AU, Malawi Unite on Water Protection

The Malawi Government and the African Union have called for stronger protection and management of water resources as a way of addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development in Africa.

Minister of Natural Resources, , made the call during Africa Day commemorations held at the in .

Wiskes said water remains one of Malawi’s most important natural resources and urged African governments to strengthen efforts to safeguard water sources.

“We say water is life; therefore, as governments and African countries, we need to ensure that we put in place initiatives that safeguard and protect our water resources,” she said.

She said the call comes at a time when Malawi continues to experience the effects of climate change, which are affecting agriculture, livelihoods, and access to water.

Wiskes added that Malawi is working to build climate resilience by promoting irrigation farming to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture.

“As Malawi, we join the rest of the African community in emphasizing the importance of protecting water sources on this Africa Day,” she said.

She further said the Ministry of Natural Resources is developing a water protection programme aimed at safeguarding rivers in both urban and rural areas.

“We want our rivers to be free from waste and pollution, and we also want to promote tree-planting initiatives that will strengthen the conservation of water resources,” she said.

Representative of the African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AU-SARO), , also called on African countries to invest in water conservation infrastructure.

Mafudze said countries should construct more dams and improve water-harvesting systems to address water and sanitation challenges across the continent.

“We have to make sure we catch the rainwater before it goes to the ocean. We need to build more dams for our people so that there should be no challenges in water and sanitation,” she said.

She commended for hosting the AU-SARO regional office, saying the country is well positioned to influence development initiatives in the Southern African region.