Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has called on African leaders and partners to move decisively from pledges to implementation, warning that commitments alone will not deliver the water infrastructure the continent urgently needs.
Delivering closing remarks at the High-Level Side Event on Water Investment in Africa on the margins of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kikwete commended the African Union Commission, the Government of South Africa and development partners for convening what he described as a critical follow-up to the AU–Africa Water Investment Summit held in Cape Town alongside the G20 Summit last year.
Kikwete addressed the gathering in his capacity as the Alternate Co-Chair of the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, Chair of the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), and Chair of the Africa Coordination Unit, which serves as the Secretariat of the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP).
“In these roles, I have witnessed firsthand the steady transformation from political vision to structured investment architecture,” he said.
He described the Cape Town Africa Water Investment Summit as a historic milestone, noting that between USD 10 billion and USD 12 billion in annual commitments had been pledged to support water development across the continent.
More than 80 projects from 38 countries were showcased, demonstrating what he called Africa’s shift from general aspirations to credible, investment-ready pipelines.
“Africa is no longer speaking in generalities. We are presenting credible, investment-ready pipelines,” Kikwete said.
However, he warned that the true test lies ahead. “Pledges alone do not deliver infrastructure nor water. What matters now is disciplined follow-through.”
Kikwete welcomed progress reports presented during the session on investment pipelines and institutional systems designed to ensure delivery. He singled out the AIP–PIDA [Africa Water Investment Programme – Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa] Water Investment Scorecard as one of the most significant new accountability instruments.
Developed with strong technical support from the Global Water Partnership Organisation and other partners, the scorecard enables AU Member States to track progress, identify bottlenecks and strengthen governance in water investments.
He congratulated the African Union Commission for launching the first Scorecard Report.
“This is not merely a publication; it is a governance instrument. It signals that Africa is serious about measuring, tracking, and accelerating water investments with transparency and discipline,” Kikwete said.
Kikwete also extended congratulations to Namibia on concluding a Headquarters Agreement to host the Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) in Windhoek, marking the relocation of its primary seat from Stockholm, Sweden.
“This is not simply an institutional arrangement. Hosting the GWPO in Namibia, in strategic collaboration with the Global Water Investment Platform, represents a unique opportunity for Africa and the Global South to lead.”
He commended Namibia’s leadership for positioning Africa at the centre of global water governance.
Outlining the Africa Water Investment Programme architecture, Kikwete said the AIP provides an integrated framework for project origination and technical preparation anchored on African soil, investment structuring and financial mobilisation through the Global Water Investment Platform, and high-level advocacy via the G20 Presidential Legacy, particularly the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments.
“This model positions Africa not as a recipient of fragmented financing, but as a co-architect of a new global water investment system,” he said.
Kikwete emphasised that Africa now has political leadership, a defined pipeline of programmes and an institutional architecture rooted on the continent.
“What we must now accelerate is financial closure and implementation,” he said.
As the High-Level Panel, Kikwete pledged continued engagement at the highest political level to sustain momentum. As the AIP Secretariat, he said GWPSA would intensify technical support, project preparation, and blended finance structuring.
Kikwete called on Ministers from the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) and development partners to ensure commitments translate into bankable projects and tangible impact.
“The measure of our success will not be in the number of declarations adopted, but in the number of communities gaining access to safe water and sanitation, the socio-economic sectors receiving the water they need to thrive, and the resilience we build against climate shocks,” Kikwete said.
He concluded with a call for urgency and unity. “Let this AU Summit year on water and sanitation be remembered as the year Africa moved decisively from commitment to capital, and from capital to construction.” – SAnews.gov.za
