Bring one costed African plan for school water and toilets to Abu Dhabi

Why this matters

The report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, the UN children's agency, came out on 22 September. It found that in sub-Saharan Africa, 43% of schools have basic toilets and 39% have basic handwashing. About 250 million children in the region have no basic water at school.

Money is the limit. Africa invests $10 billion to $19 billion a year in water, against a need of at least $30 billion, and private investors provide 9%. Conferences end with voluntary plans unless governments arrive with money.

The political moment exists, since on 14 February African Union heads of state chose water and sanitation as their theme for 2026. The Abu Dhabi conference has sessions on water for people and on investment.

Building toilets is the easy part. In India's drive to build them in schools, 72% of the toilets that auditors sampled had no running water. A plan that pays for toilets without water and upkeep will fail in the same way.

Four levels of action

1. 1

   What Africa asks of the world

   Development banks and bilateral water funders co-finance school water through contracts that pay only for facilities checked and found working. WHO and UNICEF report on the schools named in the plan.

   Who

   The World Bank, the African Development Bank, bilateral water funders, WHO and UNICEF

   When

   UN Water Conference, Abu Dhabi, 8 to 10 December 2026

2. 2

   What the African Union does

   The African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) acts for the African Union on water and sanitation. With the AU Commission, it prepares one African plan under the 2026 theme. It sets one way of costing the work. Countries report their budget lines through AMCOW's monitoring platform.

   Who

   AMCOW and the AU Commission

   When

   Costing method by 31 October 2026; plan presented on 8 December 2026

3. 3

   What regional groups do

   ECOWAS, the East African Community, SADC and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) buy and maintain school water points together across neighbouring countries. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are suspended from African Union bodies. They can join the plan directly at the conference, as UN member states.

   Who

   ECOWAS, the East African Community, SADC and IGAD

   When

   At least five governments name a 2027 budget line by 20 November 2026

4. 4

   Which country goes first, and why

   Senegal goes first, because it co-hosts the conference with the United Arab Emirates. WHO and UNICEF estimate that 72.8% of its schools had basic water and 85.9% had basic toilets in 2025. With coverage that high, Senegal can show the model for upkeep that other countries will need.

   Who

   Senegal's water ministry

   When

   Presents the plan in Abu Dhabi on 8 December 2026

Before another country can do this

• A list of schools and the state of their facilities, at least by district
• A budget line held by one ministry
• A water utility or local firm able to maintain school water points
• At least five years of upkeep in the costing

What does not carry over from the first country

• Senegal's role as co-host of the conference.
• Its high coverage. Senegal's task is upkeep and reaching the last schools, while countries with low coverage must build on a far larger scale.

Who else is ready

Has this worked before?

In 2014 India promised separate toilets for girls and boys in every government school within a year. State-owned companies built 140,997 toilets. The national auditor checked 2,695 of them in 15 states. It found 11% missing or unfinished, and 30% of the rest out of use. No money had been set aside for water supply or upkeep. Source (opens in a new tab)

Comptroller and Auditor General of India: construction of toilets in schools

First steps

1. African UnionAMCOW and Senegal's water ministry send all African governments one costing method by 31 October 2026. It covers water supply, toilets, handwashing and five years of upkeep.
2. Regional groupsECOWAS, the East African Community and SADC secure at least five governments that name a 2027 budget line, with a figure and a list of target schools, by 20 November 2026.
3. Senegalit presents the plan in Abu Dhabi on 8 December 2026 and asks WHO and UNICEF to report on the named schools.

Who acts, and with what

Who leads

AMCOW with the AU Commission; Senegal's water ministry goes first

Instrument

An African commitment in the conference's final outcome, backed by published national budget lines

How progress is checked

Named budget lines in at least five countries, each with a figure and a list of target schools

Signal to change course

A voluntary plan with no money, or budget lines that pay for building with nothing for water supply and upkeep

What stands in the way

Finance ministries are cutting spending under debt pressure. Water, education and health ministries each claim part of the task. Many countries have no current list of which facilities work.

Cost and money

Nobody yet knows the cost of bringing all of Africa's schools to basic service. Working it out is the first task of the costing method. Africa's total gap in water investment is $11 billion to $20 billion a year.

Who else contributes

What each audience can do