Water Financing Needs and Trends

Demand on water supplies is growing exponentially with population increase and economic activity.  At the same time, Africa’s weather is changing.  Some countries are experiencing long periods of drought, others have more rainfall falling over shorter periods of time, and higher average annual temperatures are occurring. Given these factors, managing the continent’s water resources in a sustainable way has become an important issue. Understanding and using scarce water resources wisely is vital.

Millions of people in Africa still have to rely on unsafe water while domestic consumption competes with water for commercial, agricultural and industrial activities.  Achieving water access and enabling economic growth in Africa requires the construction of a wide range of water infrastructures – from dams to irrigation systems, toilets to water treatment plants, wells to distribution pipes and water monitoring systems to schemes to predict rainfall patterns and help protect biodiversity.