Ramaphosa launches Global Water Council to mobilise $30 billion for Africa’s water crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for water to be placed at the centre of global climate and finance discussions, declaring that the time has come to transform water from a crisis sector into an “opportunity sector.”

Speaking at the AU-AIP Water Investment Summit in Cape Town on Wednesday, Ramaphosa officially launched the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments, a new international body aimed at driving finance and leadership toward closing Africa’s water investment gap.

The Council is a key G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative under South Africa’s presidency and will serve as the political and investment platform to track progress, unlock finance, and align efforts across global institutions.

“This Summit is a landmark moment not only for Africa, but for the global movement for access to safe water for all,” Ramaphosa said.

“We gather here as decision-makers, investors, financiers and champions at a time when the world faces a deepening water crisis. Yet, this is also at a moment of immense opportunity. If we rise together, water can become not just a means of survival but a driver of economic transformation, innovation and peace.”

The Global Outlook Council builds on a process that began in 2016 with the High-Level Panel on Water, launched by then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Following that panel’s recommendations, the African Union established the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP), and a new panel tasked with mobilising at least $30 billion a year by 2030 to close Africa’s water investment gap.

The President outlined four central goals of the Summit: endorsing a declaration to scale up investments, showcasing 80 priority water projects from 38 countries, facilitating matchmaking between governments and financiers, and elevating water on the global political agenda ahead of G20, COP30 and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

''We are bringing Africa and international partners together and calling on investors to heed the call to invest in water. 

“Let us leave this summit with deals, pipelines, partnerships and a permanent global mechanism to sustain the momentum,” Ramaphosa said. 

“This flagship project is a demonstration of our government’s commitment to infrastructure investment, economic upliftment and ensuring sustainable water supply for future generations,” Ramaphosa said, referring to last week’s launch of the second phase of the Zuikerbosch Water Purification Plant in Gauteng, which will deliver an additional 600 million litres of water daily to four provinces.

The Global Outlook Council will be co-chaired by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

They will be supported by President Jakaya Kikwete and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed as alternate co-Chairs.

“The Council will guide the transition from fragmented water investments to a coherent, coordinated and capitalised global effort through the Global Water Investment Platform,” said Ramaphosa.

“Water investment must no longer be an afterthought at climate and finance discussions. It must be at the centre of discussions. It must be financed, tracked and championed.”

Ramaphosa also credited Saudi Arabia for initiating the first G20 Water Dialogue in 2020, with the momentum carried through by successive presidencies of Italy, Indonesia, India and Brazil, leading up to South Africa’s G20 leadership this year.

He thanked African Union partners and international leaders for supporting the Council, which includes heads of state and government from Brazil, India, Germany, Australia, the UK, and the European Commission, among others.

“Let us build a world where every drop counts and every community thrives. Let us build a world where water is recognised as a human right and not weaponised against women, children and communities,” Ramaphosa said.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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