The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and its partners continue to advance the need for coordinated regional investment in climate resilience.
The call was reiterated during two pre-event sessions ahead of the International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Africa in Maputo, Mozambique, under the theme “Scaling Proactive Governance and Strategic Investment for Disaster Risk Reduction and a Resilient Africa which was held from 12 to 15 October 2026.
On 12 October, GWPSA co-convened side events with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The sessions focused on resilience in the SADC Cyclone Belt Region and drought resilience in the Benguela Current Region, highlighting opportunities to advance coordinated regional investment in climate resilience.
Mr Andrew Takawira, GWPSA Executive Secretary, emphasised the need to shift from repeatedly financing disaster response, but work towards systematically investing in resilience.
“At GWPSA, working with SADC, the African Union and our partners, we believe the region must shift decisively from repeatedly financing disaster response to systematically investing in resilience. The proposed SADC Cyclone Belt Resilience Investment Programme and the Benguela Current Region Drought Resilience Investment Portfolio are important steps in that direction,” he said.
He further highlighted the importance of reliable hydrological information, forecasting, early warning systems and decision-support capabilities, drawing on lessons from GWPSA’s work with SADC on the SADC HYCOS programme. These capabilities, he noted, are fundamental public infrastructure for anticipating and managing disaster risks.
Dr Pinimidzai Sithole, GWPSA’s Social and Governance Specialist, presented on “Integrated Approaches for a Water-Secure Africa,” calling for water security to be embedded in broader development and governance frameworks. He emphasised the importance of Integrated Water Resources Management, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus and source-to-sea approaches in the AU Vision for Water in Africa 2063 First Implementation Plan (2026–2033) and Regional Economic Community governance frameworks. He also underscored the need to translate policy dialogue into investment-ready project pipelines and mobilise public and climate finance through the Africa Water Investment Programme, with the ambition of increasing annual water investments from US$12–15 billion to US$30 billion.
The conference culminated in the adoption of the Maputo Ministerial Communique, which calls for stronger disaster risk governance, increased domestic investment in prevention and preparedness, and coordinated national and regional investment in resilience. Recognising the interconnected impacts of droughts, floods and storms, the Communique specifically calls for joint investments in transboundary water management, resilient water supply and sanitation, drought-resilient livelihoods and infrastructure that can capture and utilise surplus water. It also calls on the AUC and Regional Economic Communities, working with development banks, United Nations agencies and private investors, to develop a Priority Investment and Partnership Agenda covering investable national and regional portfolios.
The Communique further emphasises the need to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems, institutionalise anticipatory action and establish clear implementation and monitoring arrangements. Within six months, an implementation roadmap should be in place, identifying lead institutions, indicators, investment priorities and partner contributions, while Member States are to report annually on progress.
These commitments reinforce the importance of moving beyond policy declarations towards coordinated financing, practical implementation and measurable resilience outcomes.