African heads of state and government have endorsed the Cape Town Declaration at the close of the inaugural Africa Water Investment Summit, calling for reforms to multilateral financial institutions to accelerate investment in the continent’s water and sanitation sector.
The three-day summit, convened by the African Union Commission in Cape Town, highlighted Africa’s $30 billion annual water investment shortfall and committed to mobilizing both domestic and external financing to close the gap. The summit will be held every four years on a rotating regional basis.
The declaration urges global partners to prioritize Africa in water investment and calls for innovative funding models alongside scaled-up national budget allocations. Early estimates from investment pipelines unveiled at the summit project $10–12 billion in annual inflows from development banks, investors, bilateral partners, and African governments, excluding further pledges under discussion.
As part of next steps, the United Arab Emirates and Senegal who were co-hosts of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference will integrate the declaration into the event’s agenda. South Africa, holding the G20 presidency, will table it for endorsement at the AU Assembly in February 2026.
In her closing remarks, South African Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina said the declaration consolidates Africa’s unified position ahead of the UN conference.
“We are calling on governments to level the playing field to attract investment. Let us cut the unnecessary red tape that undermines and discourages investors,” Majodina stressed.
