By JKNewsMedia
RAGING ISSUES over the growing push towards water privatisation in Africa and the exclusion of affected communities from the implementation of the Africa Water Vision 2063 have been raised by the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC), which warned that such an approach could weaken public accountability and threaten access to safe water across the continent.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the coalition raised the concerns following a regional consultation in Abuja hosted by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), as part of continental consultations on the First Implementation Plan 2026 to 2033 of the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy.
Representatives of the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), development partners and regional institutions attended the meeting, which came after the AU adopted 2026 as the Year of “Ensuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
In a statement, OWORAC warned that increasing emphasis on private sector participation, blended financing models and public private partnerships in the water sector could lead to greater privatisation of water services across Africa.
“Across Africa, such models have often resulted in rising water tariffs, weak public accountability, deteriorating labour conditions, and unequal access to water services,” the coalition stated.
“When essential public services are transferred to corporate actors, the human right to water risks being subordinated to profit driven interests.”
OWORAC said water workers across the continent were increasingly becoming marginalised, victimised or pushed into precarious working conditions under privatised systems.
The coalition stated that any serious African water vision must recognise workers alongside communities as central stakeholders in public water governance.
The coalition acknowledged the importance of investment in water infrastructure but cautioned against treating water mainly as an economic commodity.
“Water is first and foremost a public good and a human right,” the coalition stated. “Policies that prioritise investor confidence over universal access and public accountability, risk deepening inequality and worsening water insecurity for poor and vulnerable communities.”
OWORAC also expressed concern over the exclusion of communities affected by water shortages and sanitation challenges, civil society organisations and water workers’ unions from the Abuja consultation.
The coalition noted that although the Africa Water Vision 2063 commits to including civil society in the co design and implementation of the policy framework, the Abuja consultation appeared dominated largely by government officials and regional institutions.
“The people most affected by water shortages and sanitation failures must not be sidelined from decisions about Africa’s water future,” the coalition stated. “Community participation must be real, structured, and guaranteed.”
OWORAC further stated that the consultation provided little clarity on how the goals of the Africa Water Vision 2063 would be financed and implemented or what safeguards would prevent extensive private sector control over public water systems.
The coalition linked the concerns to Senegal’s leadership role in continental water governance, noting that the country currently chairs AMCOW and plays a key role in shaping Africa’s water policy direction.
OWORAC cited criticism surrounding urban water management in Senegal where water distribution is managed by Sen’Eau, a company largely controlled by the French multinational Suez.
The coalition stated that since the arrangement began in 2020, communities had raised concerns over rising water costs, poor service delivery, transparency issues and weakened public oversight. It also referenced allegations of intimidation and retaliation against unionised workers advocating for improved working conditions.
OWORAC also referred to Nigeria’s water challenges, stating that millions of Nigerians still lacked reliable access to safe drinking water despite the country’s prominent role in regional policy discussions.
“Across Nigeria, many communities depend on private water vendors, boreholes, and other informal sources because public water systems have suffered years of neglect and underinvestment stemming from a dogmatic pursuit of the false solution of privatisation,” the statement noted.
“Despite various privatisation and commercialisation drives within the sector over the years, water delivery has not significantly improved for ordinary people, while valuable public resources are diverted into creating an ‘enabling environment’ for corporations. Instead, access challenges, inequality, and the financial burden on households have continued to deepen.”
OWORAC called on African governments, regional institutions and development partners to ensure that implementation of the Africa Water Vision 2063 is guided by transparency, inclusiveness, public accountability and commitment to public control of water.
The coalition also urged governments to strengthen public water systems, reject policies encouraging privatisation and guarantee meaningful participation of communities, workers and civil society organisations in water governance decisions.
“Water is a public good,” OWORAC stated. “Its future must be determined by the people who depend on it for life and dignity, not by profit.”
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