Water Management Issues in Africa Conference Report

With 15% of the global population, Africa has only 9% of the global renewable water resources. Water is unevenly distributed throughout the continent; Central Africa alone accounts for 48% of the continent’s total internal water resources, while Northern Africa only has 1.5%. Groundwater resources represent 15% of the total water in the continent but supply about 75% of its population with drinking water. Africa has total surface water resources. This poses a challenge to the development and equitable sharing of water resources. Water is a crucial resource with great implications for Africa’s development. Increasing population and economic growth has led to an increase in water demand. As per capita water availability declines, partitioning of water for domestic consumption, agriculture, and other forms of water use, while ensuring the health of water ecosystems, is becoming a subject of serious concern. It is now well established that water security is affected by climate change, environmental pollution, and unplanned development. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and many other countries in Africa are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change with regard to water security.