Nigeria and the African Union Commission have stepped up collaboration to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation across Africa following a high-level engagement with the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) in Abuja.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, received a delegation from the African Union Commission led by Director for Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy, Harsen Nyambe, alongside AMCOW’s Officer-in-Charge, Nelson Gomonda, and other senior officials, according to a statement issued Wednesday.
Utsev described the visit as timely, noting that it would strengthen continental cooperation on water governance and support efforts to operationalise key frameworks aimed at closing Africa’s water access gaps.
“Water security is central to Africa’s transformation. Without safe water and sanitation, we cannot achieve food security, industrialisation, or climate resilience,” the minister said, stressing the need for sustained political commitment across member states.
He also highlighted the African Union’s 2026 Theme of the Year — “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems” — as a major step toward advancing the goals of Agenda 2063, adding that Nigeria is prepared to support the development of an actionable implementation plan for the Africa Water Vision 2063 covering 2026 to 2033.
Responding, Nyambe commended Nigeria’s continued leadership in Africa’s water governance architecture and its longstanding role as host of the AMCOW Secretariat since 2002. He said the visit formed part of wider consultations with member states to advance implementation of the Africa Water Vision 2063.
“Our mission here is to deepen collaboration with key member states like Nigeria as we move towards implementing the Africa Water Vision 2063 and ensuring that no one is left behind,” Nyambe said, adding that the upcoming implementation plan would prioritise high-impact programmes to expand access to water and sanitation services across the continent.
Despite growing policy attention, access to safe water and sanitation remains a major challenge in Africa. United Nations estimates show that more than 400 million people lack safe drinking water, while over 700 million do not have adequate sanitation services.
In Nigeria, millions—particularly in rural and underserved communities—still lack safely managed water and sanitation, contributing to the spread of waterborne diseases and slowing socio-economic development. The Abuja engagement is expected to strengthen regional coordination as countries intensify efforts to achieve universal access in line with Agenda 2063.
