Addis Ababa, August 14, 2025 (FMC) – Ethiopia is taking an active role in the inaugural Africa Water Investment Summit, currently underway in Cape Town, South Africa, aimed at mobilizing $30 billion annually to close Africa’s water investment gap.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Ittefa, is representing the country at the three-day event, which brings together African heads of state, G20 representatives, investors, sector ministers, development partners, and private sector stakeholders. The summit, hosted by South Africa under its G20 presidency and organized jointly with the African Union (AU) and the AU–Africa Water Investment Program (AU-AIP), follows the directives of the 34th African Union Summit.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his opening remarks, described the summit as “a landmark moment not only for Africa, but for the global movement for access to safe water for all.” He also inaugurated the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments, a G20 legacy initiative designed to scale the AU-AIP into a global water investment platform, providing a high-level forum for political and financial coordination on water projects.
The summit seeks to accelerate investment in African water and sanitation programs by presenting a pipeline of 80 priority projects across 38 countries, facilitating partnerships between governments, financial institutions, and development partners, and raising water to a central position on the global agenda.
During the summit, Minister Habtamu Ittefa is scheduled to participate in high-level discussions to highlight Ethiopia’s successful initiatives and achievements in the water sector, including innovative financing mechanisms, water infrastructure projects, and sustainable management practices. He will also hold bilateral meetings with development partners and organizations that have long-standing collaborations with Ethiopia, aiming to strengthen investment and technical support in the country’s water sector.
The Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP), adopted by AU Heads of State in 2021 as part of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, provides the framework for the summit, aiming to transform water and sanitation investment across the continent.
Throughout the conference, delegates will engage in policy dialogues, project matchmaking sessions, and work toward adopting a Declaration on Water Investments to guide future continental efforts.