Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene September 2018 Vol.13 No.4 | Page 19

Transboundary Waters
(SIDA) said that it was important to finding a connection
of water financing and innovation, however, there are a
few water projects for SIDA guarantees. He, however,
noted that water projects are being explored and one such
project is in Kenya. He revealed that corporate stewardship
is another area which is being supported in some African
countries (South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia etc.).
“It’s important to find the best solutions on how to make
the projects better. Some of the old projects especially
dams on the Zambezi river need rehabilitation. There have
to be policies in place in addition to the day to day running
of the projects,” he noted
Mr. Kay Parplies, Head of unit, Investment and
Innovation Financing in the European Commission’s
Directorate-General for International Cooperation and
Development (DG DEVCO), noted that the institution
is starting to design guarantees and water is one of the
areas they are considering, though at the moment water
is not one of the key areas, it will be considered. He said
that from 2021 there will be a new funding that can be
considered for Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP)
The partners in a signed communique acknowledged
the support expressed by partners and stakeholders
to accelerate project preparation and financing of
PIDA water priority transboundary projects and foster
a water-food-energy-environment nexus approach
in the development of hydropower projects through
implementation of the PIDA Water Project 2019 – 2024.
They encouraged close cooperation with the AU Member
States sponsoring the individual water and hydropower
projects, as well as the active mobilisation and involvement
of the private sector and the African Union’s technical,
financial and implementing partners to transform and
improve the investment outlook for water security and
sustainable sanitation in Africa.
The partners took note of the vitality of water to nearly
every aspect of ongoing efforts to implement the African
Union Agenda 2063 and pursue rapid and sustainable
pathways to build robust, competitive and climate
resilient economies; accelerate employment; and deliver
inclusive socio-economic development and livelihoods
improvement.
They noted with appreciation the contributions of
GWP, AUC, NEPAD Agency, AfDB, AWF, AMCOW
and the partner organisations in formulating one of the
HLPW Legacy Initiatives – the AIP – to respond to the
three bottlenecks identified in the delivery of the water
infrastructure needed to underpin economic growth
and transformation in Africa, namely: i) the need for
enhanced governance and investment guarantees for
water management; ii) the need for country-led, integrated
economic analysis of the role of water in the economy;
and iii) the need for effective transaction management
support.
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • September 2018
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