The Republic of South Africa’s assumption of the G20 Presidency at the beginning of December 2024 has advanced plans to convene an AU-AIP Water Investment Summit in a bid to elevate water on the G20 agenda. South Africa, in collaboration with the AU-AIP High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, will convene the summit on July 18th, 2025.
Hon. Pemmy Majodina, South Africa’s Minister of Water and Sanitation met with H.E Jakaya Kikwete, Board Chair of GWPSA-Africa and former President of United Republic of Tanzania who is also alternate co-chair of the AU-AIP High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa to discuss progress made so far. The Ministerial progress update on the AU-AIP Water Investment Summit was held on the margins of the GWPSA-Africa Board of Directors meeting held from 12 to 13 December in Pretoria, South Africa.
“The AU-AIP Water Investment Summit 2025 aligns with ouradopted theme for the country’s G20 Presidency; Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability and the 2025 G20 priorities which include strengthening resilience to climate-induced disasters, mobilising finance for a just energy transition, and securing an agreement on increasing the quality and quantity of climate finance flows to developing countries. It also speaks to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s vision that South Africa’s G20 Presidency should prioritize the aspirations of the continent and the global south,” said Hon. Majodina.
South Africa made a commitment to convene the AU-AIP Water Investment Summit during a side event that launched the AU-AIP High-level Panel’s Mind the Gap-Invest in Water Campaign, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly and 2023 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Summit in New York.
South African President H.E Cyril Ramaphosa, represented by Hon. Senzo Mchunu, then Minister of Water and Sanitation, pledged South Africa’s commitment to convene the summit in collaboration with the AU-AIP High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa.
On 23 September 2024 on the margins of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the African Union Commission established a working group to support the African Union and the Republic of South Africa in convening the AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit in the context of the upcoming G20 Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.
South Africa’s offer to convene the summit was welcomed by the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) and supported by water ministers from across Africa, and development finance partners during a High-Level Ministerial Breakfast Consultation, convened by the Republic of South Africa, in collaboration with the Republic of Senegal and Republic of Namibia the AU-AIP International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, at the 9th Africa Water Week in Cairo, Egypt. Some of the development finance and technical partners that voiced support for convening the summit include the World Bank, African Development Bank and African Water Facility, AUDA-NEPAD, UNDP and the Global Water Partnership-Africa.
During the Ministerial progress update in Pretoria, Hon. Majodina announced that the preparations were underway, with event planned to be held on Nelson Mandela Day, 18 July 2025. South Africa is also preparing a concept note for the summit and would engage with the AUC for Hosting Agreement.
“The AU-AIP High-Level Panel for Water Investments in Africa is honoured to support South Africa and the AU in convening the summit which will among others accelerate water investments by promoting transformative financing, enhancing the enabling environment, and a pipeline of bankable projects,” explained H.E Kikwete.
Ahead of the ministerial consultation and in support of South Africa’s preparations for the upcoming summit, the AIP Secretariat hosted a high-level roundtable discussion on November 27, 2024. The discussion, hosted by Mr. Alex Simalabwi, CEO of the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme Secretariat, brought together Hon. Isaac Sello Seitlholo, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, and Dr. Anurabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, and Commissioner of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water.
“The discussion emphasized the critical role of water in advancing an inclusive and progressive development agenda. The upcoming summit will build on the G20 White Paper Water track, initiated by Saudi Arabia in 2020 and carried forward by subsequent G20 presidencies, including France, India, Indonesia, and Brazil,” explained Mr. Simalabwi.
The Summit will consolidate AU Member States’ position on water investment in preparation for the UN 2026 Water Conference, which will be hosted by the Governments of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.
South Africa is the only African country which is part of the G20 membership including the world’s major economies, representing 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population. The membership comprises of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the European Union, and since 2023, the African Union.
South Africa has already commenced its inaugural G20 engagements under its presidency, with the first meeting of the G20 Sherpas taking place in Johannesburg on December 10 where Hon Raymond Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation outlined the country’s agenda to advance shared global goals through key priorities. South Africa’s G20 Presidency has been described as a gamechanger for Africa’s global influence by United Nations Development Programme’s Achim Steiner, a member of the AIP High-level Panel on Water Investments for Africa.