The African Union–AIP Water Investment Summit 2025 is slated for August 13–15, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa. Organized by the African Union in partnership with the Republic of South Africa and the Africa Water Investment Programme, the summit aims to unite heads of state, government ministers, financiers, private-sector leaders, and civil society in a concerted effort to address Africa's water and sanitation financing. Its primary focus is on mobilizing investments into climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure leveraging public budgets, institutional investors, climate funds, and private capital to foster water security, economic growth, and sustainable development across the continent.
Central to the summit’s agenda is the launch of the Africa Water Investment Action Plan, developed by the African Union Commission with support from the High‑Level Panel on Water Investments. This plan outlines five critical actions, including enhancing project bankability and enabling legal frameworks for commercial water use, to unlock an additional US $30 billion annually required to achieve SDG 6 in Africa. Set against a backdrop where Africa currently invests only $10–19 billion per year in water infrastructure (far short of the $64 billion target), the summit marks a crucial opportunity to translate political will and innovative financing tools into tangible projects that bolster resilience and prosperity across the continent.
