Nairobi: Stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector have called for enhanced support from the private sector for easy access to clean water in Africa by 2030. Addressing journalists during the Kenya Water and Sanitation International Conference and Exhibition 2025, Director, Water and Sanitation Department, African Development Bank, Mtchera Chirwa, emphasized the necessity for the government to harness partnerships with the private sector to achieve the stated objective.

According to Kenya News Agency, Chirwa highlighted a significant annual financing gap of over $50 billion across Africa, stressing the need for private sector investment to complement government efforts in the water sector. He urged the government to improve the operation and maintenance of water investments, noting that existing facilities are still falling short of long-term sustainability.

The conference, themed ‘Innovative Financing Models, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Pathways to Climate-Smart Water and Sanitation Solutions’, serves as a platform for stakeholders to discuss ways of achieving better results in safely managed sanitation. The event underscores the importance of innovative financing models and technology in addressing water and sanitation challenges.

On his part, Meltus Mugomi, Director of Regional Expansion Africa, highlighted the rollout of an advanced climate-resilient sanitation solution working with four counties, including Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Mombasa. The initiative, called ‘Fresh Life’, increases access to safe sanitation through container-based toilets in informal settlements and reduces methane emissions through frequent emptying, ensuring safe waste management via a circular economy model.

Mugomi expressed the conference’s role in sharing climate-resilient sanitation learnings from partnerships with public entities and expressed hopes for developing new collaborations within the sanitation space.