By: Patemoshela Lukolo
Namibia has reaffirmed its commitment to water security and urged African leaders and partners to close the continent’s US$30 billion annual water investment gap.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah made the call during the African Union-Africa Investment Programme (AU-AIP) Water Investment Summit held in Cape Town.
In her statement, delivered on her behalf by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, President Nandi-Ndaitwah underscored the importance of water as a foundation for Africa’s socio-economic growth, climate resilience, and sustainable development; describing it as “the bloodstream of our economies and vital for food, health, and energy security.”
She highlighted persistent challenges, noting that numerous African communities still lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Additionally, farmers rely heavily on rainfed agriculture despite increasingly erratic rainfall, and industries continue to face risks from water scarcity.
Nandi-Ndaitwah warned that without urgent intervention, the current gaps would widen due to climate change, population growth, and urbanisation.
Namibia, she said, has long prioritised water supply security, citing the legacy of the late President Hage Geingob, who established the Cabinet Committee on Water Supply Security to accelerate decision-making and coordinate national efforts.
Under his leadership, Namibia secured significant water infrastructure investments through concessional financing from the African Development Bank and KfW Development Bank.
For the 2025/26 financial year, the government has allocated N$4.8 billion (US$270.5 million) from the national budget, complemented by additional concessional loans from partners, for water and sanitation projects. Public-private partnerships are also being advanced, including a planned desalination plant to serve both domestic and mining needs.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed that the summit must go beyond declarations, with commitments measured by tangible results such as increased access to safe water, expanded irrigated farmland, clean hydropower generation, and stronger cross-border water governance.
She welcomed expected outcomes from the gathering, including multi-billion-dollar investment pledges and the inauguration of the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments, but cautioned that these would only be meaningful if fully implemented.
Referring to South Africa’s recent admission into the G20, she called on leaders to place water at the centre of the global development and climate agenda, and urged policymakers, financiers, civil society, and the private sector to align political will with financial resources.
“We must ensure that, when history looks back at Cape Town in August 2025, it will say: this was the moment Africa turned the tide,” her statement concluded.
