Key messages
Africa’s water is underdeveloped, not scarce
• Africa’s low-level of water resources development and utilization constrains its growth.
• Only 5% of Africa’s water resources are currently utilized. African ministers seek to raise this to 40% by 2030.1
• The challenge in many parts of Africa is economic, not physical water scarcity.
• The low level of water utilization is often due to underdeveloped user sectors.
Water development and management should support users and build water security
• Africa needs to develop its water resources in support of user sectors.
• The goal of water resources development and management is sustainable social and economic development and water security; on shared rivers, it should also support regional integration.
• Water resources development and management must interface effectively with national development planning at national and regional level.
• Many of Africa’s rivers are shared by a number of countries.
• Most water scarce countries in Africa are not heavily dependent on shared rivers.
• Even on shared rivers, most water management and development happens at national level.
• Collaboration on shared rivers can nevertheless contribute significantly to regional integration.
Institutions for water resources development and management are critical public goods
• Water management institutions are important public goods that underpin water security and support the development of user sectors.
• Strong national water institutions are the foundation for regional water cooperation as well as for national growth and development.
• There is no ideal organizational architecture for cooperation on shared rivers; institutional arrangements must be designed to meet the specific contextual needs.
‘Transboundary’, shared river, institutions must be fit for purpose and meet real needs
• Transboundary cooperation is often constrained by lack of trust between riparian parties, limited coordination between user sectors and a lack of finance to promote regional projects
. • The primary functions of transboundary water resources development and management institutions are to build trust, promote communication and information sharing and agreement on water use between countries that share rivers.
• The majority of effective transboundary river investment projects are implemented only by the countries concerned, not by all-embracing river basin organisations.
• For transboundary projects to be feasible, participating countries should benefit in proportion to their contribution.
Background and key messages
1 Decisions of the 11th Executive Committee of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), Cairo, 2013
to read full report please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Unblocking_Africas_Transboundary_Water_P(1).pdf
^
Key messages
Africa’s water is underdeveloped, not scarce
• Africa’s low-level of water resources development and utilization constrains its growth.
• Only 5% of Africa’s water resources are currently utilized. African ministers seek to raise this to 40% by 2030.1
• The challenge in many parts of Africa is economic, not physical water scarcity.
• The low level of water utilization is often due to underdeveloped user sectors.
Water development and management should support users and build water security
• Africa needs to develop its water resources in support of user sectors.
• The goal of water resources development and management is sustainable social and economic development and water security; on shared rivers, it should also support regional integration.
• Water resources development and management must interface effectively with national development planning at national and regional level.
• Many of Africa’s rivers are shared by a number of countries.
• Most water scarce countries in Africa are not heavily dependent on shared rivers.
• Even on shared rivers, most water management and development happens at national level.
• Collaboration on shared rivers can nevertheless contribute significantly to regional integration.
Institutions for water resources development and management are critical public goods
• Water management institutions are important public goods that underpin water security and support the development of user sectors.
• Strong national water institutions are the foundation for regional water cooperation as well as for national growth and development.
• There is no ideal organizational architecture for cooperation on shared rivers; institutional arrangements must be designed to meet the specific contextual needs.
‘Transboundary’, shared river, institutions must be fit for purpose and meet real needs
• Transboundary cooperation is often constrained by lack of trust between riparian parties, limited coordination between user sectors and a lack of finance to promote regional projects
. • The primary functions of transboundary water resources development and management institutions are to build trust, promote communication and information sharing and agreement on water use between countries that share rivers.
• The majority of effective transboundary river investment projects are implemented only by the countries concerned, not by all-embracing river basin organisations.
• For transboundary projects to be feasible, participating countries should benefit in proportion to their contribution.
Background and key messages
1 Decisions of the 11th Executive Committee of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), Cairo, 2013
to read full report please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Unblocking_Africas_Transboundary_Water_P(1).pdf
^
