Access to clean water in Africa

Africa’s rapid socio-economic development makes the problem of access to clean water in the region extremely urgent. The need to improve the relevant infrastructure is recognised not only at the level of national governments, but is also becoming an important task for international development institutions, including African ones. In particular, the African Development Bank Group has created the “Water Strategy 2021–2025”.

The article collects, systematises and analyses quantitative indicators that reflect the access of people and economic sectors to clean water, as well as the financing of this area and its place in global (Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030, Millennium Development Goals 2000-2015) and African (“Agenda 2063”) strategies. The authors of the article conclude that modern African approaches to expanding access to clean water and new infrastructure projects imply efficient and systematic use of water resources not only within the national borders of the countries, but also at sub-regional and macro-regional scales. In terms of Russian-African partnership, in addition to investments in infrastructure, technology transfer can play a special role. The priority African markets for the introduction of Russian technologies in the field of water treatment and purification include the countries where the water problem is the most acute and oriented towards cooperation with Russia, in particular, Burkina Faso, Niger, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, and Zimbabwe.