African civil society organisations and trade unions will use the sixth Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation to press for stronger public financing, accountable water governance and universal access to affordable water services.
The campaign, organised by the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC), will run from October 12 to 18, 2026, under the theme, “Reclaiming Africa’s Water Future: Public Water for All.”
A major highlight will be the unveiling of the coalition’s position paper, Implementing the Africa Water Vision 2063: An OWORAC Coalition Position on Water Justice, Public Financing and Democratic Water Governance.
The paper examines gaps and opportunities in implementing the Africa Water Vision 2063 and proposes measures to strengthen public accountability, financing and democratic control of water services.
OWORAC said the campaign would draw attention to challenges facing public water systems across Africa, including inadequate public investment, deteriorating utility services, climate pressures, rapid urbanisation and the expansion of water privatisation.
The coalition is also seeking to bring African communities’ concerns into global policy discussions, as the campaign coincides with the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. It plans to challenge policies it believes promote privatisation and advocate publicly funded water services.
Activities will include a hybrid international press conference on Monday, October 12, at 11 a.m. West Africa Time, an international webinar on prepaid water meters on October 14, media engagements, community dialogues and discussions with policymakers and water authorities.
The webinar will examine the expansion of prepaid water meters and their implications for human rights and universal access to water, drawing on experiences from participating countries.
Speakers scheduled for the press conference include Anne Maina of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya, Oumar Ba of Senegal’s Autonomous Union of Water Workers, Geoffrey Kabutey Ocansey of Revenue Mobilisation Africa in Ghana, Joseph Rahall of Green Scenery in Sierra Leone and Akinbode Oluwafemi of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa in Nigeria.
Other speakers include Neil Gupta of Corporate Accountability, Fatou Diouf of the Senegalese Water Justice Network, Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association President Rufus Olusesan, Education Rights Campaign Coordinator Hassan Taiwo Soweto and CAPPA Programme Officer for Water Campaigns Holiness Segun-Olufemi.
OWORAC brings together civil society groups, community organisations, activists and trade unions advocating public water services in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and South Africa.