Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
With preparations underway for its 2026 – 2030 new Strategic Action Plan, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has explored more effective ways to leverage its position and status to attract more climate-related financing to the sector. Delivering his remarks at the closing session of the Africa Union – Africa Investment Programme (AU-AIP) Water Investment Summit 2025 on Friday, Mtchera Chirwa, Director: Department of Water and Sanitation at the AfDB, said the bank is aligning future priorities with large-scale, impact-driven projects to accelerate Africa’s water and sanitation agenda.
Chirwa announced that of the 80 operations showcased during the three-day summit, about 27 operations fit well with the bank’s priorities for the next few years, representing a financing envelope of USD 2.8 billion. “We clearly understand that the list of projects discussed here is only a fraction of what is out there on the market, hence the importance for us to also mention some of the other investment considerations we have in the sector, in support of our 54 regional member countries’ water-related agenda,” Chirwa said.
For the next five years, he said the bank will prioritise multipurpose, integrated projects, particularly through the Water-Energy-Food security-Ecosystem special initiative. The initiative, which was recently presented and discussed in Dakar under the patronage of Senegal’s Minister for Hydraulic and Sanitation and AMCOW Chairperson, Dr Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, is expected to invest another USD 1.2 billion by 2027 and four times more by 2030.
“Between 2021 and 2030, the bank has committed to invest an estimated $12 billion in the water sector specifically,” Chirwa said. In addition, the AfDB has pledged to quadruple its climate financing to reach USD 25 billion by 2025, averaging USD 4 billion annually, with the water sector designated as a key priority area. On the sub-sector of sanitation, Chirwa said the bank is resolute in deploying more efforts to working with partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to catalyse about EUR 6.7 billion in urban sanitation investments through another special initiative called the Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII).
Chirwa reiterated the bank’s particular focus and interest in supporting water and sanitation service providers and service delivery for the next cycle of its strategic action plan (2026 – 2030). “No infrastructure alone will deliver sustainably unless it is run by a competent, effective and viable operator. Our water utility transformation and viability enhancement initiative is supporting efforts to overhaul the financing of this USD17.8billion worth Capex market. For now, we are classifying markets depending on their immediate serviceability,” he said.
Chirwa reiterated the bank’s support for governments’ respective water development agendas. “As a win-win compromise, we call on governments to support and advocate for stronger replenishment of the African Water Facility (AWF) Trust Fund by the bank’s regional member countries. As beneficiaries, our contributions help foster greater interest from traditional donors.”
