Water resources, when left unchecked, are a constraint on economic growth, public health and social stability. For utilities, municipalities, industry and investors, the implications extend beyond resource availability to infrastructure performance, revenue, financing and long-term operational continuity.
These issues are examined in ESI Africa's Water Security & Infrastructure Industry Insights Volume, published in partnership with Conlog and the STS Association. ESI Africa, a long-standing media brand within VUKA Group, brings together analysis of the pressures changing how water is managed, financed and valued.
Download the Water Security & Infrastructure Volume (https://apo-opa.co/4dr8xYs)
From water crisis to system risk
The volume examines water security through operational, environmental and financial lenses. Its content considers whether the hydrological chain is breaking, how intensive water users are exposed to risk and how demand from data centres is adding another dimension to competition for available resources.
It also addresses:
- the connection between non-revenue water and blended finance,
- the influence of tariff politics on water security, and
- the role metering can play in improving how existing supplies are managed.
Together, these subjects point to a central industry concern. New supply and large infrastructure projects remain necessary, but stronger management of existing resources, networks and revenue is equally significant.
The volume’s argument is grounded in the principle that the smartest litre may be the one already available within the system.
Technology must support service outcomes
Smart infrastructure can improve visibility, measurement and operational decision-making, but technology must be linked to service delivery and climate resilience.
The ESI Africa webinar Smart infrastructure for climate resilient water service develops this theme by considering how infrastructure and digital capabilities can support more robust water services.
Watch Smart infrastructure for climate resilient water service (https://apo-opa.co/4jHVVjs)
Agro-industrial futures: Scaling alternative water solutions in agriculture examines alternative approaches for a sector in which water availability is closely linked to production and food security.
Watch Agro-industrial futures on-demand (https://apo-opa.co/4hK0F5r)
Water resilience for private sector business: The business case for water security considers why organisations need to treat water as an operational and commercial concern.
Watch the business case for water security (https://apo-opa.co/4j3VUGn)
Taking the discussion from analysis to implementation
Water Security Africa provides an in-person continuation of the discussion. The Johannesburg platform focuses on industrial water resilience, while Water Security Africa at Enlit Africa brings water and energy stakeholders together at the CTICC in Cape Town from 11 to 13 May 2027.
Explore Water Security Africa (https://apo-opa.co/4hQiDDv)
Projects will also play a central role in improving water security. The Project & Investment Network, in partnership with the African Infrastructure Elites: Projects and People annual print magazine, connects project owners with investors, financiers and solution providers around opportunities that require capital, partnerships and support to move towards implementation.
Submit a project to the Project & Investment Network (https://apo-opa.co/4e0ia0n)
Continuing the water security conversation
The next Water Security & Infrastructure Volume 2027 will continue examining the infrastructure, policy, technology and investment decisions affecting the sector.
The volume's content is relevant to public and private stakeholders because water risk cuts across municipal services, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, data infrastructure, public health and wider economic development.
Future progress will depend on linking resource management with accountable operations, viable projects and the capital required to deliver them.
Join the Water Security & Infrastructure Volume 2027 waiting list (https://apo-opa.co/3TFdPcb)
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.
About ESI Africa:
ESI Africa is a leading multimedia platform serving Africa’s power, energy, water, transport and utility sectors. Through industry analysis, interviews, webinars, special reports and multimedia content, ESI Africa connects sector professionals with the people, projects, technologies and developments shaping infrastructure across the continent. ESI Africa forms part of VUKA Group. www.ESI-Africa.com
About VUKA Group:
VUKA Group connects people and organisations to information and each other, creating business opportunities across key industries in Africa. Through events, digital platforms, media and targeted industry networks, VUKA Group brings together decision-makers, innovators, investors and industry stakeholders. www.WeAreVuka.com
