African leaders have warned that poor access to clean water and sanitation is costing the continent billions of dollars annually while deepening poverty, disease, and inequality.

Speaking at a conference in Kigali on Sunday, May 24, to mark the 62nd African Liberation Day, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Gertrude Kazarwa said millions of Africans still lack access to basic water and sanitation services, undermining development efforts across the continent.

According to United Nations estimates cited at the meeting, more than 400 million Africans lack safe drinking water, while over 700 million do not have proper sanitation facilities.

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"These are not just numbers. They represent real people, mothers, children, and communities trapped in poverty and disease,” Kazarwa said.

The conference was held under the theme: "Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063: A People-Centered and Market-Driven Strategy.”

Kazarwa said inadequate water and sanitation systems continue to affect education, public health, productivity, and economic growth.

"Without clean water, children miss school and diseases spread. Without safe sanitation, women and girls face serious health and safety issues,” she said.

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She stressed that water and sanitation should be treated as foundations of development rather than secondary priorities.

Kazarwa also linked access to clean water and sanitation to Africa’s broader liberation agenda, saying true independence must translate into improved livelihoods, social justice, and economic transformation.

She highlighted Rwanda’s progress in expanding water access, noting that 90 per cent of households had access to improved drinking water sources by 2023/2024. The government aims to achieve universal access by 2030.

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"This progress was built on deliberate choices, including strong institutions, partnerships with the private sector, and community-driven sanitation programmes,” she said.

Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn warned that poor water and sanitation services are also slowing Africa’s economic transformation.

"In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, it costs approximately 4.3 per cent of the region’s collective GDP annually,” said Desalegn, who chairs the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

He said the crisis disproportionately affects women and girls, citing UNICEF estimates that they spend about 250 million hours daily fetching water across Africa.

"It means lost educational opportunities for girls, reduced economic participation for women, and diminished productivity for families and communities,” he said.

Desalegn called for stronger investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, innovation, and regional cooperation on shared water resources, urging African countries to move from policy discussions to implementation under the African Union’s Agenda 2063 framework.