Speaking at the AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit in Cape Town, Audanepad CEO Nardo Sbekele Thomas provided an attractive case for treating water as a critical economic infrastructure, proposing the appointment of a presidential champion to accelerate universal water access across Africa.
Bekele-Thomas, appointed by President Ramaphosa, along with other heads of state and famous people around the world, has served as the Champion of the Council on World Perspectives and expressed his gratitude for her honor during her speech.
The summit, hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as G20 Chair, brought together heads of national and development partners to address the emergency water crisis in Africa ahead of the African Union's designation as the 2026 year of water and sanitation.
Crisis of scale and opportunity
Bekele-Thomas painted a harsh picture of the reality of African waters. Over 300 million people lack clean drinking water, while 700 million people lack proper hygiene. This crisis goes far beyond public health and constrains economic growth, educational opportunities and gender equity across the continent.
The financial aspect is just as calm. Africa needs $50 billion a year to meet its water security targets by 2030, but its current investments are hovering between $100 and $19 billion. This gap contributes to a loss of up to $200 billion a year due to climate impacts and inefficiencies. This emphasizes the economic obligation of action.
“Water is an important resource, and it is the source of life,” emphasized Bekele-Thomas. “The water debate is essentially a matter of African sovereignty, dignity and economic survival.”
From social good to economic infrastructure
The CEO of Auda-Nepad has outlined three key areas that need immediate attention, starting with a fundamental change in the way Africa conceptualizes water resources.
“We must treat water as a critical economic infrastructure, not just social benefits,” she argued, citing a recent example of the direct impact of water on economic performance.
In 2024, Karibadam in Zambia fell to just 2.34% of its usable storage, causing a power blackout that disrupts mining operations and slows economic activity. Meanwhile, Lake Chad's surface area has been reduced by 90% since the 1960s, contributing to a multifaceted crisis affecting the Sahel region.
Bekele-Thomas called for the integration of water management into the local value chain, linking the Boundary River Basin with the Energy Corridors and Agricultural Industry Zones. “The message to our partners is clear: investment in water is a prerequisite for the future of Africa's industry,” she said.
Building bankable solutions
The second pillar of Auda-Nepad's strategy focuses on transforming commitments into financially viable projects of deliverables. Bekele-Thomas noted that this challenge often lies in the gap between available liquidity and bankable funding opportunities rather than the availability of money.
Auda-Nepad has already made significant advances in this sector, working with Summit stakeholders to develop a pipeline of 80 water and sanitation projects in 38 countries, valued at $32 billion. Among these are several Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) and the PIDA PAP 2 projects.
– Egypt-proven by Lake Victoria Mediterranean Vacant Line (VicMed)
– Lesotho Botswana Water Project
– Angoloro Water Resource Development Project spanning Kenya and Uganda
– Noordoewer violsdrift dam project between Namibia and South Africa
“This is a concrete, shock-oriented pipeline that needs to be advanced and translated into infrastructure and services that improve the lives of African citizens,” declared Bekele-Thomas.
Whole body changes for universal access
The third element of Auda-Nepad's approach emphasizes moving beyond individual projects towards building sustainable systems. This includes operating performance-based grant schemes to attract private capital, expanding digital surveillance systems, and deepening utility reforms.
Bekele-Thomas highlighted the importance of accountability by citing tools such as the AIP Water Investment Scorecard to track the tools towards universal access goals.
2026 Presidential Champion
Based on these strategic foundations, Bekele-Thomas concluded with concrete proposals that could reconstruct Africa's approach to water governance. She sought the appointment of a presidential champion for affordable, reliable, accelerated washing access in Africa.
The champion will lead high levels of political engagement and ensure advocacy, peer accountability and coordination across the health, education, finance and water sectors to close investment gaps and accelerate universal access by 2030.
“The past ministers' commitments are well-intentioned, but not always deliver adequate results,” she noted, highlighting the need for top-level political engagement to promote systematic change.
The proposal comes at a critical time, as the 2026 African Union Water and Sanitation Year offers what is called “historical opportunities” to turn commitments to concrete outcomes for African citizens into concrete outcomes.
As Africa tackles the intersection of climate change, economic development and social equity, the call to treat Order Pad's water as economic infrastructure rather than mere social benefits represents a significant shift in thinking.
The AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit will continue to serve as a platform for continental leaders to coordinate strategies and commitments to achieve universal water access by 2030, with South Africa's leadership providing significant momentum to their ambitious 2026 targets.
