Harare: Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has mobilised the Committee of Ministers to support the upcoming Africa Water Investment Summit that will be held in August. This development follows her participation in the 43rd Southern African Development Community (SADC) Joint Meeting of Committee of Ministers responsible for Energy and Water, held in Harare, Zimbabwe.
According to South African Government News Agency, the summit aims to mobilise financial investment for bankable water and sanitation infrastructure projects across the continent. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) highlighted that Africa faces a significant annual water investment gap of US$30 billion (around ±R528 billion). The summit is expected to attract investments in climate-resilient water and sanitation projects, crucial for ensuring water security, economic growth, and sustainable development across Africa.
Minister Majodina emphasized the importance of the summit, stating, "We think that from that summit, we will have a concrete plan. As a continent, we must start being serious and start ringfencing budgets to fund our water infrastructure as well as energy. No country, region nor continent can survive without putting water and electricity as the catalyst for economic growth."
The regional water sector is currently facing infrastructure challenges due to growing populations and a lack of adequate infrastructure development, primarily because of the financial investment gap. The AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit's key objectives include mobilising financial commitments towards Africa's water investment needs, advocating for improved access to finance for water and sanitation projects, strengthening governance and accountability in the water sector, showcasing a pipeline of investment-ready projects to funders and investors, and promoting legal and regulatory reforms to enhance water investments.
The SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers serves as a critical platform for member states to engage on issues that enhance regional collaboration in the energy and water sectors. Minister Majodina engaged with fellow ministers on critical issues related to the management of shared water resources and transboundary programmes and projects, aiming to improve water and sanitation services in the SADC member states. Discussions also included the status of implementation of previous decisions taken during the 42nd joint meeting held in May last year.
South Africa is involved in transboundary water projects with neighbouring countries, including the Lesotho/Botswana water transfer, Beitbridge/Musina integrated water supply scheme, and the Catuane Matutuine groundwater project in Maputo.
Minister Majodina attended the SADC Joint Meeting alongside Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, whose portfolio is part of the SADC Committee on Water and Energy. The SADC Ministers of Water and Energy Committee is a decision-making body that adopts decisions on regional policies and programmes implemented across the 16 SADC Member states, both at regional and national levels. Ministers responsible for energy and water direct the regional energy as well as water and sanitation agenda.