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potential of the continent is estimated at more than 42,5 million ha and although only 13,4 million ha is under irrigation, it is by far the most widespread form of water management.
Moreover, 93 % of the African population rely on rainfall to live or even survive. Additional attention to agricultural water management would pay dividends because agricultural growth is the key to reducing poverty in Africa and driving economic development.
Africa is well-resourced in terms
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of water resources, yet water withdrawals are less than 3 % of total renewable resources. In addition to this, a recent study about the“ institutional architecture” for AWM in Africa found that there are numerous African institutions with AWM capacities and expertise, but none, nor any existing coalition of institutions, can offer the full range of specialties and degree of coordination needed to meet the challenges faced by African stakeholders.
Water is a crucial resource with
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great implications for African development. The freshwater situation in Africa, however, is not encouraging. Of the estimated inhabitants( over a billion people) who live on the African continent, more than 300 million live in a water-scarce environment. In the year 2000, 300 million Africans or one third of the total population, had no access to drinking water.
In the same year, the average life expectance was 41 years. The annual average precipitation in Africa is 678 mm or about 20 360 km ³ with the driest country Egypt with 51 mm / year on average and with Sao Tome and Principe with three 200 mm / year. Africa’ s total area is 30 million km ² or 22 % of the world’ s emerged landmass. The cultivated area is estimated at 211 million ha or 27 % of the cultivable land on the continent.
Africa’ s renewable water
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for agriculture, 10 % for domestic purposes and 4 % for industry.
The total dam capacity in Africa is 798 km3, of which 726 km3 relates to the capacity of 53 large dams built in 22 river basins. Large dams with a total capacity of 643 km3 exist on the nine international river basins. The Southern Region contains more than one-third of the total dam capacity on the continent( 39 %), followed by the Gulf of Guinea Region( 29 %) and the Northern Region( 24 %), while the Central Region and the Indian Ocean Islands Region, the most humid on the continent, have a small dam capacity. Five main dams( situated in the three regions with the highest capacity on the continent) total 565 km3 of capacity, or 71 % of the total capacity in Africa. The dam with the largest capacity is the Kariba Dam( 188 km3). More than half of the dams are in the Southern Region.
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Renewable water resources for the whole of Africa amount to about 3 930 km ³ or less than 9 % of global renewable resources and the average in 2004 per inhabitant was 4 530 m ³/ inhabitant that ranges from 25 m ³/ inhabitant for Egypt to 121 392 m ³/ inhabitant for Gabon. In Africa, seven countries have lower internal renewable water resources than the cut-off point of 50 m ³/ inhabitant per year.
The total dam capacity is 798 km ³ of which 726 km ³ relates to the capacity of 53 large dams build in 22 river basins. The annual total water withdrawal for Africa is 215 km ³- or barely 5,5 % of the renewable water resources on the continent. On a continental scale, 86 % of renewable water used
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The annual total water withdrawal for Africa is 215 km3, or barely 5.5 % of the renewable water resources on the continent and less than 6 % of world withdrawals. On a continental scale, 86 % of inventoried withdrawals are used for agriculture, a value higher than the global agricultural water withdrawal of 70 %. However, this figure varies substantially at regional level. The Sudano- Sahelian and the Indian Ocean Islands Regions have the highest levels of agricultural withdrawals( 95 and 94 %, respectively, of the total regional water withdrawal), while the Central Region uses only 56 % of its withdrawals for agriculture. The annual precipitation in this region allows rain fed agriculture, which is not feasible in the dry countries. |