The choice of the theme for the year 2026, “Ensuring sustainable availability of safe water and sanitation to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063,” highlights a structural emergency facing Africa. According to UN-Water data (2024), approximately 400 million Africans still lack access to an improved drinking water source, while nearly 700 million live without adequate sanitation.
This deficit has profound repercussions on public health, particularly through the persistence of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, but also on children’s education (especially for girls), human dignity, and the economic efficiency of rural and urban populations. In a context of rapid population growth and climate vulnerability, water becomes a central lever for sustainable development.
Why Water & Sanitation?
This theme is perfectly aligned with Agenda 2063, which calls for a “prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development,” as well as with Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which aims for universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.
However, according to the World Bank Africa’s Pulse Report (2023), sub-Saharan Africa needs an estimated $21 billion USD in investments per year to achieve this goal, a figure that far exceeds currently available public funding.
The promotion of integrated water resource governance, cross-border cooperation for river basin management, and the inclusion of the private sector therefore appear as key areas of transformation.
Water is not just a resource: it is the foundation of life, health, food security, energy, and peace.
Under Burundi’s leadership, 2026 will become the year of the great continental awakening for water and sanitation: a year of concrete commitments, innovative financing, and measurable results.