The African Union and His Excellency, President Hakainde Hichilema, in collaboration with the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa yesterday launched the Zambia Water Investment Programme.
The International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa was formally launched on 25 March 2022, during the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, by H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chair of the African Union.
The objective of the panel is to develop actionable pathways for mobilising US$30 billion annually by 2030, for implementing the AIP and closing the existing water investment gap in Africa, which is estimated at US$ 11-19bn to achieve SDG 6 on water and sanitation.
Under the banner of “Supporting the attainment of the Vision 2030 aimed at attaining prosperous middle-income status by 2030”, the Zambia Water Investment Programme aims to ensure national water security and the sustainable management and use of Zambia’s water resources for socio-economic development.
The Zambia Water Investment Programme falls within the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP), which was adopted by the African Heads of State and Government in February 2021 during the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.
The main expected result from the AIP is the leveraging of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) investments worth US$30 billion annually by 2030 and the resultant creation of five million jobs over the same period.
The key results that are expected from the formulation and implementation of the Zambia Water Investment Programme are the leveraging of about US$5.75 billion for water security investments and the creation of about 200,000 formal jobs in Zambia by 2030.
The main objective of the Zambia Water Investment Programme is to enhance job creation through gender-sensitive investments in water security, industrialisation and climate-resilient development.
The Zambia Water Investment Programme will be presented as an example of how countries can prepare the ground for investment mobilization, use of the Scorecard approach in investment mobilisation and collaboration with the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa.
