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South Africa: 44th SADC Summit – Water infrastructure investment will unlock industrial development

Posted on by darion

Regional integration in Southern Africa is based on various socio-economic sectors, such as energy, water management, information communications, transport, tourism and meteorology, and is founded on peace and security.

As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) prepares for its 44th Annual Summit in Zimbabwe on 17 August, this article takes a closer look at one of its sectors – water – and highlights the key role that water infrastructure investment plays in driving the region’s industrialisation agenda.

Industrialisation has been identified as a top priority for Southern Africa and since 2014 all SADC Summits have been held under the banner of industrialisation, with the 44th SADC Summit adopting the theme of “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC”.

The theme of this year’s conference is very timely, as innovation in the water infrastructure sector is indeed needed to enable industrial development in southern Africa. Water is a fundamental resource for many industries, including agriculture, manufacturing and energy generation.

Moreover, water is inextricably linked to the economy, as it shapes the prosperity and well-being of communities, which are the driving force behind industrial development.

The region is home to at least 15 shared watercourses, such as the Congo, Zambezi and Limpopo, stretching through Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The water resources in these waterways are sufficient to support industrial development in southern Africa, including energy generation, tourism and trade.

However, infrastructure barriers prevent these water resources from reaching their full potential.

For example, the 2012 SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) found that the region retains only about 14 per cent of available water resources, with the rest of the water returning to the oceans.

Water resource losses due to inefficient infrastructure deployment mean the region has limited access to its vast water resources.

SADC must therefore implement vigorous and effective measures to develop and improve water infrastructure to ensure full utilization of water resources for the benefit of citizens.

Strategies could include building dams to improve water storage. Dams are also critical in generating hydroelectric power and cooling thermal power plants.

Similarly, water can be used for irrigation in food production, and in industry, water is necessary for processes such as cooling and cleaning raw materials.

In fact, the development of water infrastructure in the region must be multi-purpose and planned in conjunction with other sectors such as agriculture, energy and urban development to achieve the best results.

Another important water management development strategy is the renewal of part of the aging water infrastructure in the region.

It should also be noted that the major watercourses in SADC belong to more than one country, which means that the region and individual member states need to adopt a regional approach to water infrastructure development rather than an inward-looking approach.

For example, the construction of water infrastructure, such as dams, should aim not only to meet the needs of the country but also to solve regional problems.

In addition, there must be a mechanism for the region to transfer water from water-rich countries or basins to water-scarce parts of the region to ensure sustainable industrial development.

One success story in transferring water from water-rich basins to areas where it is scarce is the Kunene Water Supply Project, which is bringing water to arid areas of northern Namibia and southern Angola.

Another way to address water and energy challenges is to strengthen inter-sectoral coordination.

For example, the management of water development in the region should not negatively impact energy supplies and vice versa, as activities in one area affect another.

Therefore, when SADC Heads of State and Government meet in Harare for the 44th Annual Summit, the development of water infrastructure is likely to be a dominant topic of discussion, as water is inextricably linked to the region’s economy.

Investing in water infrastructure will increase productivity, stimulate economic growth, contribute to environmental sustainability and improve public health.

Improving water infrastructure will also help double the area of ​​irrigated land in the region, as well as halve the number of people without access to drinking water and adequate sanitation.