By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Bole international Airport in Adidas Ababa, Ethiopia for the African Union (AU) Summit on water availability.
Africa’s top regional body is hosting its annual summit in Ethiopia this weekend to discuss the future of the continent of some 1.4 billion people, as the organization faces widespread discontent.
The two-day session is scheduled to take place from 14 to 15 February 2026 under the theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said Ramaphosa was leading the high-level South African delegation to the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of States and Government Session.
“The AU has designated 2026 as the year of water and sanitation,” said Magwenya.
South Africa is currently facing a deepening water crisis, which could result in economic collapse and social instability.
Communities across the country face water shortages and outages lasting nearly 30 days, with infrastructure deterioration reaching critical levels and sewage contaminating water sources.
Magwenya added that South Africa will participate in the AU AIP Water Investment Summit which takes place as a side event on the margin of the 39th African Union Summit
“This is in line with pursuing continental access to sustainable water and reliable sanitation services geared to achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.
“The objective of the event is to bring together member states, investors, and development financers to share the investment project pipelines that were showcased at the Africa water summit in Cape Town last year which attracted interests from investors and financiers.
Ramaphosa will address the African Union Ad-Hoc High-Level Committee on South Sudan, the C5 as chaired by South Africa. The C5 plays an active role as an overseer on the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.
The summit happens amid a changing world, with Donald Trump’s recent return to the US presidency casting a shadow.
His past tough talk on trade and aid has African leaders wary, especially on deals like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), set to expire at the end of 2026.