The Thirsty Economy: The Need for Water Addressing Transboundary Issues in Africa

AUTHOR: Chilombo (Olga) Priscila Economist@ RDJ Consulting

This disparity is mainly attributed to the uneven geographical distribution of water across inhabited areas. In Africa, it is very common to find small groups of people residing in areas where there is a large body of water. This is apparent when we look at the Congo basin which contains 30 percent of the continent's water, but the area is inhabited by only 10 percent of Africa’s population according to WWF

Given the uneven geographical distribution of water bodies, transboundary issues also complicate matters. The African Development Bank (AfDB) reports that Africa is home to “63 international transboundary river basins which cover about 62% of the region's land area and account for 90% of the total surface water” This means that, water use in one country may affect its availability and quality in neighboring countries

The Nile River Basin for example, is one of the most critical transboundary water bodies in Africa, serving 11 countries stretching from Africa’s Great Lakes region –Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – to the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands through South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea

Water is undeniably a precious resource that we cannot live without Given this, it is evident that sustainable development is significantly depen- dent on the availability of water The World Bank puts it clearly, “Water is a key driver of sustainable growth and poverty alleviation as an input to almost all production, in agriculture, industry, energy, transport, by healthy people in healthy ecosystems.”

Africa is blessed with abundant freshwater sourced from large lakes, rivers, vast wetlands and limited access but widespread groundwater Some of its major rivers include the famous Congo, Nile, Zambezi and Niger River Despite having this advantage, the World Economic Forum reported in 2016 that the continent is also the second driest worldwide, after Australia. Given this complexity, millions of Africans still suffer from water shortages year after year.

This is covered for example through the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, known as the Water Convention, which prides itself to be a “unique global legal and institutional framework for transboundary water cooperation” Therefore, many countries in the world have been joining this Convention to better manage and protect their water resources. The Water Convention was originally negotiated as a regional framework for the pan-European region. Following an amendment procedure, since March 2016 all UN Member States can accede to it Chad and Senegal have become the first African Parties in 2018 Then, Ghana acceded in 2020 and was followed by Guinea-Bissau and Togo in 2021, and by Cameroon in 2022 The UN notes that these countries’ accession offers new prospects for enhanced transboundary cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa, conflict prevention, and regional stability.

Africa’s Further Commitment

In alignment with this year's World Water Day, the United Nations (UN) held a Water Conference from 22-24 March 2023 with the aim of mobilizing its Member States, the UN system and stakeholders alike to take action and bring successful solutions to a global scale In an unprecedented political push for cross-border water cooperation, Ministers and Leaders from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East have declared at the 2023 Conference their country’s resolve to join the Water Convention.

Some of the Governments committed to joining UN Water Convention were:

Cameroon shares most of its water resources with other states including Chad, Nigeria, Niger, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. In the face of rising water stress, cooperation on these shared waters is essential to ensure economic development, climate change adaptation and to preserve regional stability The country became the 47th Party to the UN “Water Convention”) Nigeria with over 213 million inhabitants, is the most populous country in Africa, and shares with its neighbours most of its water resources, which include Lake Chad and the River Niger. Nigeria officially became the 48th Party to the Water Convention and the 7th African nation to join since 2018 (following Chad, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Togo and Cameroon), marked by a ceremony Namibia shares all its perennial rivers with neighboring countries and is b th id t d d t t A t f it

(ORASECOM) shared with South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe); the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) with all other riparian states of Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; andtheCuvelaiWatercourseCommission(CUVECOM)with Angola.

During the Conference, Namibia reaffirmed its commitment to join the Water Convention, following approval of its National Assembly in March 2023. Its accession makes it the first country in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)to join the Convention, opening the door to further expansion and reinforcement of cooperation in a region where the majority of freshwater crosses state borders. Other countries that declared interest in joining the convention include Iraq, Gambia (which shares the SenegaloMauritanian Aquifer), Niger, Uganda, Benin, Sierra Leone, andSouthSudan

To address water challenges caused by transboundary issues, it is important that countries collaborate over shared water resources and so, work together to set a path for long-term water security and resilience As always, the conversation continues at briefing@rdjpublishing.africa

Readings: https://unece org/media/Sustainable-Development/press/376922 https://www giz de/en/worldwide/119853 html https://unece org/media/news/368642 https://www afdb org/en/documents/climate-proofing-

N$ 20.650/ US$ 1.387 perlitreDiesel50ppm

R 23.717/ US$ 1.282 perlitreDiesel50ppm

Kz 135.000/ US$ 0.267 perlitreDiesel50ppm

₦ 836.91/ US$ 1.818 perlitreDiesel50ppm

Does Water Matter to Oil & Gas?

AUTHOR: Chilombo (Olga) Priscila Economist@ RDJ Consulting

GlobalwaterconsumptionintheenergysectorbyfuelandpowergenerationtypeintheNetZeroScenario,2021and2030(Courtesy:IEA2023)

As an essential element, water is also used throughout the process of exploring oil and gas including in drilling, pressure maintenance, and all stages of production Without it, companies cannot optimize their system and generate consistent revenue. It is therefore important that water supply sources are always present and available.

Water used in the production of oil and gas is often locally sourced through various methods that involve groundwater, rivers, or lakes (both natural and artificial) Another source of water for exploration and production is that which is generated within the oil and gas production process. This includes the water that is present originally in the reservoirs, but also water that is injected into the wells

The International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that “Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, and climate change will make water flows more erratic”. Thus, there is a need to be aware of our water consumption and adapt to the need for conservation efforts The fact is, in comparison to agriculture or power generation, the oil and gas industry uses far less water

The lifecycle cost of extracting and refining one barrel of oil requires, on average, 7,000 liters (1,850 gallons) of water?

However, we cannot deny that these quantities can be very significant at local levels Greater attention is therefore required to avoid competition for water sources needed by people. The good news is that water is not always wasted in its totality. Water can be recycled and reused for different purposes as part of the sector’s water management strategies

One way the industry has taken a turn around this i i i b d i i Thi h way to avoid competing with existing water sources used by people for their daily consumption needs. This is what keepsindustriessuchasoilandgasfunctioning!

Didyouknow?

The amount of water produced by a well can vary from almost none to over 100 barrels of water per barrel of oil. Nationally, an average of about 10 barrels of water are producedforeachbarrelofoil.

What else do you think can be done to ensure water sustainability within the oil and gas sector? Talk to us at briefing@rdjpublishing.africa and don’t forget to subscribeformoreinsights

Readings: https://www.fractracker.org/2021/11/oil-and-gas-companies-usea-lot-of-water-to-extract-oil-in-drought-stricken-california/ https://www schroders com/br/gr/professionalinvestor/insights/markets/will-water-become-more-valuable-thanoil/ https://corporate exxonmobil com/sustainability/environmentalprotection/sustainable-water-and-energy/understanding-therelationship-between-energy-and-water#Wateruseacrossindustries http://aqwatec mines edu/produced water/intro/pw/ https://www.fractracker.org/2021/11/oil-and-gas-companies-usea-lot-of-water-to-extract-oil-in-drought-stricken-california/ https://www americangeosciences org/sites/default/files/AGI PE WaterIntro web final pdf (page 2, paragraph 1)