By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
As African leaders prepare for the 39th African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in Addis Ababa from 14–15 February 2026, WaterAid is urging governments across the continent to translate longstanding water and sanitation commitments into concrete financing and time-bound action.
In a Call to Action issued ahead of the summit, the organisation said the declaration of 2026 as Africa’s Year of Water and Sanitation must serve as a turning point in addressing deep and persistent gaps in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.
According to WaterAid, 418 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to basic drinking water, 779 million are without basic sanitation, and 839 million do not have basic hygiene services.
The gaps are particularly severe in healthcare facilities and schools, where inadequate WASH services undermine patient safety, infection prevention, learning outcomes, and long-term human capital development.
Although AU Member States have adopted frameworks such as the Africa Water Vision 2063 and policies aligned with Agenda 2063, and endorsed the Heads of State Initiative (HOSI), WaterAid says progress remains slow and uneven.
The organisation warns of a significant financing deficit. Africa requires at least US$78 billion annually by 2030 to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on clean water and sanitation, yet current spending is estimated at only US$4.6 billion per year.
WaterAid describes WASH as chronically underfunded, citing insufficient and unpredictable national budget allocations, short-term donor financing, and limited private sector participation. Growing debt service obligations in many countries further constrain fiscal space.
Without a substantial scale-up in financing, the organisation cautions, Africa risks entering the next decade with structural WASH deficits that could undermine health security, climate resilience, and economic growth.
Inadequate WASH services contribute to preventable deaths and weak health systems across the continent. WaterAid estimates that more than one million women and newborns die each year from infections associated with poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions, while healthcare-associated infections account for approximately 22% of in-hospital deaths in Africa.
The organisation argues that WASH in healthcare facilities must be treated as a core health system investment, noting that every US$1 invested in improving hand hygiene in healthcare settings can generate significant economic returns.
On climate resilience, WaterAid highlights how intensifying droughts, floods, and disease outbreaks are compounding WASH challenges, particularly in vulnerable communities. Repeated damage to water and sanitation infrastructure and outbreaks such as cholera are increasing healthcare costs and reducing productivity, diverting limited public funds from prevention to emergency response.
WaterAid estimates that every US$1 invested in climate-resilient WASH can generate at least US$7 in economic benefits, with potential returns in sub-Saharan Africa equivalent to more than 5% of GDP annually.
The organisation calls on the AU Commission to formally endorse and elevate the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy, positioning WASH as a head-of-state priority linked to health security, climate resilience, and economic transformation. It urges African leaders to allocate at least 5% of national budgets to water, sanitation, and hygiene, with sanitation and hygiene budget lines reaching at least 0.5% of GDP.
WaterAid also recommends the development of costed, cabinet-endorsed national roadmaps for WASH in healthcare facilities with ring-fenced funding, institutionalisation of accountability through National WASH Accounts, stronger integration of WASH commitments within Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans, and high-level participation in the United Nations Water Conference scheduled for December 2026.
The organisation concludes that Africa already has the policy frameworks and technical solutions to achieve universal access to WASH. What is now required is sustained financing and decisive political will to convert commitments into action. The AU Year of Water 2026 presents a critical opportunity for presidential leadership and domestic resource mobilisation to protect public health, strengthen climate resilience, accelerate economic growth, and advance the goals of Agenda 2063 and SDG 6.
