African leaders, ministers, development partners and private sector representatives are meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at a Heads of State and Government Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Forum focused on accelerating universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene across Africa. The forum is running on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit from February 14–15, 2026 under the theme “Accelerating Universal WASH Access in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
The gathering is jointly organized by the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) and the World Bank Group and aims to forge stronger political commitments, coordinated investment and large-scale systems reforms to tackle Africa’s enduring WASH challenges. Around one third of the continent’s population still lack basic improved water services, and nearly two-thirds lack adequate sanitation deficits that harm health, economic productivity and resilience to climate shocks.
On February 14, selected heads of state and government from Eastern and Southern Africa outlined progress on national WASH Compacts, set targets toward universal access by 2035, and announced financing pledges from domestic and external partners. Discussions also stressed governance reforms needed to make water and sanitation services more reliable and equitable.
The forum’s second day on February 15 will feature a ministerial roundtable where officials and financiers from national governments, development finance institutions and private investors will discuss co-financing opportunities and the launch of a regional multi-phase WASH program. This initiative aims to reach more than 30 million people in 12 Eastern and Southern African countries by 2032 by linking policy, investment, infrastructure and systems-level change moving beyond fragmented projects to a coordinated continental strategy.
Speakers at the forum emphasize that expanding safe water and sanitation access has wide-ranging benefits — improving public health, freeing up time especially for women, increasing school attendance and participation in work, and supporting agriculture and industry that depend on reliable water supplies.
The forum also signals the African Union’s elevation of WASH as a continental priority by naming 2026 the Year of Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems, reinforcing these issues as central to Agenda 2063 and in alignment with global development goals to shrink the gap in basic water and sanitation access.