The Potential of Groundwater in Achieving
Food Security and Prosperity in Africa
THE AMCOW PAN-AFRICAN GROUNDWATER
PROGRAM—Linkage to Transforming Food
Systems in Africa
Paul ORENGOH
AMCOW, Director of Programme
Moshood N. TIJANI,
AMCOW, Groundwater Desk Officer
African Ministers’ Council on Water
A sub-committee of the African Union specialized technical committee
on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment.

Preamble: Centrality of Water in Food Security
CRITICAL QUESTION: What are three things that are critical for human sustenance ?
❖ Water, as water is life.
❖ Food, as food is needed for the sustenance of life.
❖ Clean Energy, as clean and renewable energy needed to drive water and food security.
Water Security Security Needs:
❖ Healthy society imply productive economy
❖ The sustenance of healthy society and productive
economy rely on Food Security
❖ Food Security imply access to water for food
production and sustainable ecosystem; HENCE, the
need for Water Security
❖ THEN Why Groundwater?

APAGroP: Path to transforming Food Security
AMCOW identified GROUNDWATER as a priority intervention area in its Strategic Plan
2018 -2030, and by extension Strategic Operational Plan (SOP) 2020 – 2024.
❖ The volume of water stored underground in Africa is estimated to be 20 times more
than the freshwater stored in rivers and lakes.
❖ Groundwater demands are increasing (due to population increase, climate change,
irrigated agriculture and industrial demands)
❖ GW is also a key resource for climate resilience, environmental protection and tackling
poverty and improving socio-economic conditions of the populace.

Why Groundwater for Food Security?
Ecosystems also rely on water
security for its sustainability, without
groundwater many livelihoods and
resources will be endangered.
HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS
Societies depend on groundwater
for human survival and without
enough clean water there cannot
be sanitation services.
HEALTHY LIVING
Groundwater is also essential to securing necessities,
such as agriculture, energy production,
transportation etc, that sustain human life.
HUMAN LIVELIHOODS
Ensuring promoting stability and
prevent conflicts through
Groundwater security and resilience
to foreseeable unpredictable shocks.
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
Sustaining livelihood through
groundwater security, can foster
economic growth and economic
empowerment of the populace.
PRODUCTIVE ECONOMIES

THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION
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