To help African countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), international organisations such as the Africa Progress Panel, and the African Union stress the need to accelerate investments in agriculture, fishing, energy, and other sectors. However, those sectors cannot function without water. Water crises, one of the five greatest environmental risks the world is facing today, are already affecting several African countries, reducing food production and increasing hunger. To achieve SDG 6 amidst Climate Change, it is crucial to strengthen the capacity of African stakeholders to manage water resources sustainably, while ensuring the protection and restoration of ecosystems which have a vital role in the hydrological cycle. These are pre-requisites for economic development and social well-being within the constraints that Climate Change imposes.

This policy brief focuses primarily on capacity development for water resource management.