at the centre of every major development challenge confronting Africa today, adding that when water systems fail, food systems, health systems, industries and communities all suffer.

The UN agency also noted that these deficits undermine health, productivity, food security and human dignity, while slowing progress towards Agenda 2063.

Speaking at at the 49th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), with theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA, Mr. Claver Gatete said water is the foundation of sustainable development.

“It sustains agriculture, powers energy systems, supports industry, protects public health, enables resilient cities and strengthens our capacity to adapt to climate change. For instance, Agriculture continues to sustain millions of livelihoods and remains the backbone of many African economies,” he said.

He also noted that in spite of the critical role of agriculture in the sustenance of the continent, rainfall is becoming less predictable with climate-related shocks already reducing agricultural productivity and costing some African economies as much as 5% of GDP each year.

According to him, urbanization is accelerating, but so too is the demand for productive jobs, resilient infrastructure and essential services, particularly reliable water supply and safe sanitation, without which cities cannot become engines of inclusive growth.

Gatete further observed that Africa’s future depends not on pursuing isolated priorities, but on connecting water security, industrialization, climate action, finance and regional integration into a single development agenda.

The ECA boss however, acknowledged that industrialization cannot succeed without reliable energy, secure access to water, efficient transport and logistics, and the beneficiation of Africa’s abundant natural resources through competitive regional value chains.

“The same is true of Africa’s digital future. Artificial intelligence, modern data systems and digital infrastructure all depend on abundant, reliable and affordable electricity.

“And it is not right that about 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, constraining productivity and competitiveness. None of these development priorities can be realised without sustainable water security,” he said.

He further explained that water is the common thread that underpins agriculture, energy, industrial production, resilient cities and the digital economy. The integrated solutions approach, in this regard, is therefore non-negotiable.

“The challenges confronting our continent do not occur in isolation; they reinforce one another, amplifying their impact across economies, societies and ecosystems. Our response therefore must be as integrated as the challenges themselves.

“We need to accelerate structural transformation, advance industrialisation, expand productive capacities, deepen regional integration and mobilize resources at the scale required to deliver both the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063,” he added.

He said Africa must therefore embrace integrated planning across water, agriculture, energy, climate, industry and urban development.

“The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems nexus should guide policy, investment and implementation because our development challenges are interconnected and our responses must be equally interconnected,” he concluded.