Farmers in Africa cultivating crops with water irrigation, highlighting agriculture’s role in economic development.
Nearly one in three people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to basic water services. As the region’s labor force is expected to double by 2050, the World Bank is betting that addressing this gap could unlock Africa’s greatest economic transformation. The math is compelling. With 95 percent of smallholder farms still rainfed, expanding irrigation alone could create over 200 million better-paying jobs in farming and the food value chain. Backed by the African Union, major investments are flowing. For instance, a $1.6 billion program in Eastern and Southern Africa aims to deliver clean water to 30 million people across 12 countries by 2032. In Western and Central Africa, public-private partnerships are working to achieve a similar goal of improving water security for 20 million people by 2032. These initiatives, alongside similar ones in the power sector, place the continent’s economy on a strong path to growth.
African Business