Latest news with #AfricanUnion-AIPWaterInvestmentSummit
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Ramaphosa calls for water to be at the fore of infrastructure investment
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa said that water should not be relegated to the background and should be at the forefront when it comes to infrastructure investment. He said that the provision of water should be placed at the highest level of the political agenda on the continent and has called on investors to put money in developing water infrastructure. Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address at the opening of the African Union-AIP Water Investment Summit in Cape Town on Wednesday. The president said that one of the summit's aims is to bring Africa and international partners together and has called on investors to heed the call to invest in water. Ramaphosa said that water investment must no longer be an afterthought when countries come together to discuss issues like climate and finance. "Quite often, when investments take place, water is always relegated to the back. We are now bringing water, an essential process that sustains our lives, to the fore to make sure that water is clearly put on the investment agenda." Ramaphosa said the launch of the global outlook council on water investments would see the Africa water investment programme scaled up into a global water investment platform. Ramaphosa also called on governments and investors to build a world where water was recognised as a human right.
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Women continue to bear the brunt of lack of access to water in Africa: Ramaphosa
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.
