by Alex Simalabwi

Water is a key input to economic growth sectors and contributes to employment, job creation and gross domestic product (GDP). Water is at the heart of development objectives across most sectors – for example health, energy, agriculture, environment, mining, industry and social protection. Yet,
most African countries are far from achieving water security and the onset of climate change will further compromise prospects. Ensuring water security through more effective water management contributes to development goals, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

Recommendations of the report are:

• Governments should protect their development goals and ambitions against derailment by water and climate impacts.
• High-level advisors and decision makers are encouraged to increase the priority of water security and climate resilient growth and development.

They are further encouraged to benefit from, and mandate the use of, the Framework in support of the following objectives:

• To identify and develop no/low regrets investments, and to prioritise these in existing development planning, budgeting and financing processes.
• To influence existing and future development planning activities so they become more resilient to climate change and variability.
• To increase domestic and external investment in water security and climate resilient development.
• To identify innovative financing strategies for investments, exploiting opportunities from funds offering finance for climate adaptation in combination with conventional sources.

Alex Simalabwi

Senior Network Officer & Climate Change Focal Point, Coordinator-Water Climate Development Programme for Africa at Global Water Partnership (GWP)

Alex is a water resources expert with extensive experience in IWRM planning, WRM, Climate Change and multistakeholder processes. He coordinates GWP’s global work on climate change and leads GWP’s contributions in global climate policy discourse.

Alex is the coordinator of GWP’s Joint programme with the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW)-the Water Climate Development Program for Africa (WACDEP). He supports GWP regional partnerships in Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Caribbean. He has worked with several African governments providing strategic advice on the integration of water in national development plans.