This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
As the continent's water quality infrastructure deteriorate, water utilities and users across Africa are being forced to innovate.
According to a 2014 OECD study, the annual funding gap for infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa is approximately $50 billion, with water infrastructure requiring $11 billion annually.
Additionally, the African Development Bank estimated in 2018 that the continent's infrastructure funding gap is between $130 and $170 billion per year.
Despite these significant funding needs, investment in water infrastructure financing is often falling, limiting access to safe water and hindering economic growth.
As of 2017, international donor and external financing for water infrastructure in Africa had decreased, with African states funding water infrastructure at national and subnational levels falling from $6.1 billion in 2016 to $5.9 billion.
At the 83rd Africa Water Association (AfWA) scientific and technical council meeting in Kampala, experts highlighted the challenges faced by utilities in supplying safe and clean water amidst industrial waste pollution and climate change-induced water scarcity.
Delegates recommended embracing the circular economy, which emphasizes the reuse of water, and adopting a simple scientific method to turn contaminated water into safe drinking water.
"We are living in an environment where resources are diminishing," said Eng Johnson Amayo, acting Managing Director of Uganda's National Water and Sewerage Corporation.
