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22 August 2025
Insights from the African Union–AIP Water Investment Summit
The African Union–Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) Water Investment Summit 2025 showcased a pipeline of over 80 water projects, which had been screened for initial feasibility, commercial viability, and investment need. Project owners had the opportunity to briefly introduce their project, and this was followed by a structured round of discussions where the investors in the room could pose detailed questions to the project owners.
During the Summit, ICLEI’s Regional Director and Deputy Secretary General, Kobie Brand, joined a high-level panel to highlight the pivotal role of local governments in addressing Africa’s water challenges. The projects presented in this session came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Cote d’Ivoire.
Together with ICLEI’s Global Water Coordinator, Anton Earle, she emphasised that local governments are not secondary actors, but full-fledged governments with the mandate to deliver essential services, enact and enforce by-laws, and generate local revenue. Their contributions must be fully recognised in national development goals.
The right to water and sanitation is recognised nationally, but realised locally. To meet this responsibility, municipalities need stronger support and effective partnerships. There are good examples of local governments partnering with the private sector in public–private partnerships (PPPs) to supply water and sanitation services.
While PPPs already provide important models for extending water and sanitation services, public–public partnerships between local and national governments are equally vital to scale solutions that ensure universal access.
As Africa advances its water investment agenda, empowering local governments as co-leaders will be essential to securing a resilient and water-wise future.
