New global council to unlock financing for water projects on the continent

By Thapelo Molefe

President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments, which is a G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative intended to elevate water to the top tier of global political and financial agendas.

“Water investment must no longer be an afterthought at climate and finance discussions. It must be at the centre… It must be financed, tracked and championed,” Ramaphosa told the opening of the Africa Water Investment Summit in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The launch of the council will see the Africa Water Investment Programme scaled up into a Global Water Investment Platform.

It will track progress, unlock finance and align efforts across the G20, multilateral development banks and the private sector. 

Ramaphosa stressed that the platform would mobilise government leadership, capital and innovation that was required to transform water from a crisis sector into an opportunity sector.

The summit has four clear goals.

It will