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Water justice & climate solutions: Policy makers urged to listen to voices of minority and indigenous people
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Policy makers have been urged to listen to the voices of the minority and indigenous people as they have the key to unlock water justice and climate solutions.
Speaking at the launch of a report by the Minority Rights Group (MRG), the Co-Executive Director at Minority Rights Group, Madam Claire Thomas added that mostly it was the minority who felt the brunt of water crisis.
The report titled ‘Minority and indigenous trends report 2023: People- Process- Planet; sheds light on the effect of the situation on minority communities and how systematic discrimination had left many minority and indigenous communities with precarious access to safe drinking water.
It brings together voices and knowledge systems of over 35 indigenous and minority wisdom keepers at plenatary level, for real and effective action against water crisis.
It again revealed human activities that had led to disruptions in the global water cycle, leading to enormous consequences to millions of people and also takes an indebt look at the linkage of the situation to colonialism, which led to the global commercialization and predation of water and exposes how it was being used as a weapon for the marginalization of minority groups.
It again focused on the ongoing global water crisis which had become critical challenges that is facing humanity, like climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity and explores human rights implications of collapsing water systems.
The report contain three in-depth chapters, 35 case studies detailing the 10 most pressing intersectional aspects of the global water crisis, like access, sanitation, pollution, floods, drought, infrastructure, conflict, usage, governance and culture.
It highlights how systemic discrimination has left many minority and indigenous communities with precarious access to safe drinking water as governments and private water companies fail to invest enough resources in the areas where they live, even when they often face displacement by these water infrastructure projects that do not benefit them.
It further highlights that many minority and indigenous populations bear the brunt of water-related disasters, such as floods and drought, while facing exclusion in the emergency relief efforts that follow. And also touched on the indigenous peoples’ deep spiritual connections to the waters on their traditional lands and their centuries’ long experience of managing water sources render them especially vulnerable when these interlink ages are disrupted.
Madam Thomas stated that listening to minorities and learning from them was part of the solution to water crisis.
For his part, Nicholas Salazar Sutil, Commissioning Editor at MRG said “the solution are right before our noses.
Indigenous peoples and minority groups are offering water conservancy and water regeneration systems of knowledge that will help restore water cycles if adopted , which based on thousands of years of practices are evidence of achieving climate cooling, mitigation of extreme water events.
For instance she said there were terrible reports from floods in Pakistan of minorities being left without emergency relief, as well as similar reports from other parts of the world.
She said major concern in the report was an abuse of the rights of those who lived closest to water and often furthest away from infrastructure –minorities and indigenous peoples arguing that not only is it not enough to say that these people hold the key to climate solutions, but that water justice must also focus on the position and responsibility of majority groups.
For her recommendation she called on governments and corporations to uphold the fundamental right of every person to safe drinking water and sanitation, regardless of their status, vis-à-vis race, ethnicity, religion, language, caste, descent.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
Egypt will host Africa’s new flagship business summit this October, as leaders from across the continent converge in the newly built smart city of New Alamein for the inaugural Alamein Africa Forum.
The forum is scheduled for October 2-4, 2026 in New Alamein, Egypt’s fourth-generation coastal megacity.
The city combines advanced infrastructure, modern residential districts, international universities, cultural landmarks, and major tourism and investment projects under one master plan.
Dubbed “the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess,” the forum is expected to bring together over 20 African Heads of State and Government, senior leaders from leading international and regional financial institutions, and key players driving transformation across Africa’s most critical sectors.
Co-organised by the Government of Egypt, African Export-Import Bank, and AUDA-NEPAD, the Alamein Africa Forum is designed as a permanent biennial platform to advance strategic partnerships and unlock investment across Africa and global markets.[Afreximbank]
The agenda will focus on sectors defining Africa’s future: infrastructure, energy, digital transformation, manufacturing, critical minerals, health markets, and intra-African trade*.
The programme will feature high-level plenary sessions, sector-focused panels, closed-door roundtables, and structured B2B and B2G meetings aimed at facilitating concrete deals and long-term partnerships.
Special sessions will also highlight Egypt’s role as a regional hub and gateway to African markets.
The inaugural forum will be held in parallel with the 2026 African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting and the 33rd Annual Meetings of Afreximbank.
Organizers say the forum will serve as a launchpad to translate the African Union’s 50-year strategic master plan, Agenda 2063, into concrete projects, policies and partnerships that will define Africa’s economic trajectory for the next decade.
“In an era of shifting alliances and rising volatility, Africa can no longer afford to be a bystander in decisions that shape its own economic future,” organizers stated.
The forum aims to place the private-sector agenda at the heart of AU decision-making, lower investment risk, unlock capital, and build cross-border partnerships to strengthen Africa’s resilience to external shocks.
Located on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, New Alamein represents Egypt’s vision for smart, sustainable urban development. Hosting the forum there is expected to showcase the city as both a symbol of African modernization and a hub for investment and innovation.
By bringing public and private sector leadership into one alliance, the Alamein Africa Forum is positioned to become Africa’s go-to space for turning commitments into implementation.
By Chris KONEY, for Egyptian Embassy, ACCRA.
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on stakeholders in the Bono Region to raise the bar on professionalism and patriotism if the region is to unlock its full tourism potential.
Speaking during a familiarisation tour of the region, the Minister met with staff of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCs).
The engagement focused on how to position Bono as a leading cultural and tourism destination in Ghana.
Gomashie challenged public institutions to take a cue from the private sector by improving service delivery and embracing efficiency.
“Our institutions must be intentional about the way we serve the public,” she said, adding that “We need stronger collaboration and public-private partnerships to attract the right investment and build the tourism infrastructure that will make Bono competitive.”
The Minister urged MMDCs to work hand-in-hand with the Ministry and its agencies to identify, develop and promote key tourist attractions in their districts.
She also stressed the importance of preserving cultural heritage while creating an enabling environment for investors in tourism, culture and the creative arts.
The Minister added that “Tourism is not just about beautiful sites. It is about stories, about our heritage, and about the opportunities we create for our people.”
“This work we do today is not for ourselves alone. It is for Ghana and for generations yet unborn,” she noted.
Dzifa Gomashie further called on all stakeholders to build on the foundation inherited from previous leaders and leave behind a stronger, more vibrant sector.
The tour forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to decentralize tourism development and ensure every region benefits from Ghana’s growing creative economy.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
