The Power of Water to Transform Africa's Future
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
Improving water access unlocks productivity, job creation, and climate resilience, directly influencing Africa’s economic trajectory as its labor force nearly doubles by 2050.
Key Takeaways
- •One-third of Sub‑Saharan Africans lack basic water services.
- •Rural water gap reaches nearly 50%, hindering productivity.
- •$1.6 bn program targets 30 m people by 2032.
- •Ethiopia aims to add 20 m water‑sanitation beneficiaries.
- •Private financing powers Senegal’s desalination plant for 4 m residents.
Pulse Analysis
Water scarcity in Sub‑Saharan Africa is more than a public‑health issue; it is a structural constraint on economic growth. As the region’s working‑age population is projected to almost double by mid‑century, reliable water supplies become essential for irrigated agriculture, industrial processes, and urban services. Without scaling up water infrastructure, the continent risks stalling productivity gains, exacerbating poverty, and amplifying vulnerability to climate‑driven shocks such as floods and droughts.
The African Union’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems signals a policy shift toward integrated, long‑term solutions. The World Bank’s new Water Strategy aligns with this agenda, emphasizing institutional strengthening, financial sustainability of utilities, and climate‑resilient infrastructure. By mobilising $1.6 billion for a regional program in Eastern and Southern Africa and coordinating multi‑phase investments in Western and Central Africa, the partnership model blends public funding with private capital, creating a predictable pipeline for large‑scale projects.
Country‑level pilots demonstrate the model’s effectiveness. Ethiopia’s One Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene National Program, leveraging resources from the World Bank and eight development partners, is on track to serve 20 million additional people, while Senegal’s National Water Security Program has already attracted $600 million in private financing for a desalination plant and wastewater facility serving over four million residents. These examples underscore that when financing aligns with robust institutions and clear, long‑term plans, water sector gains can be rapid, scalable, and sustainable, laying the groundwork for broader economic transformation across Africa.
The power of water to transform Africa's future
Strong economies depend on strong water systems. Water is the essential ingredient for healthy people, productive farms, and thriving cities. Over the past decade, countries across Sub-Saharan Africa have made notable progress in expanding access to basic water services for more than 250 million people.
Yet the gap remains large. In 2024, nearly one-third of the region's population lacked access to basic water services. In rural areas, the challenge is even greater, with almost one in two people lacking access to basic water services. For Africa to reach its full economic potential, we must ensure that the rising tide of progress lifts all communities.
As the region's labour force is expected to nearly double by 2050, water will be a key driver of human development and economic participation. The water sector creates jobs in irrigated agriculture, infrastructure, and utility operations. In a region where 95% of smallholder farms are still rainfed, expanding irrigation could create more than 200 million better-paid jobs in farming and food value chains. Sustainable water management also protects livelihoods by reducing the impact of floods, droughts, and climate shocks.
Recognising the urgency of this agenda and the breadth of opportunities, the African Union has declared 2026 the Year of Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems. At this week's African Union Summit, ministers will report on their national water and sanitation plans, with the World Bank Group and partners supporting their goals and reforms. This is in line with our efforts to elevate water as a global priority. Our new Water Strategy will help countries expand access, strengthen governance, boost food security, and build climate resilience.
Across Africa, countries are adopting a new approach based on partnerships, stronger national systems, and predictable, long-term investments. A new $1.6 billion regional program in Eastern and Southern Africa, supported by the World Bank Group, aims to deliver sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services to more than 30 million people in 12 countries by 2032. In Western and Central Africa, multi-phase, country programs are already bringing together public and private solutions to tackle critical sector challenges and reach 20 million people with improved water security by 2032.
These efforts build on transformational initiatives reshaping how countries approach long-standing challenges.
From Mission 300, the drive to increase access to electricity to 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, to AgriConnect, which seeks to turn farming into an engine for jobs and food security, there is renewed determination to tackle foundational issues at the systems level. In the water sector, this means strengthening institutions, improving the performance and financial sustainability of service providers, investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, and creating the conditions for both public and private financing to flow at scale. And because water is essential for food systems, and power is essential for water supply and treatment, these initiatives reinforce each other and put entire economies on a stronger footing.
Ethiopia illustrates the impact of a unified approach. Confronted with one of the world's largest water and sanitation access gaps, Ethiopia launched the One Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene National Program. By pooling resources from the World Bank Group and eight other development partners, the country has strengthened planning, coordination, and service delivery. As a result, Ethiopia is on track to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene services to more than 20 million additional people.
Faced with surging demand, climate shocks, and costly water losses, Senegal also launched a bold National Water Security Program to improve access to safe water supply and sanitation, and to increase resilience to flood and drought risks. The program is already mobilising $600 million in private financing for a desalination plant and a wastewater treatment facility that will serve more than 4 million people in Greater Dakar-more than ten times what public financing alone could have achieved.
The lesson is clear: when investments align with strong institutions and long-term plans, progress in the water sector can scale quickly - and sustainably.
Much progress has been made, but more is needed. Young people throughout Sub-Saharan Africa are eager for education, jobs, and opportunities. To unlock that potential, the region must first ensure that everyone has access to the most fundamental resource of all: water.
Anna Bjerde is Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank overseeing an active portfolio worth $340 billion in programs across client countries.
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