Kigali to Host 2026 Africa Water Leadership Symposium on Systemic Reforms

The Africa All Systems Leadership Symposium, scheduled for 13–17 July 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, will serve as a direct follow-up to the AU-AIP Water Summit held in Cape Town from 13–15 August 2025.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Africa Hub has confirmed its commitment to co-convene a landmark leadership symposium aimed at tackling the systemic barriers preventing African countries from mobilizing sustainable water sector financing. The announcement was made during the inaugural African Union (AU)–Africa Investment Programme (AIP) Water Summit 2025, where governments, financiers, and institutions pledged billions in investment commitments.

Building on Momentum from Cape Town Summit

The Africa All Systems Leadership Symposium, scheduled for 13–17 July 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, will serve as a direct follow-up to the AU-AIP Water Summit held in Cape Town from 13–15 August 2025.

According to Juste Nansi, Director of the IRC Africa Hub, the symposium will be co-convened by three pivotal institutions:

• AU-AIP – bringing the highest level of continental political leadership.

• African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) – providing ministerial authority and stewardship.

• IRC Africa Hub – contributing technical, systems-based expertise and facilitation.

The governments of South Africa (current summit chair) and Rwanda (host nation) have confirmed their political support, which Nansi stressed will be “instrumental in ensuring both political momentum and operational success.”

Addressing Systemic Bottlenecks in Water Financing

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) describes the AIP’s Pyramid of Water Investment Transformation as a financing model designed to help Africa achieve its ambitious annual water investment target by 2030. However, despite the availability of global funds, challenges remain.

Nansi pointed to remarks by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the opening of the Cape Town summit, where he urged stakeholders to “transform water from a crisis sector into an opportunity sector.” This was echoed by development banks and private financiers who emphasized that the obstacle is not the absence of capital but rather a lack of trust and systemic credibility in Africa’s water sector.

“The Kigali Symposium will respond directly to these concerns,” Nansi said. “It will focus on systemic reforms, transformation agendas, and trust-building initiatives that unlock financing opportunities for infrastructure across the continent.”

A Pan-African Platform for Reform and Action

The five-day symposium will bring together Heads of State, Ministers, parliamentarians, mayors, regulators, utilities, investors, innovators, and public finance authorities to co-design systemic reform pathways and commit to operational transformation.

Key focus areas include:

1. Leadership for System Transformation

Aligning political, financial, and technical leadership to address systemic bottlenecks that hinder financing flows and project implementation.

2. Strategic Public Finance and Domestic Resource Mobilisation

Strengthening engagement with Ministries of Finance, central banks, and development banks to expand national fiscal space and improve the creditworthiness of the water and sanitation sector.

3. Professionalisation of Service Provision

Supporting reforms that enhance the operational efficiency and sustainability of utilities and service providers to ensure long-term reliability.

4. Regulation and Accountability

Embedding stronger governance mechanisms, including transparency, performance monitoring, and citizen participation, to build confidence among financiers and stakeholders.

Accelerating Reform Through Partnerships

Through curated transformation dialogues, reform matchmaking sessions, and targeted investment conversations, the Kigali event will serve as an accelerator for multi-country reform projects aligned with AU-AIP’s strategic goals.

Nansi stressed that the symposium is designed not merely as a policy dialogue but as a commitment-building platform, one that translates political ambition into tangible outcomes.

“We will collaborate with all partners to ensure this event marks a milestone in Africa’s journey toward stronger governance systems,” he said. “By mobilizing both domestic and external investments at scale, we aim to secure a future where every African enjoys safe water and sanitation.”

Towards a Water-Secure Africa

The Kigali Symposium of 2026 is expected to become a defining moment for Africa’s water and sanitation agenda, bridging the gap between political ambition and operational delivery. By fostering systemic reforms, building trust with financiers, and professionalizing service provision, the symposium seeks to unlock the bottom and middle tiers of the investment pyramid—areas often overlooked but essential to achieving a water-secure Africa by 2030.