Africa faces water security threats from droughts and floods, according to roundtable talks held from November 10 to 12, 2026.
This hydric stress unfolds alongside human capital challenges, where the health workforce serves as the backbone of universal health coverage.
Speaking during a panel on African water towers, Dr Dominique Berod explained the function that mountain massifs, high plateaus, aquifers, and forests play in feeding rivers and recharging groundwater supplies. Berod, head of the Earth System Monitoring Division at the World Meteorological Organization, said that these natural systems regulate essential liquid resources.
Drawing on an organization report published last September, Berod detailed how 2025 brought drier-than-normal conditions and a reduction in available terrestrial water. Hydrological cycles have made weather events harder to forecast, leading to dry spells that persist for years.
“The seasons are starting to fade away,” Berod said, describing floods occurring during dry periods alongside multi-year droughts lasting seven to eight years.
To improve forecasting, the monitoring agency working with 193 member states aims to upgrade measurement networks for rainfall, surface water, and evaporation. High equipment costs, maintenance expenses, and a shortage of trained personnel hinder progress.
Individual flow measurement devices cost up to 20,000 dollars, excluding upkeep. Fragmented information systems produce incompatible data across organizations, prompting calls for standardized formats through platforms such as the WIS 2.0 and WHOS systems.
Satellite missions including Swot, Sentinel, and Grace supplement ground measurements by tracking waterways and underground supplies from space. Artificial intelligence models help predictions, provided they receive sufficient validation data.
Regional efforts are expanding with the launch of a water monitoring and forecasting project across the Chad Basin. Backed by Adaptation Fund support, the initiative involves the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Global Water Partnership to strengthen regional anticipation over a four- to five-year period.
The 2026 report on the State of the Health Workforce in Africa introduces a health labour market and investment perspective following the adoption of the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter. Personnel drive health system performance, economic development, and social transformation despite rapid population growth, fiscal constraints, and global competition.
