3 September 2018: The African Union Commission (AUC) and its partners launched a water project under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. The project, to be known as PIDA Water, is allocating US$10 billion of funds over a five-year period from 2019 to 2024 to supporting infrastructure for transboundary water and hydropower projects as part of a thrust towards regional economic integration.

PIDA Water will accelerate project preparation, finance priority projects, and foster a water-food-energy-environment nexus approach. Besides building new structures, PIDA Water may also consider rehabilitating old infrastructure.

AUC partners in this effort include the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). In a communiqué issued during World Water Week, the partners called on the African Ministerial Conference on Water (AMCOW) to support the partnership and boost implementation of projects for water infrastructure as a basis for achieving the African Union Agenda 2063. They noted the relevance of water to almost every aspect of Agenda 2063 in terms of: building robust, competitive and climate-resilient economies; promoting employment opportunities; and delivering inclusive socioeconomic development and better livelihoods.

Further funding for water projects in Africa will be available from 2021 through the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP).

Speaking at the launch event, Kay Parplies, European Commission, announced that further funding will be available from 2021 for water projects in Africa, through the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP).

PIDA, endorsed by AU countries in January 2012, has 51 different programmes and projects in the four priority sectors of energy, transport, information and communication technology (ICT), and transboundary water. The programme estimates that African countries need a total of US$93 billion a year to put in place the necessary infrastructure for energy, water and sanitation, transport, ICTs, and irrigation. [GWP Press Release] [NEPAD Web Page on PIDA]