Coalition rejects water privatisation in Africa – Daily Trust

The Our Water, Our Rights Africa Coalition (OWORAC) has referred to as on African governments to reject the privatisation of public water programs and prioritise funding in publicly managed water companies to ensure common entry to secure, reasonably priced and dependable water.

The coalition made the decision at a press convention in Lagos to mark the 2026 Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation, scheduled for October 12–18, below the theme, “Reclaiming Africa’s Water Future: Public Water for All.”

The coalition consists of civil society organisations, staff, group teams and water justice actions throughout Africa, together with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in Nigeria.

OWORAC warned that industrial preparations, together with public-private partnerships, concessions, industrial tariffs and pay as you go water-meter programs, might deepen inequality and make entry to an important service more and more depending on individuals’s means to pay.

The coalition stated years of insufficient public funding, weak water utilities, speedy urbanisation, inhabitants development and worsening local weather pressures had contributed to persistent water provide challenges throughout the continent.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Convenor of Water Citizens Network Ghana, Geoffrey Occansey, stated the dimensions of the disaster remained alarming, citing figures exhibiting that 2.1 billion individuals globally lacked safely managed consuming water in 2024, whereas 3.4 billion lacked safely managed sanitation.

He added that 167 million individuals in sub-Saharan Africa relied on restricted drinking-water companies throughout the identical interval, representing greater than half of the worldwide inhabitants utilizing companies at that degree.

According to the coalition, unreliable public water provides pressure many households, notably low-income households and underserved communities, to rely upon doubtlessly unsafe sources or buy water from distributors, tankers, personal boreholes and packaged-water suppliers.

Occansey cited analysis indicating that low-income households counting on water distributors in sub-Saharan African cities might pay between 10 and 20 occasions extra per unit of water than wealthier households related to public networks.

He described the state of affairs as a poverty penalty, arguing that individuals with the least monetary assets usually pay the best costs for important companies.

The coalition acknowledged the pressing want for funding in water and sanitation infrastructure however insisted that financing preparations should defend public entry moderately than prioritise industrial returns.

It warned that transferring public duties to non-public operators might outcome in unaffordable companies, uncared for infrastructure, labour abuses and environmental degradation.

OWORAC additionally raised issues about poor sanitation, insufficient wastewater administration and unmanaged strong waste, which proceed to infect water our bodies, threaten public well being and worsen flooding in African cities.

Citing company accountability issues, the coalition referenced a 2025 Global Witness investigation that reported alleged environmental air pollution linked to a Veolia-managed landfill in Colombia. It additionally cited allegations by the Gabonese state regarding petroleum waste at pumping stations following Veolia’s operations, alongside allegations of economic mismanagement involving Suez’s operations in Senegal.

The coalition urged governments to strengthen public water establishments, enhance funding for infrastructure and staff, enhance planning programs and guarantee significant group participation in water governance.

It additionally referred to as for clear disclosure of water contracts, tariffs and financing preparations, alongside measurable nationwide and regional funding commitments.

Occansey stated the African Union’s designation of 2026 because the Year of “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063” introduced a possibility to advance water justice.

He urged African governments to make use of the Africa Water Vision 2063 and the 2026 United Nations Water Conference to strengthen commitments to public financing, accountability and common entry.

“Africa’s water future cannot hinge on attracting more private investment. It must be built on functioning public water systems that people can rely on,” he stated.