Why Water Is Africa’s Next Precious Commodity

Why Water Is Africa’s Next Precious Commodity

From Next Africa by Bloomberg

April 2, 2026 · 18 min

About this episode

This episode discusses Lesotho's strategic water resources and the implications of water-sharing agreements in the context of climate change and scarcity.

Lesotho’s abundant water has become one of the kingdom’s most strategic revenue streams. Its landmark deal to provide water for neighboring South Africa underscores the growing importance of water diplomacy across a continent increasingly strained by scarcity. In this episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja speaks with Bloomberg’s Andre-Pierre du Plessis about Lesotho’s push to modernize its four-decade-old water agreement for the 21st century, and then speaks with Olivier Cogels, Professor Emeritus of UCLouvain, and advisor to governments across Africa and Asia, to explore how water-sharing deals can adapt to mounting pressure from climate change and rising demand. For more stories from the region you can subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Jennifer Zabasajja

Guests: Andre-Pierre du Plessis, Olivier Cogels

Topics covered

  • water scarcity
  • water diplomacy
  • Lesotho
  • climate change
  • resource management

Keywords

  • water
  • Lesotho
  • South Africa
  • diplomacy
  • climate change
  • resource management
  • water agreement
  • scarcity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UCLouvain

Places: Lesotho, South Africa

More episodes of Next Africa

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Next Africa podcast page.