📅 22-23 November 2023
Abidjan, Ivory Coast & Online
The OECD and the African Development Bank (AfDB) will co-convene the 10th Roundtable on Financing Water from 22 – 23 November in Abidjan, in partnership with the government of the Netherlands, the World Water Council, and the World Bank.
The 10th Roundtable on Financing Water will be a regional meeting on Africa. Representatives and leaders from the water and finance communities such as water utilities, water regulatory authorities, government, public and private investors, financial institutions, and commercial banks, will gather to review and explore new approaches to water finance and promote impactful ways of financing water-related investment in Africa.
Water is a driver for growth and sustainable development globally, and most specifically in Africa. While there is a strong economic case to invest in water, investments are lagging on the continent. The challenging macroeconomic and financial context (burgeoning public debt, liquidity problems, increased difficulty in accessing financial markets), as well as the recent decline in ODA to Africa, have reduced the capacity of African countries to invest in crucial sectors, including water and sanitation.
The Roundtable meeting is part of the international agenda on water and contributes to the debate on financing global public goods (UN 2023 Water Conference, summit for a new global financing pact, COP 28). The work of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water will inform the roundtable deliberations, and vice versa.
