TUNIS, 3 July 2004 — The African Development Bank (AfDB) has begun a $14.7 billion-funding campaign to finance water projects in Africa aimed at breaking a cycle of water shortage, hunger and foreign aid dependency. About 400 representatives from rich countries and international institutions plus African ministers and experts are holding a conference aimed at winning support for an African water initiative.
“Utilization of water resources is abysmally low, with only three percent of the total renewable water resources exploited for water supply, agriculture and industrial use each year in Africa,” AfDB’s President Omar Kabbaj told the conference on Thursday.
Scientists and researchers say that increased water shortages will worsen Africa’s hunger, poverty and dependency on foreign aid unless it finds ways to conserve and manage its water resources better.
As Africa’s population rises, demand for household water is projected to grow faster than in any other continent, leaving more than 500 million people without access to clean water by 2025. “As a result of (the low use of water resources), nearly 50 percent or over 300 million mostly poor people ... do not have access to safe water supply,” Kabbaj said.
