Africa Dialogue Series 2026

The 2026 edition of the annual Africa Dialogue Series (ADS 2026) focuses on water and sanitation, both critical to Africa’s survival and development.

This year’s theme is “Water and Sanitation for Life: Harnessing Water Resources for the Africa We Want.”

It aligns with the 2026 theme adopted by African Heads of State: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”

While Africa has made steady progress towards the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063’s water and sanitation targets, overall gains still fall short of these targets. SDG 6 aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

This theme examines persistent water insecurity against the backdrop of rising climate risks and the need to accelerate progress towards SDG6, while advancing Agenda 2063’s vision of environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development. It further positions water and sanitation as strategic assets critical to Africa’s ambitions for economic transformation, as outlined in Agenda 2063.

The ADS 2026 aims to advance political commitment and practical pathways for the Strategic Asset Management (SAM) approach to water and sanitation in Africa, catalysing outcomes across health, energy, food systems, cities, industry, climate resilience, and peace.

Through the three sub-themes below, ADS 2026 will contribute to advocacy, influence policy and build partnerships to improve access to water and sanitation for Africa’s development. The inclusion of women and youth in the ADS will be crucial, given that about 60 per cent of Africa’s population is under 25 years. Transformative and inclusive approaches to water planning, climate adaptation, and disaster risk management are essential for women’s empowerment, improved water governance, and the safeguarding of the rights, safety and dignity of all. Empowering young people as leaders and innovators in water governance and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services will be critical to achieving sustainable and inclusive development across Africa.

ADS 2026 structures the month of May 2026 into three thematic weeks, each building on the previous one, introducing the approach with substantive and evidence-based content, supported by video documentaries, interviews with experts, international webinars underpinned by policy briefs, youth stages, and a cultural programme, culminating in a High-level Policy Dialogue and Call to Action.

Sub-theme 1: A Strategic Asset Management Approach to Africa’s Water Resources

Sub-theme 2: Water and Sanitation as Drivers for Economic Transformation and Sustainable Urbanization

The sub-theme will assess strategic water and sanitation management as drivers of the continent’s economic transformation. Water resources are increasingly recognised as strategic assets for Africa’s industrialisation and economic transformation, through regional agriculture and energy value chains. These sectors depend on a reliable water supply, while improved sanitation enhances health, productivity, and quality of life.

Sub-theme 3: Water and Sanitation for Peace, Energy, and Food Security

This sub-theme will examine water as a catalytic entry point for inclusive sustainable development, economic diversification, environmental stewardship, and durable peace. Building resilience requires strengthening national systems and institutions to manage water assets strategically through inclusive governance, infrastructure investment, and integration with energy, food systems, and industrial policies. Strengthening African leadership and partnerships in the sustainable management of the continent’s water resources will be essential to advancing Agenda 2063 and ensuring that water contributes fully to Africa’s long-term economic transformation and resilience.

High-Level Policy Dialogue: Bringing it all together

The ADS will culminate in the High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD), which will bring together policymakers from African member states to consolidate recommendations into a Call To Action (CTA) aligned with SDG 6 and the goals and aspirations of Agenda 2063. The dialogue will link the ADS to ongoing initiatives, including the twelfth Africa Forum for Sustainable Development (ARFSD-12), the Fourth Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the Second UN Water Conference.

Partners

The Africa Dialogue Series 2026 is organized by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) and the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations (AUPOM), in partnership with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UN Habitat, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).