Roland Brunner’s Post

Nigeria, Editorial in This Day: DWINDLING ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER Government must invest more in the provision of water https://lnkd.in/djHdpBgY

Top Africa Water Firm Writes Off Millions as Cities Fail to Pay Africa’s biggest bulk-water supplier has had to write off millions owed by cities that have failed to pay their bills. https://lnkd.in/dUXThMti

My dear Euphrasia thank you so much for the thought provoking dialogues that you initiate.  My thoughts about this issue are shaped partly by some of the evidence you have shared here. But also by my personal life and professional experiences with water.  The idea of water as a commodity to be sold and for some few individuals to make money from it while poor people struggle to pay for it is horrible. It is not different from the corruption in public water utilities around the continent.  However, the question still remains, what does it take to have access to safe water? The African Water and Sanitation Association _ Association Africaine de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement (AfWASA) working closely with the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) (AMCOW) and the African Union (AU) has a great responsibility to synthesise lessons from across the continent which are similar to some of the models shared by Euphrasia to ensure that everyone on the continent has access to safe water. Especially the poorest of the poor. The major issues are around the enabling environment including finance. Perhaps we need to go the way of the @African Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPG) which I and the team AMCOW produced in 2021 and is being used to disrupt sanitation governance around the world. There are also huge opportunities in climate finance for Africa to leverage. It is happening. We need to identify where these work and replicate.  As we try to address the issues around financing, we must find ways to plug the loopholes of corruption in the sector. The work that the Water Integrity Network (WIN) Network is doing in the sector must be supported and deepened.  Euphrasia Asante Sana. You are a change agent. Keep up the good work. 

Germany Pledges N$383 Million to Boost Water Security and Improve Informal Settlements Germany and Namibia signed three agreements to improve water supply and upgrade informal settlements. Germany will provide N$383 million in grants, including N$192 million for the Ohangwena Aquifer project to benefit 40,000 people. The funds aim to enhance water access and support urban development for low-income groups. Full article: https://lnkd.in/dS78z-7b Source: The Namibian Get all the latest updates on your phone 📲: https://lnkd.in/dGDrnG4B

Discussions on financing models often take place in high-level settings, far removed from the people most affected by these policies, with little to no consultation. For instance, August 2023, Kenya passed its Water (Amendment) Act, allowing the government to enter into water purchase agreements with the private sector. Over the last year, Kenyans - especially those living in rural areas - have experienced reduced water access and declining quality without knowing or understanding the underlying causes. Their lives have been upturned by a simple phrase in a policy document. This #AfricaWaterWeek2024, we are pulling back the curtain on water management in Africa, highlighting how financing, particularly external funding, impacts access to clean water and the costs involved. On Day 2 of the Week of Action, we hosted a knowledge-sharing session with journalists from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and South Africa. This discussion aimed to show and enhance reportage on water access and the growing threat of water privatization across the continent. Journalists in attendance gained a foundational understanding of water privatization, explored external influences on Africa's water policies, and heard firsthand experiences from African journalists reporting on water access challenges. Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition

Albania-Montenegro with an agreement on the management of cross-border water resources - Telegrafi The Council of Ministers approved today several important bilateral agreements, among which the approval in principle of the framework agreement, between Albania and Montenegro https://lnkd.in/dJXQ4Bcu

As the third conference of the #dushanbe #water #process comes to a close, the AIP remains committed to implementing its commitment to the United Nations 2023 Water Conference Water Action Agenda to leverage an additional US$30bn per year by 2030 to close Africa's water investment gap. In the final declaration, leaders at Dushanbe stressed the need to stimulate new and innovative partnerships and accelerate actions to achieve the water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Water security in Africa will increasingly rely on private finance, given the insufficiency of public funds and the contribution that the private sector offers in driving water business efficiency. Public-private partnerships are key to closing Africa's water investment gap and achieving #sdg6. The water sector can attract private capital through blended finance models. This will require government budgets and development finance to be repurposed to provide significantly greater leverage for private capital.  #investinwater #mindthegap #africa

South Africa

The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has urged the Lagos State government and other states in Nigeria to learn from failed water privatisation in the United Kingdom (UK) and adequately fund public sector solutions to the water crisis. RDI made the call in reaction to the just-released study by the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) of the University of Greenwich which showed that investors in England and Wales’ water sector (largely driven by profits) withdrew over £85.2bn from 10 water and sewerage firms in England and Wales since the industry was privatised more than 30 years ago. To read more, click on https://lnkd.in/dJt6rcRi #lagosstate #lagosuk #waterresources #privatisation #africaday #government #bilateralrelationships #publicsectorglobal #trendingnews #governmentnews #ministry #governmentagency #appointment #government #publicsector

Investor warning over water security in South Africa South Africa’s water security remains one of the most pressing issues for households and businesses, and continues to remain top of mind for investors. https://lnkd.in/dYRrWbRn