Delivering On Promises: Advancing Water And Sanitation Solutions In Africa
In Fara Ndiaye, deputy executive director, said Africa
The recent conference of the African Society for Water and Sanitation (AFWASA) in Kampala brought together more than 2,000 stakeholders from across the continent. Although such gatherings are important, they emphasize the disturbing fact that Africa does not need more meetings on water and sanitation – it requires coordinated actions to fulfill existing commitments.
Statistics tell a clear story. About 418 million Africans lack safe drinking water, and 779 million without basic sanitation. According to UNICEF, if the current trend continues, few African Union member states will reach safe drinking water, sanitation or sanitation services by 2030. Real progress.
Climate change continues to form our water resources through droughts, floods and saltwater intrusions. Regional conflicts damage infrastructure and replace millions, leaving refugee camps without access to water and sanitation. Meanwhile, a decline in funding could limit the government’s ability to expand and maintain basic services.
However, the purpose we witnessed in Kampala is to see how we can break these challenges through the Great Manifesto, but through practical collaboration across traditional boundaries. A new regional platform established by the Health Authority of Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso is committed to achieving existing commitments through knowledge sharing, a consistent vision and a coordinated plan of action. This initiative demonstrates how regional cooperation accelerates progress to SDG 6 through solutions tailored to the challenges of West Africa. Congress emphasized the power of intergenerational cooperation. Young professionals are revolutionizing service delivery with mobile payment systems and real-time monitoring tools, while experienced experts provide important insights into community dynamics and infrastructure maintenance. Young leaders are not only the future of our department—they are actively shaping their present, bringing new perspectives and innovative solutions to long-standing challenges. Traditional water and sanitation methods are built on decades of experience and sometimes difficult to incorporate new technologies and service models. At the same time, young professionals have new ideas and often lack the institutional knowledge required for lasting change. When these perspectives merge, as several Congress meetings show, they create solutions that are both innovative and rooted in practical reality.
In order to gain access to universal water and sanitation, the government must adopt an integrated infrastructure program to ensure that overall and gender-encompassing solutions prioritize vulnerable groups. Strengthening resource management through scientific research and cross-border collaboration is crucial, as well as innovative financing mechanisms that integrate public and private investments to maintain long-term operations. Effective implementation requires coordinated governance, technical training and community-based monitoring to ensure commitments translate into tangible improvements.
It is crucial to breaking the island and hindering progress. Water and sanitation challenges do not respect administrative boundaries and should not solve solutions. A permanent platform for knowledge sharing and institutionalized mentoring programs can bridge the expertise gap between experienced professionals and emerging leaders.
Furthermore, community engagement must be reimagined. Successful projects show that empowering communities to shape and maintain water and sanitation services leads to more sustainable solutions.
Finally, new financing mechanisms must integrate public funding, private investment and development assistance. The water and sanitation funding gap in Africa is too large to solve any source. Creative financial solutions, coupled with improved governance and accountability, are essential to expanding successful programs.
The way forward requires us to be both ambitious and practical. We must focus on effective methods, learn from failure and build successful models, rather than constantly reinventing the wheel. From strengthening governance to embracing climate-rich infrastructure, transformation tools have been reached. What is needed now is political will and coordinated actions to deploy them effectively.
The time for endless conversations is over. Our community needs clean water and dignified hygiene today, and there is no more commitment to tomorrow’s commitment. Through centralized collaboration and continuous action, we can transform existing commitments into reality and create a future on the water for all Africans. This is not just a desire, it is an urgent task that we cannot ignore.
