YAOUNDE, Cameroon (BG) — Africa is sounding the alarm over shrinking glaciers and worsening water scarcity across the continent as the world marks World Water Day on March 22 under the theme “Glacier Preservation.”
In a statement released Saturday, the African Center for Policy and Advocacy, or ACPA, warned of the combined threats posed by climate change and human activity.
The organization called for urgent action to protect Africa’s glaciers and preserve freshwater sources critical to millions.
“Glaciers atop Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori Mountains are disappearing at an alarming rate,” the organization said. “These ice caps feed rivers and wetlands that sustain entire communities downstream.”
ACPA also cited worsening drought conditions in the Sahel, where rainfall has become increasingly erratic. Lake Chad, once one of Africa’s largest water bodies, has shrunk by 90% since the 1960s, and a third of Burkina Faso’s farmland is now unusable due to desertification, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The statement came a day after the United Nations and UNESCO released the World Water Development Report 2025, titled Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers. The report describes Africa’s highlands as essential water sources in a continent where demand is rising and rainfall is becoming increasingly unreliable.
According to U.N. data, glaciers on East Africa’s highest peaks covered 4.4 square kilometers in 2019. But those reserves are rapidly melting.
In Southern Africa, snowfall on the Drakensberg Mountains is becoming less dependable, affecting rivers such as the Zambezi and Orange.
In West Africa, the Fouta Djallon Plateau is an important source for the Gambia, Niger and Senegal rivers. The Jos Plateau supplies numerous rivers, including the Benue, Gongola and Niger, which discharge into Lake Chad.
“Considering farming is the principal livelihood in the mountains of sub-Saharan Africa, improving agricultural practices to reduce land degradation (soil conservation) is of critical importance,” the report said.
The report also notes that deforestation and population growth are weakening mountain ecosystems. In Madagascar, mountain forests have declined by 29% since 2001, disrupting water flow to agricultural areas.
More than 250 million people lived in Africa’s mountain regions in 2017, with over half facing food insecurity, the report said.
“Agricultural production and food security within mountain regions and downstream lowlands are critically dependent on mountain waters and the ecosystems that provide these services,” the report said.
In response, ACPA is pushing for sustainable water management, rainwater harvesting and climate-resilient infrastructure. The organization also supports wetland restoration and reforestation projects.
World Water Day 2025 coincides with the start of the U.N.’s Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, which aims to protect glaciers and other frozen water sources.
Across the continent Saturday, citizens took part in tree-planting drives, water source cleanups and policy dialogues to mark the occasion.
ACPA warned that with Africa’s population expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, protecting the continent’s water towers is more urgent than ever.
