By Kayode Adebiyi
The President of the Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission, Dr Steven Ben-Joel, has called on AU member countries to prioritise sustainable water availability and safe sanitation system.
He said that these are the corner stone of the continent’s development agenda.
Ben-Joel made the call at a news conference unveiling the 2026 African Day Celebration Programme and the Inauguration of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the event was a continental call to action on a subject that speaks directly to the future of Africa and the responsibility all Africans share in shaping it.
“The African Day is commemorated every May 25, because the Organisation of African Union (OAU) was set up on May 25, 1963.
“It stands as a powerful reminder of our collective journey; one rooted in unity, resilience and a shared vision for a prosperous and an integrated continent as articulated in Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want.
“This year, we are proud to host a three-day continental celebration from May 23 to May 25, 2026,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2026 African Day celebration will be marked with the theme, ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe sanitation System to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063’.
Ben-Joel said that the theme was not only timely but urgent, “because water is life, water is dignity and water is development.
“Yet, across our continent, millions still lack safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. This challenge continues to affect health outcomes, education, economic productivity and human dignity.”
He said that his organisation was making a clear policy statement through its platform as a non-state actor for Africa to fulfil the corner stone of its development programmes under Agenda 2063.
He therefore called on governments, development partners and the private sector to scale up investment, innovation and collaboration in the water and sanitation sector.
He also called for the empowerment of local communities to enable them take ownership of sustainable development.
NAN reports that activities lined up for this year’s African Day celebration are expected to attract over 5,000 participants from across the continent and the global community to be hosted in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.
Ben-Joel said the programme was designed as a fusion of policy engagement, and cultural celebration, featuring several activities.
The organisation will also unveil the Africa Day Essay Competition 2026 for primary and secondary school students with the theme: ‘Reimagining Africa: Lessons from History; Pathway to the Future’.
The organisers said the essay competition would provide a platform for young Africans to express their ideas, creativity and vision for the continent.
They also said the initiative was designed to encourage critical thinking among young people, as well as deepening their understanding of African history and development trajectory that align with Agenda 2063.
In her closing remark, the Director General of the diplomatic mission, Dr Elizabeth Emeka-Onwuchekwa said the task of developing Africa lies in the hands of Africans.
She said that although the AU Agenda 2063 might outlive its initiators, it is the responsibility of the rest of Africans to see that the dream of an ‘Africa we want’ turns from a development framework into reality.
At the event, Mr Philip Nwachukwu was inaugurated as the African Day LOC chairman, while Emeka-Onwuchekwa will serve as the secretary.
The Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission said it remains committed to advancing policies, partnerships and platforms that drive real impacts across the continent.
The AU Agenda 2063 is a 50-year framework (2013-2063) for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse through inclusive, sustainable development, with focus on inclusive growth, high standards of living, job creation and poverty eradication. (NAN)
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