The African Union (AU) Commission, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of South Africa, the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, and partners have established a Working Group to support preparations for the AU Africa Water Investment Summit in 2025.
The Water Investment Summit will be convened by the AU and the Republic of South Africa at the Heads of States level in the context of South Africa’s upcoming G20 Presidency to support the AIP in mobilising climate resilience and gender transformative investments for water.
“We are grateful to note the Government of South Africa has reaffirmed its earlier commitment, made at UNGA 2023, to host the AU Africa Water Investment Summit and offered to advocate for elevating water investments and finance to the G20 agenda in 2025,” said H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, High-Level Panel Alternate Co-Chair and Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
“The AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit and UN 2026 Water Conference in the context of the upcoming G20 Presidency of the Republic of South Africa will contribute to the AU-adopted theme of the year 2026 ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063’,” said Amb. Josefa Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture.
The working group was established by the African Union during “Water Day at the Science Summit” on the margins of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Led by the African Union, the group includes the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of South Africa, the International High-Level Panel on Water Investment for Africa, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, the Water Research Commission of South Africa under the Department of Water and Sanitation, the and the AIP High-Level Panel Secretariat hosted by Global Water Partnership-Africa Coordination.
The Summit will contribute to ongoing efforts by the AU-led AIP and other partners in the mobilisation of investments to close the water investment gap in Africa. The AU-AIP Water Investment Summit will provide a platform to consolidate the continent’s input towards the United Nations 2026 Water Conference.
Elevating Africa’s water investments to the G20 and global international agenda
“We remain committed to working with the AU’s AIP and the High-Level Level Panel to elevate the water agenda during our G20 Presidency,” said Hon. Pemmy Majodina, Minister of Water and Sanitation of South Africa who was represented by Dr Sean Phillips, Director-General of the South African Department of Water and Sanitation, in New York during the event.
South Africa’s G20 Presidency is an opportunity to elevate the global and in particular Africa’s water investments to the G20 agenda, addressing shared concerns around water security and climate change, the promotion of clean energy, and sustainable development in the social, economic and environmental spheres. This will also contribute to the Africa water agenda at the UN 2026 Water Conference.
The Executive Director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, Henk Ovink, welcomed the plans for an African water investment Summit on the road towards the UN 2026 Water Conference as part of South Africa’s G 20 Presidency. He urged African leaders and the global community to build on the foundation and outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference, to elevate and promote improved ways to evaluate and manage water resources, so that new sources of investments and funding may be attracted to the sector.
Contribute Africa’s water investments agenda towards the UN 2026 Water Conference.
The UN 2026 Water Conference will be co-hosted by the Republic of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Republic of Senegal, which is also the founding co-chair of the AIP International High-Level Panel, said “We must support the Au and South Africa to convene the Water Investment Summit and embrace an integrated approach that values water, not just as a commodity, but as a fundamental human right. Effective governance, innovative financing, data management, capacity development and groundbreaking innovation are the pillars upon which we can build sustainable water management,” said Dr Mohamed Diatta, Sherpa to the President of Senegal on the High-Level Panel.
“The UAE announced its commitment to convening an impactful UN Water Conference. ‘As both Senegal and UAE, the Co-Hosts are from the global south, we are keen on bringing a different lens and new perspective to the UN 2026 Water Conference. We will be focusing on holistic, integrated and innovative approaches to accelerate progress on SDG 6 and the global water agenda at large,” said Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy & Sustainability at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.
Supporting implementation of the AIP
Alex Simalabwi, CEO of the AIP and Executive Secretary of GWPSA-Africa commended the leadership of the Africa Union and High-Level Panel Co-Chair, Senegal, and said “The AU Africa Water Investment Summit will advance the AU’s AIP African Water Investment Action Plan which supports the implementation of the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) and its goal to mobilise an additional US$ 30 billion/year to close the water investment gap’.
We welcome and commit to supporting the AU working groups to achieve its mandate towards an effective inclusive process for preparation of the water investment summit, added Simalabwi.
Under the leadership of AU, the working group will engage various AIP partners including convenors of the High-Level Panel: the African Minister’s Council on Water (AMCOW), African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Capital Development Fund, UNICEF, the World Bank, African Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Global Center on Adaptation, and Global Water Partnership to coordinate and work closely in supporting the AU efforts towards the Africa Water Investment Summit.