The MoU was signed by His Excellency President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the fourth President of the United Republic of Tanzania in his capacity as Board Chair of the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) and Africa Coordination Unit, and by Mr. Chuene Ramphele, in his capacity as Group Executive for the Infrastructure Delivery Division at the DBSA, on 11 November 2020 at a closed-door meeting in Pretoria.
In physical attendance were Her Excellency Chileshe Kapwepwe, Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). In attendance, via Zoom link, was Mr. Osward Chanda, Manager: Water Security and Sanitation at the Africa Development Bank (AfDB).
The MOU between GWPSA and DBSA, will support the SADC Regional Water Fund, which is hosted by DBSA on behalf of the region’s SADC Secretariat, in its objective to strengthen project implementation in the SADC water sector and support member states to access finance and develop water infrastructure.
“There is an urgent need to accelerate water infrastructure investment on the continent, which is lagging behind the growing economic and social needs. The AfDB estimates that USD64 billion in water infrastructure investment is required annually to meet the 2025 Africa water vision of water security for all; the actual figure invested stands between USD10 and USD19 billion/year,” said President Kikwete in his capacity as the Board Chair of the GWPSA and Africa Coordination unit.
Mr. Ramphele commented that as part of their partnership, the SADC Water Fund and GWPSA will develop and implement the GWP-SADC Water Fund Regional Water Investment Programme, which will scale-up and accelerate preparation, financing and implementation of priority transboundary and regional cross-border projects in the region focusing on three interrelated areas.
The three interrelated areas are:
- Climate resilience hydrological and informational systems for water
- Resilient cities and water utilities
- Cross-border water supply and sanitation services in regional development corridors including fostering a water-energy-food nexus and regional corridor approach and gender transformation
The GWP-SADC Water Fund Regional Water Investment Programme is aligned to the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP), which was introduced with the goal of transforming and improving the investment outlook for water security and sustainable sanitation for a prosperous, peaceful and equitable Africa. The AIP seeks to leverage USD30billion in gender transformative, climate resilient water and sanitation projects by 2030, and create 5million indirect and direct jobs in vulnerable communities.
Implementation of the AIP is sustained through the AIP Water Climate Development and Gender (AIP WACDEP-G) support programme, which looks to mobilise partnerships and implement gender transformative investments in water and climate development. Implementation of the AIP WACDEP-G support programme was initiated in 2020 in five pilot countries: Benin, Cameroon, Uganda, Tunisia, and Zambia across five transboundary basins: North-West Sahara Aquifer System, Volta Basin, Lake Chad Basin, Kagera/Lake Victoria Basin, and Zambezi River Basin.
The AIP is also supported through catalysing commitment and leadership for coordinated climate resilient SDG water investments, and through accelerate project preparation, finance and implementation of regional and transboundary water investments.
The DBSA follows a strategic partnerships approach which seeks to design and establish various water sector programmes both in the SADC region and the continent in order to fund and implement water related initiatives and programmes.
For the full press release, click here or read the attached document.