African Cities Water Adaptation Platform (ACWA Platform)

The African Cities Water Adaptation Platform (ACWA Platform) is a coalition of cities and partners including research institutes, civil society actors, development agencies, national governments, businesses, private sector investment groups, national banks, professional consultancies and associations joining forces to advance urban water resilience in Africa.

The ACWA Platform aims to coordinate, align, harmonize and scale existing programs, expertise and solutions across a wide network of partners to accelerate advocacy and implementation of new solutions to build resilient water systems in cities. Building on existing work in six African cities, the platform partners with city champions to overcome water challenges through research, planning and analysis on urban water resilience pathways; providing technical assistance and capacity-building support to identify, design, finance and implement innovative solutions; and leveraging collective action to improve the enabling environment for mature water resilience programs.

The African Cities Water Adaptation Fund (ACWA Fund) is the key funding and financing instrument of the platform, with the target of leveraging $5 billion to scale urban water resilience solutions to 100 African cities by 2032.

Developed through deep engagement with a diverse group of institutions and individuals, the ACWA Platform is founded on a set of strategic priorities and principles, as identified in the 2030 Joint Agenda for Urban Water Resilience in Africa, and a strong call for implementation.

The ACWA Platform is led by WRI Africa, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, WRI’s Water Program, African Centre for Cities, Akiba Mashinani Trust, Arup, Cap-Net UNDP, CDP, City of Johannesburg, City of Kigali, EiABC, Future Water Institute at UCT, GSMA, Haramaya University, ICLEI Africa, Musanze District, Practical Action, Reos Partners, Resilient Cities Network, Rwanda Young Water Professionals, Stockholm International Water Institute, South African Cities Network, WaterAid, Water Partnership Rwanda, Water Integrity Network, Western Cape EDP, and Zutari.

Cover image by: Kokhanchikov/Shutterstock