World Water Day: Water is Life, and Life Cannot Wait
A few years ago, I met a young girl named Amina in a rural village in Malawi. Aged only ten, her day began before sunrise. Each morning, she walked over five kilometres to fetch water for her family. She was exhausted long before she even started school. The water she carried was murky, unreliable, and often made her sick. But she had no choice—clean water was simply not available.
Amina’s story is not unique. Across Africa, millions of women and children wake up to the same reality every day, spending hours fetching water when they could be learning, working, or simply enjoying their childhood. Water is not just a resource; it determines the course of a person’s life.
Water is Life, and Life Cannot Wait
This year’s World Water Day theme, Glacier Preservation, may feel remote from Southern Africa’s dry plains and bustling cities, but it is critically relevant. Glaciers—though thousands of kilometres away—are key regulators of the global water cycle. As they melt due to accelerating climate change, the impact is being felt in the form of disrupted rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events across Africa.
Glacier loss in the Andes or the Himalayas may seem far removed, but the resulting climate instability reverberates across borders—drying rivers in Zimbabwe, altering rainfall in Malawi, and increasing flood risk in Mozambique. The melting of glaciers is a distant alarm bell with local consequences.
At the African Development Bank, we believe that addressing water insecurity means recognising these global interconnections—and responding with urgency and unity.
In Zambia’s Western Province—one of the country’s poorest regions—water scarcity has long been a challenge. Through the Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Western Zambia Project, we have constructed 10 solar-powered water schemes in rural growth centres like Nkeyema, Kaoma, and Mongu. These now deliver clean piped water directly to 12,762 people, with 22,000 more benefiting indirectly.
Harnessing solar power keeps the systems environmentally sustainable. Children now have water at school, attendance has improved, and local livelihoods are growing stronger. Communities have also been trained to maintain the infrastructure—ensuring long-term resilience.
Lesotho, known as the “Kingdom in the Sky,” is a critical water source for the region. The Lowlands Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project is closing the access gap for rural communities, with:
- 17 new water supply systems
- 170 km of pipelines
- 266 sanitation facilities
- High-capacity boreholes improving community resilience
Through Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Lesotho is also helping secure water for Gauteng, the economic heart of South Africa, home to 26 million people. The project enhances Lesotho’s infrastructure and creates thousands of jobs.
This is what cooperation in the face of climate change looks like—shared water, shared benefit.
Since 2008, the Bank has played a pivotal role in Angola’s water and sanitation sector. Through our support:
- 922,000 people have gained improved access
- 402,000 more benefit in peri-urban areas
- Revenue collection has strengthened the sector’s long-term sustainability
In 2024, the Bank launched Phase 1 of the Angola Coastal Town Inclusive Sanitation Project, which will provide climate-resilient sanitation for 1.4 million people.
In Eswatini, the Matsapha Sustainable Water Supply Project ensures both households and industries have reliable access. This secures one of the country’s largest economic hubs and supports food security through stable supply for agriculture.
Mozambique is highly vulnerable to climate disruption. The Climate Resilient Water Supply and Sanitation Project is restoring infrastructure in drought-prone areas, delivering safe water to over 700,000 people. It is a model for building back better in a warming world.
In Malawi, through the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Project, the Bank has delivered boreholes, rehabilitated systems, and improved sanitation in schools and clinics. Girls like Amina no longer carry the burden of water collection—and can now focus on their future.
In Madagascar, we are expanding rural water and sanitation access through targeted WASH interventions—building resilience in underserved communities vulnerable to drought and disease.
Glaciers may seem far removed from the lives of rural children in Southern Africa—but their loss is shaping our climate reality. As glaciers recede, we face increased water stress, agricultural decline, and deepening inequality.
At the African Development Bank, we are working with governments and regional partners to manage water resources across borders, support sustainable infrastructure, and empower communities to adapt. The Bank’s 121 active water operations, including six multinational and regional projects worth $5.91 billion, all integrate climate adaptation measures. By 2030, the Bank aims to invest an additional $12 billion in water and sanitation to provide an additional 100 million people with improved access to these services.
As we mark World Water Day, I ask:
- What can we do—together—to ensure no child must walk for hours to fetch water?
- That no mother worries if her child’s water is safe to drink?
- That no country faces water insecurity alone?
We all have a role to play—governments, private sector, development partners, and citizens. The African Development Bank is ready to lead, but we must walk this path together.
Amina’s story should not be Africa’s future. She deserves the chance to learn, to thrive, to grow up without the burden of water on her shoulders.
No child should suffer simply because they were born far from a tap. Water is life—and life cannot wait.
Let us preserve our glaciers, protect our resources, and secure a future where every African has access to safe, sustainable water.
#WorldWaterDay #WaterForPeace #GlacierPreservation #WaterIsLife #AfDB #SouthernAfrica
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