Report: Innovation Policy for the African Water Sector

19 February 2020

Due to the complex nature of climate change challenges, innovation is urgently needed in the water sector in Africa. In order to adapt to the changing climate and other challenges, effective identification and implementation of water and climate change innovations must take place. To support this shift away from reliance on conventional methods, AfriAlliance has released a report detailing guidelines and necessary steps for the implementation of innovation policy in the water sector.

Considering four previous studies and a wealth of other literature on the topic, the report outlines a set of 12 guiding principles for how innovation policy for the water sector in Africa can be composed. These guidelines shape the ability of the water sector to create, adapt to, and absorb innovation, allowing for mitigation of climate change risk. In addition to these guidelines, the report identifies several recommended actions that policy makers can undertake to embed innovation policy in water and climate policy.

While this report drew on available best practices and took into account the local conditions of African countries, these guidelines are only a blueprint for policy makers in Africa. Each African country must decide what best fits their specific conditions, undertake carefully selected initiatives and continuously adapt their innovation policies to the changing environment.

This report offers valuable guidance to policy makers in Africa to support the future of the water sector. For this reason, the guidelines and policy recommendations outlined in this report will be used to generate further AfriAlliance outputs, including a new policy brief. 

Author: Silas Mvulirwenande (IHE Delft), Uta Wehn (IHE Delft)