The Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC) has warned that growing efforts to expand private sector participation in Africa’s water sector could weaken public accountability and limit access to safe water if communities and workers are sidelined in implementing the Africa Water Vision (AWV) 2063.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Sunday, May 17, following a regional consultation in Abuja organised by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) on the first implementation plan of the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy for 2026–2033.
The consultation brought together representatives of the African Union, ECOWAS, development partners and regional institutions ahead of the African Union’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of “Ensuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063″.
OWORAC expressed concern over what it described as a growing emphasis on private sector participation, blended finance and public-private partnerships in the water sector.
“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.”
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The coalition warned that water workers across the continent are increasingly being marginalised, victimised or pushed into insecure working conditions under privatised systems.
It stressed that communities and workers must be recognised as central stakeholders in public water governance.
While acknowledging the need for investment in water infrastructure, OWORAC cautioned against treating water primarily as a 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 criticised the limited participation of affected communities, civil society groups and water workers’ unions at the Abuja consultation.
According to the coalition, although the Africa Water Vision 2063 framework commits to involving civil society in policy design and implementation, the Abuja meeting appeared to be dominated 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 said. “Community participation must be real, structured, and guaranteed.”
The coalition further questioned how the ambitious goals of the continental water plan would be financed and implemented and what safeguards would prevent excessive private control of public water systems.
OWORAC pointed to Senegal, which currently chairs AMCOW, as an important test case in Africa’s water governance landscape.
It cited criticism surrounding Senegal’s urban water management system, where water distribution is handled by Sen’Eau, a company largely controlled by French multinational Suez.
According to the coalition, communities have raised concerns about rising water costs, poor service delivery, transparency issues and weakened public oversight since the arrangement began in 2020.
It also cited allegations of intimidation and retaliation against unionised workers seeking better working conditions.
The coalition drew parallels with Nigeria’s water crisis, noting that millions of Nigerians still lack reliable access to safe drinking water despite the country’s active role in regional water 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,” they 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.”
The coalition 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 public control of water systems.
“Water is a public good,” OWORAC added. “Its future must be determined by the people who depend on it for life and dignity, not by profit.”
Alex is a business journalist cum data enthusiast with the Pinnacle Daily. He can be reached via ealex@thepinnacleng.com, @ehime_alex on X