By Henry Okurut
The African Union has declared water and sanitation the defining priority for 2026, elevating the resource from a basic service to what leaders describe as the cornerstone of Africa’s transformation.
Speaking at a media briefing at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa on February 12, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, H.E. Moses Vilakati, laid out the urgency behind the decision.
“It is estimated that over 400 million people in the African continent lack water for their daily livelihood and over 800 million still lack basic hygiene services,” Vilakati said.
He added that the situation is compounded by a persistent financing gap, with Africa facing an annual shortfall of approximately 30 billion US dollars to meet the SDG 6 target.
It is against this backdrop that the AU adopted its 2026 Theme of the Year: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
According to Vilakati, the theme reflects a collective recognition at the highest political level that water and sanitation are essential to human security, social stability and economic transformation.
“This is a strong indication of commitment to raise the water agenda and its profile across the continent,” he said.
Linking the theme directly to Agenda 2063; the AU’s long-term development blueprint, the Commissioner stressed that sustainable water management is indispensable to Africa’s aspirations for inclusive growth, poverty eradication, improved food security and climate resilience.
“There is no life without water and no development is possible,” he said. “Water connects all development sectors. It serves as an essential resource for agriculture, energy, industry and the natural environment.”
By framing water as a connector of sectors rather than a stand-alone issue, the AU is seeking to reposition it as a strategic asset for economic growth and stability.
“There is a need to elevate water from a sectoral issue to a core strategic asset for Africa’s economic growth, stability and climate resilience,” Vilakati emphasized. “As Africa, we have to significantly invest in water, which is our cornerstone for life.”
To translate commitment into action, the African Union Commission has developed a roadmap aimed at catalyzing transformative change in water and sanitation management. The roadmap focuses on governance and policy reforms, strengthening political commitment, increasing financing and investment, building partnerships, and enhancing knowledge and capacity across member states.
“These actions will be implemented at all levels across the continent,” Vilakati said, noting that the theme will also complement other continental flagship initiatives aimed at building environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient economies and communities.
The 2026 theme is further anchored in the first implementation framework (2026–2033) of Africa’s Water Vision 2063 and Policy, ensuring long-term coordination and alignment with global processes, including the UN 2026 Water Conference.
In closing, the Commissioner issued a call to action: “Let us all stand up and support water development and management for the future of our continent.”
For the African Union, the message is clear, water is not just a resource. It is the foundation of Africa’s future.
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