President Hakainde Hichilema has described the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy as a transformative blueprint and the collective answer to the continent’s water challenge.
President Hichilema says the water vision and policy is a cornerstone of the African Union theme for 2026, which is ‘Assuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems to achieve goals for Agenda 2063.
He noted that water is Africa’s most vital strategic resource and a lifeblood that sustains its people, the energy that powers industries and the common thread that binds African nations together.
President Hichilema said this in a speech read on his behalf by Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Collins Nzovu, at the dinner to launch the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last evening.
“Yet we face an existential threat, climate change is no longer a distant warning, it is our current reality, manifesting devastating drought and floods that threaten our food security under our very stability,” he said.
President Hichilema has since urged African countries to cooperate, especially that 90 percent of the continent’s surface water crosses borders.
He added that the vision and police serve as Africa’s common position that integrates water into the continent’s peace and security foundation.
President Hichilema said shared basins should remain engines of regional integration and not sources of conflicts.
“As we launch this vision, we must also confront the cost of inaction. We face an annual investment gap of US$30 billion to achieve our sanitation goals,” he said.
And President Hichilema said Zambia’s commitment to water investment extends beyond African borders, as the country has a global responsibility as the co-chair with Finland of the interactive dialogue on water cooperation for the upcoming United Nations Water 2026 Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
He has since requested African countries to support Zambia, noting that Africa’s Water Vision 2063 is the continent’s contribution to the global dialogue.
The Head of State says Africa must speak with one voice to ensure that the continent’s agenda of transboundary and international water cooperation and climate-resilient water security becomes the global benchmark by the end of this year.
“Let us invest boldly, let us govern inclusively, and let us act collectively. Together, we will deliver the Africa we want, a water-secure and resilient continent with safe sanitation,” he said.
