Nigeria, AU others seek action as water crisis threatens food security

Nigeria and other member states of the African Union have renewed calls for urgent continental action to tackle water scarcity, warning that the growing crisis is rapidly undermining food production and threatening millions of livelihoods. At high-level discussions on water, sanitation and digital agriculture, policymakers, researchers and development partners cautioned that declining rainfall, rising temperatures and poor water infrastructure are already reducing farm productivity and intensifying food insecurity across large parts of the continent.

In Nigeria, drought conditions in 2023 led to about 30 percent losses in rice and maize production in several northern states, while cultivated maize land declined from 6.2 million hectares in 2021 to about 5.8 million hectares in 2022 according to industry reports. Livestock producers also suffered heavy losses as water sources dried up.

Industry estimates suggest dehydration and drought-related stress caused losses of nearly N200 billion in Nigeria’s livestock sector in 2023 alone.

Across the wider Sahel region — including Niger, Mali and Chad — the challenge is even more severe. In some countries agriculture accounts for about 40 to 45 percent of national GDP and employs as much as 87 percent of the workforce, making rural livelihoods highly vulnerable to rainfall variability and desertification.

A study by WaterAid and Tree Aid warned that forest loss across Ghana, Niger and Nigeria is accelerating the decline of freshwater resources and increasing risks for more than 122 million people. The report, which analysed 12 years of satellite data between 2013 and 2025, found that for every 1,000 hectares of forest cleared in Niger and Nigeria, approximately 9.25 hectares of surface water disappear.

In Nigeria alone, about 85.6 million people are affected by surface water losses linked to deforestation, with the country losing roughly 27,000 hectares of vegetation annually.

To this end, the African Union has called on member states to urgently scale up investment in water, sanitation and digital agriculture, warning that worsening water scarcity is already undermining food production, economic growth and social stability across the continent.

Speaking during a recent media briefing on the margins of the 48th session of the AU Executive Council, the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati, said water has become the defining development challenge for Africa’s future.

“There is no life without water, and no development is possible without water. Water connects all development sectors — agriculture, energy, industry and the environment,” Vilakati said.

The warning comes as new data shows that water scarcity is increasingly constraining agriculture across Africa, particularly in West Africa and Nigeria, where declining rainfall, rising temperatures and environmental degradation are eroding farm productivity.

According to the commissioner, more than 400 million people in Africa still lack access to safe water for daily use, while over 800 million people are without basic hygiene services. Closing this gap will require an estimated $30 billion in annual investment to meet the targets of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation.

Vilakati said the AU’s 2026 Theme of the Year — “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063” — reflects growing recognition that water security is central to achieving the ambitions of Agenda 2063, the continent’s long-term development blueprint.

He explained that the African Union Commission has developed a continental roadmap to drive reform in the sector, focusing on stronger governance, increased financing, expanded partnerships and improved technical capacity across member states.

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The roadmap will guide implementation throughout 2026 and will be aligned with the upcoming UN 2026 Water Conference and the Africa Water Vision 2063 Implementation Framework for 2026–2033.  AU  said  technological innovation must become a central pillar of the continent’s agricultural transformation.

Vilakati noted that Africa continues to spend nearly US$20 billion annually on food imports despite its vast agricultural potential.

He said progress under the CAADP and the Kampala Declaration adopted in 2025 is helping countries integrate continental commitments into national agricultural investment plans.

 The AU’s Digital Agriculture Strategy 2024–2030 aims to expand the use of digital tools to improve farmer access to climate information, strengthen resilience and enable data-driven decision-making across agricultural value chains.

“The moderniSation of agriculture through digital transformation is essential for inclusive growth and sustainable development across Africa,” Vilakati said.

Experts say that without urgent action to protect forests, restore watersheds and invest in climate-smart irrigation, the combined pressures of climate change, deforestation and water scarcity could reduce food production in some parts of Africa by as much as 50 percent by 2050.

In response to the growing crisis, experts  last year  called for major investment in water management capacity.

At the 12th National Water Conference in Kaduna, the Director-General , National Water Resources Institute, Abduljalal Dan Baba, warned that the country faces serious risks to food and energy security if water resources are not better managed.

“Without a well-trained workforce to manage our water resources, the impacts on food production and energy supply will be catastrophic,” he said.

The conference, themed “Water for Climate Action, Food and Energy Security,” highlighted how erratic rainfall, droughts, floods and degraded watersheds are already undermining agricultural output and hydropower generation.

Representing  Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utse, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation,Jamilu Abu said the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu is prioritising access to safe and reliable water across the country.“The President is doing everything possible to give the best to Nigeria,” Abu said.Traditional leaders have also called for stronger partnerships to support innovation in the sector. Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, the Emir of Zazzau, urged the National Water Resources Institute to expand collaboration with research institutions and the private sector to reduce dependence on government funding.

Officials at the institute said recent partnerships with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics are expected to support knowledge transfer and climate-responsive water management strategies.