Ramaphosa Launches Global Water Investment Drive at Africa Summit in Cape Town

Cape Town – 13 August 2025 — President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for water to be placed at the centre of the global political and financial agenda, as he officially opened the Africa Water Investment Summit and launched the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday.

The summit — attended by heads of state, government leaders, financiers, and development partners — marks a pivotal moment in addressing what Ramaphosa described as a “deepening water crisis” while unlocking opportunities for economic transformation, innovation, and peace.

“Water investment must no longer be an afterthought at climate and finance discussions. It must be financed, tracked, and championed,” Ramaphosa declared.

A Decade-Long Journey

The President traced the origins of the event to the 2016 High-Level Panel on Water, launched by then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. That initiative led to the creation of the Africa Water Investment Programme and a target to mobilise at least $30 billion annually by 2030 to close Africa’s water investment gap.

South Africa, a founding member of the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, is hosting the summit under its current G20 Presidency in partnership with the African Union.

Four Summit Goals

Ramaphosa outlined four key objectives for the summit:

1. Endorse a declaration to scale up investment, improve governance, and increase accountability in the water sector.
2. Showcase 80 priority water investment projects from 38 countries.
3. Facilitate matchmaking between governments, financiers, and partners.
4. Elevate water issues at major global platforms, including G20, COP30, and the UN 2026 Water Conference.

Global Outlook Council on Water Investments

The newly launched council, part of a G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative, will transform the Africa Water Investment Programme into a Global Water Investment Platform — billed as the world’s premier political and investment body for water.

It will track progress, unlock finance, and coordinate efforts across the G20, UN, multilateral development banks, and private sector partners.

The council will be co-chaired by Ramaphosa alongside President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE), Prime Minister Mia Mottley (Barbados), and philanthropist Bill Gates. Leaders from Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia, the UK, Germany, Italy, the European Commission, Angola, and Senegal have also joined as members.

Infrastructure as a Catalyst

Highlighting South Africa’s domestic achievements, Ramaphosa cited the second phase of the Zuikerbosch Water Purification Plant in Gauteng — a mega-project that will supply an additional 600 million litres of water per day to four provinces.

“This flagship project is a demonstration of our government’s commitment to infrastructure investment, economic upliftment, and sustainable water supply for future generations,” he said.

Call to Action

Ramaphosa urged leaders, investors, and global institutions to forge lasting partnerships and secure financing that will transform water from a “crisis sector into an opportunity sector.”

Quoting Nelson Mandela, he concluded: “It is now in our hands. Let the work begin. Let us leave no one behind.”