Global Water Partnership (GWP) Africa and African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) will co-convene a session titled “Mobilising resources for PIDA Water Projects” at the 6th PIDA Week 2020, taking place online.
The session will provide a platform for stakeholders to share strategies and experiences for mobilisation of resources to transform the investment outlook for PIDA Water projects and other transboundary water projects prioritised by Lake and River Basin Organisations and Regional Economic Communities.
The session will discuss the role of private sector, development partners and Member States in the mobilisation of resources for regional water infrastructure projects identified and explore strategies on how to incorporate them in the process. Through the session, strategies for raising the profile and attracting bundled Nexus investment approaches into PIDA Water projects will also be identified.
Register to attend the session and PIDA Week 2002 through this link.
The urgent need for transboundary water investments in Africa
Africa has the largest number of transboundary water bodies in the world. Apart from Island States, each African country has territory in at least one transboundary river basin and transboundary basins cover 62% of Africa's total land area. Africa’s population is projected to be 1.6 billion by 2030, translating into a need to produce at least 50% more food; and at least a tenfold increase in water needs for energy production to support socio-economic development. The resultant increase in water demand requires large investments in water infrastructure.
A review commissioned in 2017, by the AUDA-NEPAD and the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) with support from the Government of Germany through GIZ, revealed that there was little progress in the implementation of water projects compared to projects in other PIDA focus areas: ICT, Energy, and Transport.
To accelerate implementation of water projects, the AUDA-NEPAD, in collaboration with Global Water Partnership (GWP), established NEPAD Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa Programme (PIDA Water) within the framework of GWP’s Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP). The PIDA Water programme forms part of ongoing activities for the second phase of the PIDA Priority Action Plan of the (PIDA-PAP II) from 2019-2024.
Given the transboundary nature of water projects, collaboration and cooperation between stakeholders are key in effectively addressing Africa’s water challenges.
The upcoming PIDA Water session builds up on previous events convened by AUDA-NEPAD, GWP and other stakeholders in August 2018, November 2018 , and April 2019 . In November 2018 GWP signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) with AUDA-NEPAD, under the framework of the GWP ‘s Africa Investment Programme , whose aim is to transform and improve the investment outlook for water security and sustainable sanitation for a prosperous, peaceful and equitable society.
About PIDA Week 2020
The PIDA Water session forms part of the 6th PIDA Week to be held on 18 - 21 January 2021, under the theme “New decade, new realities, new priorities – positioning PIDA and infrastructure development in Africa’s continued growth and economic recovery”. It will be hosted by the Government of South Africa under the auspices of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
PIDA Week is an annual Pan- African conference, bringing together continental infrastructure initiatives and regional master plans into one coherent infrastructure investment programme with an implementation strategy and portfolio of projects for prioritised implementation, the PIDA Priority Action Plan (PIDA- PAP) . This year's edition of the PIDA Week will also focus on, among other issues, how Africa can lead the way in the delivery of infrastructure in a post-COVID era, supporting the economic and social imperatives of the continent in the digital age auspices of the SADC.
For more information on the 6th PIDA week click here.
To register for this event, click here.
Photo Credit: mstandret