Water a right, not a commodity: Activists sound alarm across Africa

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), in partnership with the Our Water, Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC), will kick off the 2025 Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation with an opening press conference in Lagos on Monday, 13 October.

Now in its fifth edition, the Africa Week of Action (13–18 October) brings together grassroots movements, labour unions, civil society groups, and community leaders from across the continent in a united stand to defend water as a human right—not a commodity for profit.

This year’s theme, “Public Water for Climate Resilience,” highlights the increasing urgency of building publicly controlled water systems that can withstand the impacts of the climate crisis. From prolonged droughts in the Horn of Africa to floods devastating communities in countries like Nigeria, organisers say the message is clear: climate adaptation is impossible under privatised water governance.

The press conference, to be held at CAPPA’s office in Ogba, Lagos, will feature voices from across the continent, including community advocates, labour leaders, and policy experts. Together, they will call on African governments to reject corporate water privatisation schemes and invest in public water infrastructure as a cornerstone of climate justice and social equity.

“Strong, equitable, and publicly controlled water systems are indispensable to protecting lives and livelihoods in this age of climate extremes,” CAPPA stated in a media invitation.

The event is expected to set the tone for a week of continent-wide mobilisation and resistance against the increasing encroachment of private interests in water governance.