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to strengthen the capacity of African institutions (including
national Governments, river basin organizations, regional
economic communities and power pools, among others), as
well as the private sector (project developers and financiers), to
plan, design and implement infrastructure investments that are
resilient to climate variability and change in selected sectors.
In Africa, growth is strongly correlated to natural resources.
Hence as Africa continues to grow, this will have a debilitating
impact on natural capital. This growth has been accompa-
nied by high energy and material intensities, as well as waste
generation. Greening industrialization provides fresh new
impetus for turning current supply chains linking natural
resources to markets, into value chains that diversify Africa’s
economies and ensure that greater value is added. What is
certain is that Africa’s transition towards resource efficiency
will require new skills but also stable sources of water to
enable a low carbon development trajectory.
Water development frameworks – ECA’s role in shaping a
new narrative for water resource management
African Policy frameworks are many, and range from high-
level declarations and resolutions to programmes of action on
the development and use of the continent’s water resources
for socio-economic development, regional integration and
the environment. These include the African Water Vision
2025 and its Framework of Action (UNECA/AU/AfDB, 2000),
the African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit on Water and
Agriculture (Sirte Declaration) (AU, 2004), the AU Sharm
El Sheikh Declaration on Water and Sanitation (AU, 2008),
and most importantly, the Agenda 2063 – The Africa We
Want (AU, 2014). These policy instruments are under-
pinned by strategies and programmes, including the New
Partnership for African Development Programme (NEPAD),
the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa
(PIDA) and many others. However, regional commissions
such as ECA have a role to play in reframing the narrative
and supporting countries to move from an aspirational intent
to the actualization of these frameworks.
Indeed, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
has been an active player in water resource management in
Africa, particularly through activities geared towards catalyz-
ing cooperation among African countries for the resolution of
issues at national and river basin levels. Such activities include
the provision of regional advisory services and technical assis-
tance to the national governments and to intergovernmental
organizations such as the River Basin Organizations, the River
Economic Councils and the African Union. ECA continues to
provide technical support and advisory services to member
states, aimed at promoting rational utilization of natural
resources in the context of climate change to ensure resilient
development, and in supporting hydrological systems of river
basins in order to improve their management.
ECA has a unique role in forming public-private partner-
ships and working closely with member states and river
basin organizations that will result in framing a new urgency
of dealing with the intersection between water and develop-
ment. The old problems related to water use and management
have not gone away – they have taken on a new impetus.
Africa has a huge opportunity to turn the old problem of
unsustainable management of water and other natural
resources to new beginnings that will enable economic diver-
sification, poverty reduction, job creation and the realization
of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 for Africa’s transforma-
tional development.
Source: World Bank Group, 2016
The impact of water scarcity on GDP
Today’s path
A better path
+6%
+2%
+1%
0%
-1%
-2%
-6%