Women continue to bear the brunt of lack of access to water in Africa: Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa was addressing the opening of the African Union-AIP Water Investment Summit in Cape Town on Wednesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa presided over the swearing-in ceremony of Minister Firoz Cachalia at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 1 August 2025. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that women continue to bear the brunt of a lack of access to water on the continent and has called for greater investment to reverse the trend.
He said it's high time water accessibility becomes a priority instead of being an afterthought when dealing with issues like climate and finance.
Ramaphosa was addressing the opening of the African Union-AIP Water Investment Summit in Cape Town on Wednesday.
He said one of the water summit’s main goals is to endorse a declaration that commits to scaling up investment in water infrastructure.
Ramaphosa told the summit that $30 billion is needed to close Africa’s water investment gap and to ensure greater access to the critical natural resource.
He said investments in water infrastructure should also ensure that women benefit from better access to water.
“I raise the issue of women advisedly because in the end, particularly on our continent, it is women who bear the brunt of lack of access to water, and we need to endow the women of our continent with dignity and respect and make sure they have access to good water.”
Ramaphosa told delegates that the summit must also commit to scaling up investment, adding that 80 priority projects from 30 countries are currently in the pipeline.