As the world marks World Water Day 2025, the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC) has warned against the growing trend of water privatization in Africa, calling it a dangerous response to climate change.
In a statement issued on Friday 21 March 2025, the coalition urged African governments to protect water as a public good and resist corporate-led management models that could worsen inequality and limit access to clean water.
“This year’s theme, ‘Glacier Preservation,’ highlights the devastating impact of climate change on global freshwater reserves. However, the climate crisis must not be used as a pretext to privatize water,” the statement read.
OWORAC emphasized that rising global temperatures, driven by corporate extractivism and environmental mismanagement, are already putting Africa’s freshwater sources at risk. The melting glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro, the Rwenzori Mountains, and Mount Kenya, which feed major rivers like the Nile and Congo, are threatening water security for millions.
“Africa’s water crisis is at a tipping point, with over 1.3 billion people facing water insecurity daily. The situation will only worsen if profit-driven models are allowed to dictate water distribution,” the coalition warned.
The coalition linked water privatization with the worsening climate crisis, arguing that corporations and financial institutions are exploiting water scarcity to push for profit-driven models such as public-private partnerships (PPPs), water concessions, and bulk water purchase agreements.
“Governments across Africa are systematically ceding control of water systems to private entities, resulting in higher tariffs, reduced oversight, and water cutoffs for non-payment. This approach deepens inequality and denies vulnerable communities access to a basic human right.”
OWORAC dismissed claims that private sector investment is a viable solution to climate-induced water shortages, citing past failures in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Mozambique, Gabon, and Tanzania.
“Market-driven models do not solve water crises they exacerbate them. If climate change is shrinking our water sources, African governments must act to expand and protect public water systems, not privatize them.”
The coalition called for: Massive public investment in climate-resilient water infrastructure, and community-led water governance that prioritizes local needs over corporate profits. Legislative protections to prevent the privatization of water resources under the pretext of climate adaptation, accountability for multinational corporations involved in water exploitation
OWORAC urged African governments, regional blocs, and global institutions to reject all forms of water privatization and support publicly funded water systems.
“Glaciers are melting, but our resistance remains unyielding. African governments must act now to invest in strong, climate-resilient public water systems not sell them off to corporations.”
The statement was signed by: SYNATEEC Trade Union, Cameroon, African Centre for Policy and Advocacy, Cameroon, Biodiversity and Biosafety Association, Kenya, Confédération de Syndicats Autonomes du Sénégal, Senegal Water Justice Network, Senegal, Revenue Mobilization Africa, Ghana, Water Citizens Network, Ghana, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation (CAPPA), Corporate Accountability, USA.
