From October 21 – 26, 2024, communities, civil society organisations, and labour activists from across Africa, united under the banner of the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC), organised the fourth edition of the Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation.
The campaign week, which coincides with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings holding in Washington, DC, during the same period, will carry the theme: Water Justice Over Profit. It will emphasise the rising demand across Africa – manifested whether through increasing protests, online campaigns, or public debates – for democratic control of public utilities, particularly water, and an end to the privatisation that prioritises corporate profits over the basic needs of communities.
The Week of Resistance will also focus on bolstering community power and pan-African solidarity, facilitating spaces for communities to directly engage and share their demands and aspirations for improved water governance with water authorities.
OWORAC comprises activists and pro-public water advocates from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Gabon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda.
Key activities outlined for the Week of Action include:
• An international hybrid press conference on Monday, October 21, 2024, at 9:00 AM WAT (see registration details below)
• Media engagements in partner countries across Africa
• Specialized workshop and training for journalists on covering water privatisation issues
• Community parliaments and strategic engagements with policymakers and water authorities across the region
• Public awareness campaigns on the dangers of water privatisation, including social media engagements and in-person dialogues with relevant stakeholders.
Speakers at the hybrid press conference included Geoffrey Kabutey Ocansey of Revenue Mobilisation Africa (Ghana), Akinbode Oluwafemi of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (Nigeria), Pascal Bekono of African Centre for Advocacy (Cameroon), Anne Maine of Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya, and Oumar Ba of Confédération de Syndicats Autonomes du Sénégal, among others.
The Africa Water Justice Network (AWJN), Corporate Accountability (US), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Senegalese Water Justice Network, and Institute of Black World (US) will also deliver solidarity statements.
