CSOs Launch Fifth Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation

HARARE - Civil society organisations, youth groups, trade unions, and grassroots movements across Africa have launched the fifth Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation, a continent-wide mobilisation under the banner of the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC).

In a statement released by the Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights, the coalition announced that from 13–18 October 2025, activities will be held under the theme "Public Water for Climate Resilience", asserting that water is a public good and a human right that must not be surrendered to profit-driven interests.

"Africa faces overlapping environmental challenges, and climate change often reveals itself most forcefully through water," the statement read.

The coalition cited examples from across the continent, including droughts in the Horn of Africa, floods in Mozambique and Nigeria, coastal erosion in North Africa, and irregular rainfall in the Sahel, all exacerbated by decades of underinvestment in public water systems.

Privatisation Under Fire

The CSOs warned that instead of strengthening public infrastructure, many governments are turning to private sector solutions, often under pressure from international financiers. They singled out the rise of desalination projects, which they described as energy-intensive, environmentally harmful, and financially exclusionary.

"Desalinated water is more expensive than conventional sources and produces brine that pollutes marine ecosystems," the statement noted, citing examples from California, Tunisia, and Morocco, where Veolia was awarded a 35-year concession to manage a massive desalination project.

The coalition rejected the trend of commodifying water, arguing that climate resilience must be built on strong, publicly governed systems, not private monopolies.

Call to Action

OWORAC and its allies vowed to mobilise communities, expose the harms of privatisation, and promote alternatives rooted in equity and sustainability. They called on African governments to prioritise human need over financial returns, and urged international institutions to end loan conditions tied to privatisation.

"Africa's water cannot be auctioned off to the highest bidder without imperilling the very basis of life," the statement declared.

The coalition advocated for public financing, renewable energy integration, watershed protection, and indigenous practices such as rainwater harvesting and aquifer recharge. They also called for revitalised community participation and regional partnerships to build African solutions to African challenges.