Uganda has announced ambitious new targets to strengthen water and sanitation services nationwide, following the closing of the 2025 Water Utilities Regulators Conference in Kampala.
The three-day meeting brought together government officials, regulators, and sector experts from across Africa to discuss the future of water governance and sustainable service delivery.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Environment, Dr. Alfred Okot Okidi, urged both service providers and consumers to work collaboratively to meet national WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) goals.
“We cannot achieve efficiency if one side is moving and the other is not,” Dr. Okidi told delegates. “Service providers must improve performance, but consumers too must use water responsibly. We want countries to learn from Uganda’s successes and, importantly, from our challenges.”
Officials at the conference commended regulators and partners for openly confronting long-standing bottlenecks, including high operational costs, tariff gaps, and the often-overlooked area of sanitation.
Among the new commitments, Uganda plans to reduce national water losses by five percent, a move expected to recover at least Shs 16 billion and enable connections for thousands of new customers.
The ministry also pledged to achieve 100 percent wastewater compliance within the next 18 months, a milestone that experts say would significantly improve environmental protection and public health.
Commissioner Dr. Eng. Kweronda Frank emphasised that reducing non-revenue water losses through leaks, illegal connections, or metering challenges remains a top priority.
“Every year, this country loses billions because the water we produce isn’t the water we sell,” he said. “We are establishing more regional calibration centres and introducing a new framework that will support affordable and efficient rural water systems.”
The conference closed with a renewed call for regional collaboration, innovation, and stronger accountability as countries work to secure safe and sustainable water for all.