Water Governance in African Cities
The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a magnifying glass on pressing water and sanitation
challenges in African cities, stressing and widening inequalities, especially for
the 56% of the urban population living in informal settlements, lacking basic handwashing
facilities, and relying on public water points and shared toilets. Before the pandemic,
African countries and cities were already facing mounting water challenges with, in
Sub-Saharan Africa only, 418 million people lacking basic access to water supply and
717 million to sanitation, in addition to concomitant floods, droughts and pollution
issues. Megatrends related to climate change, urbanisation and population growth add
more pressure on water resources and require urgent attention for African cities to
cope with future water challenges. Building on a Survey on Water Governance across
36 cities of all size in Africa, this report provides a regional overview of the allocation
of roles and responsibilities for water management, the existence and implementation
of institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks, as well as the critical governance
gaps that need to be bridged in order to boost city government capacity to drive water
security in the continent.
Published on March 24, 2021Also available in: French
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