African nations have failed miserably in addressing their water and sanitation crises, according to Nicholas Igwe, a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on Sanitation.
During his Tuesday press conference in Abuja, Igwe stressed the critical importance of implementing long-term changes to the water infrastructure in Africa.
Instead of a shortage of funding, he said that institutional failures were the main cause of the continent’s persistent water and sanitation problems.
Concerning the lack of funding for WASH projects, Igwe warned that Africa could face worsening social and economic problems due to inadequate access to sanitation and water if its governments do not create conditions that encourage private sector participation.
It is not a lack of money, technology, or knowledge that is holding Africa’s water industry behind; rather, it is a lack of institutional framework that governments throughout the continent have failed to put in place, as he pointed out.
“To tackle the problems affecting the industry and come up with workable solutions, we need a platform that brings together public and private organisations, as well as civil society groups, development partners, and others,” he stressed.
He emphasised that the water industry needs to undergo a revolution similar to what has happened in the telecommunications, energy, housing, and healthcare sectors.
Dr. Igwe stressed that the WASH sector lacks the capacity to bring about substantial change due to a lack of sector-wide coordination, political will, and access to financial markets.
He went on to say that promises made in the absence of financial resources render them unfulfillable, and that funding systems devoid of coordination in the financial markets produce infeasible enterprises. In a similar vein, agreements that do not include responsibility for one another lead to cooperation that offers investors no regulatory protection.
All three parts must work together for the platform we need. He made the comment that no current institution provides this mix.
He said that the water crisis in Africa is more of a result of systemic and institutional failures that have prevented resources from reaching populations who need them, rather than a problem with technology or money.