OWORAC Warns Against Water Privatisation In Africa, Demands Community Participation

The Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC) has raised concerns over what it described as the growing push towards water privatisation across Africa, warning that such policies could undermine public accountability and access to safe water on the continent.

The coalition expressed the concern following a regional consultation in Abuja hosted by the African Ministers’ Council on Water as part of discussions on the First Implementation Plan of the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy.

According to OWORAC, the increasing emphasis on private sector participation, blended financing models and public-private partnerships in the water sector could open the door to widespread privatisation of water services across Africa.

The coalition warned that experiences from several African countries have shown that privatisation often leads to rising water tariffs, poor public accountability, deteriorating labour conditions and unequal access to water services.

OWORAC stressed that water should be treated primarily as a public good and a fundamental human right rather than an economic commodity driven by profit.

The coalition also expressed concern over what it described as the exclusion of affected communities, civil society organisations and water workers’ unions from the Abuja consultation process.

According to the group, people directly affected by water shortages and sanitation challenges must be actively involved in decisions concerning Africa’s water future.

OWORAC further noted that the consultation provided little clarity on how the ambitious goals of the Africa Water Vision 2063 would be financed and implemented, including safeguards to prevent excessive private sector control of public water systems.

The coalition referenced ongoing concerns in Senegal, where water distribution is managed by Sen’Eau, a company largely controlled by the French multinational Suez, noting that communities have raised issues over rising water costs, poor service delivery and weakened public oversight.

OWORAC also pointed to Nigeria’s water challenges, noting that millions of Nigerians still lack reliable access to safe drinking water despite several reforms and commercialisation efforts in the sector.

The coalition maintained that many communities across Nigeria still rely on private water vendors and boreholes because of years of neglect and underinvestment in public water systems.

OWORAC therefore called on African governments, regional institutions and development partners to ensure that the implementation of the Africa Water Vision 2063 is guided by transparency, inclusiveness, public accountability and strong public control of water resources.

The coalition urged governments to strengthen public water systems, reject policies promoting privatisation and guarantee meaningful participation of communities, workers and civil society groups in water governance decisions.