The African Development Bank Group will highlight the importance of preparation, financing and coordination for water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives across Africa at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia. The Bank and the African Water Facility’s delegations to the world’s largest international gathering of water sector partners will share insights, strategies and stories of sustainable development successes from the continent.
The World Water Forum, held every three years since 1997, draws thousands of participants from politics, academia, multilateral institutions, civil society, and the private sector to discuss water-related issues. This year's Forum is co-organized by the World Water Council and the Republic of Indonesia, under the theme, “Water for Shared Prosperity.”
“The African Development Bank is committed to contributing to sustainable economic growth and progress in Africa. Our participation at this forum adds to the Bank’s ongoing efforts towards a prosperous Africa where everyone has access to essential resources such as water and sanitation,” said African Water Facility Coordinator Mtchera Chirwa, who will represent the Bank Group’s president, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina at the forum.
“I am delighted to lead this delegation to share strategies from the Bank’s work, strengthen collaboration, and forge new partnerships to accelerate progress in Africa’s water sector,” he said.
The delegation from the Bank will join a high-level meeting of the G20 Bali Global Blended Finance Alliance, where the Indonesian government and partners will launch the Alliance Secretariat and hold a roundtable discussion on Global South collaboration.
The Bank will host and speak at more than a dozen Forum sessions, including an event on Tuesday 21 May presenting the African Water Facility’s Africa Urban Sanitation Investment initiative – a new financing window dedicated to improving sanitation in Africa’s urban areas. Debjyoty Mukherjee, Principal Public-Private Partnership Finance expert at the African Water Facility, will lead the discussion.
On Wednesday, 22 May, Chirwa moderated a session on “Innovative Financing and Resource Mobilization for Climate-resilient Water and Sanitation Investments”. This event will focus on the importance of project preparation and coordination for water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives across Africa, backed by innovative financing solutions. He also spoke at the closing ceremony of the Basin Segment Day, in the “Roundtable of Basin Champions” on Wednesday.
In addition, members of the Bank delegation speak or moderate during the following sessions:
- “Roundtable of multilateral development banks” – Monday, 20 May.
- “From incubation to financing: developing projects of climate change adaptation in basins of lakes, rivers and aquifers” high-level event – Monday, 20 May
- “High-level Panel on “Non-Conventional Water Resources and Associated Renewable Energies” – Tuesday, 21 May
- “Benefits from Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Nile Basin” – Wednesday, 22 May
- the Bank’s water and sanitation investment areas and Bank projects such as the Kigali Bulk Water Supply System – Wednesday, 22 May
- “The African Water Facility”, Africa’s project preparation facility for the development of climate-resilient water and sanitation investments – Thursday, 23 May
- “The African Development Bank and the Private Sector” – Friday, 24 May
The Bank’s delegation will meet with donors and business leaders to discuss partnerships and funding to meet Africa's growing need for better water and sanitation services. The Bank is also co-hosting the Africa Pavilion alongside the African Union Commission, African Ministers’ Council on Water, and the African Water Facility. This collaboration aims to present a unified narrative and share knowledge from Africa’s water sector to enrich the global dialogue at the forum.
