By Esther Oseyiomon
The Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission has presented concrete, community-based solutions to Africa’s water and sanitation challenges, with a strong focus on borehole interventions, at the 12th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-12) in Addis Ababa.
Speaking at the forum hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the President of the Mission, Stephen Gbatigbi Ben-Joel, said access to clean water must move beyond policy discussions to real, measurable interventions that directly impact communities.
He identified borehole development as a key solution, noting that the Mission has actively supported the drilling and treatment of boreholes in underserved communities across Africa. According to him, these projects are designed to provide sustainable access to safe drinking water while addressing sanitation challenges at the grassroots level.
Ben-Joel explained that the initiative also encourages private citizens and local stakeholders to take part in water access programmes, creating a shared responsibility model that ensures long-term sustainability of the projects.
He disclosed that the Mission is expanding these interventions, with plans to launch additional borehole projects during the Africa Day celebrations scheduled for May 23 to 25, 2026, in Abuja.
Beyond infrastructure, he emphasised that the solution lies in combining practical implementation with community engagement, ensuring that projects are not only delivered but properly maintained and utilised.
“Access to clean water should never be politicised. It is a basic human necessity, and the focus must be on delivering it to the people,” he said.
The Mission also called for stronger institutional support to scale such solutions, urging the African Union Commission and UNECA to prioritise organisations that demonstrate real impact through field projects rather than policy documentation alone.
Ben-Joel stressed that Africa’s development challenges require sincerity, innovation, and measurable outcomes, adding that borehole interventions represent a practical pathway to addressing water scarcity and improving public health.
Observers at the forum noted that the Mission’s emphasis on borehole development and community participation provides a replicable model for tackling water access issues across the continent.
The engagement underscored a growing shift toward solution-driven development, where success is measured not by dialogue, but by the number of communities gaining access to safe and reliable water.