Water infrastructure will take centre stage this month as South Africa hosts a summit to profile investment opportunities into the sector.

Hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation, in partnership with the Water Research Commission, the Water Infrastructure Summit will also showcase constraints and solutions, and emerging innovations and solutions in water.

Investors, funders, project developers, policymakers, regulators and local government partners will gather on 30 November 2017 to help shift the water and sanitation sector investment landscape to a space that is open and enabling for investment and inclusive growth opportunities.

Speaking at a pre-summit launch in Johannesburg on Monday, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said the summit comes at a time when numerous sector role players are looking seriously at the issue of the investment climate for water and sanitation, in light of ongoing service delivery needs, drought and flood challenges and ageing infrastructure.

“This is also driven by policy imperatives emerging from the development of the next National Water Resources and Sanitation Strategy, and the associated development of the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan.

“We need to emphasise that the Water Infrastructure Investment Summit and Stewardship initiative are intended to drive this coordinated, strategy-focused approach,” Minister Mokonyane said.

Investment stewardship initiative

Minister Mokonyane said the summit will be followed by a year-long Investment Stewardship initiative.

The investment project opportunities and needs identified in the summit will be pulled into a series of focused, specific engagements, led by a range of different water sector organisations.

“The medium-term objective of the project will be to initiate a process that will inform a Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Investment Strategy for South Africa by 2019,” the Minister said.

The exact scope of work for the stewardship initiative will be informed by the 30 November summit.