Patrick Baidoo
7 May 2010
The 2010 WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report on sanitation and drinking water prompts a consideration of conclusions reached at the 2nd African Water Week [AWW-2] which was held in Johannesburg, South-Africa from November 9 to 13, 2009. The AWW-2 was on the theme "Carrying forward the Commitments of the Sharm El-Shek African Union Summit on Water and Sanitation: A Sprint to the Finish Line."
The theme underlined the realities of Africa's water security and sanitation situation and the urgent need to implement those commitments made by the political leadership in accelerating progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the African Water Vision.
In line with the positive mood and posture of stakeholders and the political leadership towards implementation, participants proposed messages which informed the need for action in Financing Water and Sanitation Infrastructure for Economic Growth, closing the sanitation gap, Climate change and how best to Manage Africa's trans-water boundaries.
Financing water infrastructure
Water infrastructure development as the participants reiterated was inextricably linked with economic growth of countries and that Africa's Finance Minister's should strategize their programmes to finance planned deliverables for the water and sanitation sector. The participants contend that such a move was very welcoming because water and sanitation were the very nexus of human existence.
The need for urgency in the sector for potable water and a safer environment as the days pass is explicitly stated in the African Water Vision 2025 report released in 2000 which estimates the financial requirements to deliver communities without WASH facilities was $20 billion each year over a 20-year period.
However updated data, made possible through ongoing studies on Africa's infrastructure requirement put the new estimate at US$50 billion per year, largely as a result of more realistic estimates for hydroelectric power.
But non-the the essence of water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure economic growth and Africa's water security and development, meant that frantic efforts were needed to sustain the sector in delivery of water supply and services.
For Africa to meet the MDGs the participants called for an update of financing needs for Africa's water resources infrastructure to establish the scale of financing required to meet the MDGs and the African Water Vision.
Countries are advised to disaggregate these requirements to the national level and seek the funding to boost economic growth.
A significant number of regional finance instruments and channels have been established. These should be scaled up instead of creating new ones, whilst addressing any inherent weaknesses. These instruments include the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative, the African Water Facility and others.
More specifically countries should prepare sector investment plans that draw synergy between major water-using sectors, particularly energy and agriculture and undertake reforms that reduce operational inefficiencies and assure cost recovery, using the 3Ts - tariffs, taxes, transfers.
Financing water for energy and agriculture
The conference also called for the urgent need to secure water for food and energy through developing the infrastructure to control and manage water was emphasized by all concerned stakeholders during various technical and political deliberations.
This was based on the premise that Africa is well endowed with significant hydropower resources which are only exploited at less than 5 percent of its potential as compared to other emerging countries on other continents.
In view of that the recent food crisis should be a wake-up call to revitalize African agriculture and ensure more reliable access to agricultural water. The World Development Report (2007) identified agriculture as possible engine for growth. In an expression of strong commitment to support agriculture in Africa, in July 2009, the G-8 leaders pledged $20 billion over three years to strengthen agriculture through the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).
The conference agreed that there was the need for a stronger collaboration between financial institutions to ensure joint implementation of programmes supporting water for agriculture and energy including the AfDB-Business Plan for agricultural water development.
Financing for water resources management and governance
It was recognised that a lot of progress had been made in the last five years, internationally and in Africa, on financing water resources management. In particular political awareness has increased and actions are underway to establish a more conducive co-operative environment. Yet, water resources management lacks an institutional home and is a neglected area for financing and hence that area required improving governance, building capacities and strengthening institutions in order to reduce risks and provide a stable policy environment.
The Africa Water Facility in this direction is a key source of funds to help establish the enabling environment including for Water Resources Management and, better planning, of Trans-boundary Water Resources, build capacities and extend knowledge and research in addition to support for meeting basic infrastructure needs.
In this light AWW-2 called for more work to deepen better understanding of the need for the financing of water resources development and management. Additionally, there is a need to develop the economic case for water, both for services and resource management.
To accelerate this development there was also the need to better align donor and government funding. Plans and financing strategies are essential with each country strategy unique to their situation utilising a wide spectrum of financing mechanisms because many administrations are unable to spend budget allocations and therefore the need to develop capacities.
Alternative and more targeted financing and organisational structures are needed to effectively manage the continent's water resources is very essential in this direction.
Closing the sanitation gap
Africa remains the continent most off-track to meet the sanitation MDGs. Urgent action is required at global, regional, country levels to address this major public health, economic, environmental, and human dignity issue.
Recent years, have seen some important improvements - increased advocacy, increases in planning, coordination and some budget allocations and 50 percent of countries have embarked on Community-Led Total Sanitation Approaches (CLTS).
The underlying issues behind Africa's poor performance are: lack of political will and leadership to address the sanitation challenge, inadequate public sector financing, absence of good policies and specific strategies in specific country situations to bring about sustainable sanitation improvements. The diversity of current coverage implies that a range of different approaches are required, and need to be tailored to local circumstances.
Participants hence called for the AMCOW Sanitation Task Force to further develop typologies for sanitation strategies and engage with countries to stimulate improvement of sanitation policies and strategies.
African countries should create clearer and higher level leadership for sanitation, considering separate Ministries of Sanitation rather than having sanitation leadership buried at a low level in Ministries of Health or Water.
CLTS approaches need to be incorporated into national rural sanitation strategies and significant efforts made to stimulate the private sector to respond to increased sanitation demand and sustain the short term gains through household and community efforts.
Sanitation Advocacy his proving to be a successful tool to increase the profile of sanitation, but efforts need to be redoubled at country-level to persevere with simple, targeted, local messages with clear measurable goals.
Climate change and Water Adaptation
Africa has been recognized as the continent most vulnerable to climate change, with three key areas in the continent, namely Coastal areas, Great lakes, and the semi-arid regions, identified as being particularly at risk. There is a need and an opportunity to protect the critical "water towers" of central, west and eastern Africa.
Adaptation to climate change should be at the core of any development activity and calls for building climate resilience as this leads to a much stronger state, both at micro and macro levels. Given the importance of water resources and water infrastructure in economic development, there should be adequate investment in adapting to climate change to ensure their availability and sustainable use the AMCOW suggested.
Regional integration and development: Effective response to climate change is dependent on African governments making climate change a core development activity, integrated into development strategies relating to food, energy and water security, and economic and social development strategies. Improved trans-boundary management and cooperation is essential.
Relevant Links
Administration, governance and institutional capacity: Resilience must be built at the national, regional and local level, and the capacity of institutions in the water sector is a critical part of this resilience and of the ability to adapt to climate change. Water institutions must build their capacity to monitor water resources (surface and groundwater), for water resources assessment and water resources management.
Information: Better information is an important element of responding to climate change, particularly in the trans-boundary basin context where shared information is an important element of building the common view of challenges and potential responses, and building trust between countries. This requires, inter alia, increased investment in monitoring of ground and surface water resources, improved capacity to short term forecasting and long term modelling, and improved dissemination of information.
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