As part of the campaign, OWORAC unveiled a position paper titled Implementing the Africa Water Vision 2063: An OWORAC Coalition Position on Water Justice, Public Control and Democratic Water Governance.
The paper examines opportunities and challenges in implementing the Africa Water Vision 2063 and proposes measures to ensure that water governance is grounded in human rights, adequate public financing, accountability and meaningful community participation.
The coalition welcomed the African Union’s designation of 2026 as the Year of “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” but stressed that the continental vision must be backed by measurable commitments, sustained funding and transparent implementation.
It identified two key recommendations: rejecting water privatisation and establishing a Continental Water and Sanitation Financing Benchmark.
According to the coalition, the proposed financing benchmark would help African governments establish clear public spending targets, monitor budget releases and expenditure, and assess whether investments translate into improved access, affordability and service quality.
OWORAC drew comparisons with existing financing benchmarks in health and education, including the 2001 Abuja Declaration, which called for African governments to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to health, and the Education 2030 Framework for Action, which recommends education spending of 4% to 6% of gross domestic product or 15% to 20% of total public expenditure.
The coalition said a comparable benchmark for water and sanitation should be supported by national financing targets, transparent reporting and community oversight.
It stressed that governments must go beyond announcing budget allocations to disclose how much money is actually released and spent, what infrastructure and services are delivered, and whether these investments improve the lives of affected communities.
The position paper also recommends stronger public water institutions, transparent disclosure of water-related contracts and financing arrangements, inclusive water resources management, and meaningful participation by communities, workers, women and other affected groups in decision-making.
OWORAC urged African governments to reject privatisation, commercialisation, concessions, public-private partnerships, management and lease contracts, outsourcing and prepaid water-meter arrangements that transfer control or delivery of public water services to commercial interests.
It further proposed an African Water Accountability and Monitoring Mechanism to track progress, strengthen public scrutiny and hold governments and institutions accountable for their commitments.
The coalition said Africa’s water future should be built on adequately funded public systems, equitable access and democratic governance, insisting that safe water and sanitation must be treated as essential human rights and public responsibilities rather than commercial privileges.
The statement was endorsed by the Senegalese Water Justice Network, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Amaka Nweke Foundation, Water Citizens Network/Revenue Mobilisation Africa, Disability Not a Barrier Initiative, Cheriehomes Global Initiatives, Christian Initiative for Nation Building, Green Scenery, Voices for Water, the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya and Corporate Accountability International.
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