Africa-Press – Mozambique. The African Union has declared 2026 as the Year of Water, launching the continental theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063”, reaffirming the centrality of WASH as a driver of development and well-being on the continent. It is in this context that Mozambique participated in the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held on 14 and 15 February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with a delegation led by Daniel Francisco Chapo, President of the Republic of Mozambique.
On the sidelines of the Summit, the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Fernando Rafael, took part in the Ministerial Round Table organised by the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), in partnership with the World Bank Group alongside development partners and private sector leaders, dedicated to the presentation of the regional AFE WASH MPA project and the introduction of national compacts as instruments to accelerate universal access to Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Eastern and Southern Africa.
On the occasion, Minister Rafael presented the Government of Mozambique’s vision for the Water Supply and Sanitation sub-sector, highlighting ongoing reforms aimed at institutional clarification, reducing disparities between rural and urban areas, decentralisation, expanding coverage and promoting private sector participation.
ProAguaS to launch in May
In reviewing Mozambique’s participation at the AU Summit, the President of the Republic announced that the country will launch, within the current semester, a new national water supply and sanitation programme associated with the Compact under preparation, entitled ProAguaS – National Programme for the Acceleration of Water and Sanitation.
As part of the process, Mozambique will hold, in March 2026, a national round table to consolidate the Compact, with the launch of ProAguaS scheduled for May 2026.
The initiative falls within the framework of the National Development Strategy 2025–2044, approved in 2025, which sets targets of 80% access to water supply and 58% access to sanitation, and aligns with SDG 6 and Agenda 2063.
Participation in the AU ministerial forum also reinforced the need for structured programmatic approaches and financially viable projects, with coordinated mobilisation of public, private and climate resources, including efficiency solutions such as renewable energy and mechanisms to ensure the sector’s financial sustainability.
The participation of the Mozambican Head of State, Daniel Francisco Chapo, in the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union reinforced the Government of Mozambique’s commitment to Agenda 2063 and to achieving its objectives, particularly with regard to accelerating sustainable access to water and safe sanitation.
Source: Ministério das Obras Públicas, Habitação e Recursos Hídricos-MOPHRH / Press Release
