The long-anticipated Water and Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium opened in Kigali, capital of Rwanda on Monday with leaders, technocrats and partners calling for sustainable infrastructure that meet contemporary needs of the continent’s growing population and expanding service sector.
The five-day high-level event billed to end on 21 August, 2026 brought together political leaders, ministers, regulators, development finance institutions, practitioners, innovators and development partners from across Africa and beyond.
Convened by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), the African Union and the Government of Rwanda, with RIVA facilitating, the event It comes at a defining moment for Africa’s water and sanitation sector, with the continent seeking to translate high-level political commitments into functioning systems capable of delivering reliable, safe, inclusive and sustainable services.
Rwanda’s Prime Minister, alongside the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment and the President of AMCOW, joined sector leaders and partners for the opening, signifying the important consideration for the continent’s water and sanitation agenda.
Speaking at the formal opening, the Rwanda’s Infrastructure Minister, Damien Murwanashyaka, underscored the distinction between constructing sustainable infrastructure and systems that can optimize services.
He said: “Our challenge is not simply building more infrastructure; we must build reliable, safe, resilient, sustainable water and sanitation systems that can serve our growing population and economies over a long term,” Murwanashyaka said. This aptly captures one of the central focuses of the symposium, highlighting the fact that the Africa’s water and sanitation challenge cannot be addressed through infrastructure projects alone.
Across the continent of Africa, governments have adopted ambitious water and sanitation policies and made commitments under the agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. However, implementation had remained uneven.
The Kigali symposium is providing a platform for countries to examine what is preventing commitments from becoming sustainable services and to identify practical reforms that can accelerate delivery.
Discussions have thus focused on political leadership, strategic public finance, regulation and accountability, professionalism, youth innovation and investment readiness.
The objective is to move beyond diagnosis towards country-led reforms and practical solutions.
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