When Africa’s Heads of State and Government adopted “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063” as the African Union’s Theme of the Year 2026, they issued a clear continental call to action, one that the Durban University of Technology (DUT) answered through its Africa Day 2026 engagement. On 28 May 2026, DUT’s International Education and Partnerships (IEP) Directorate hosted an Online Quad Helix Dialogue that brought together academics, government, industry, civil society, and students in a rich, cross-sector conversation about Africa’s most pressing development challenge.
For DUT, this dialogue carried a significance that embodied its ENVISION2030 identity as a people-centred and engaged university, while speaking directly to the AU’s founding vision of collective African agency. In his opening welcome, Dr Lavern Samuels, IEP Director at DUT, highlighted that Durban is the birthplace of the African Union, making DUT’s response to the AU’s 2026 theme deeply intentional. He challenged participants to view Africa not through a lens of deficit, but as a continent with the knowledge and capacity to generate its own solutions.
Building on these sentiments, Prof Sheena Kumari, SARChI Chair at DUT’s Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT), delivered the keynote, painting a sobering picture of Africa’s water realities. Over 400 million people remain without safe drinking water, and women and girls spend 40 billion hours annually collecting water. She then showcased innovations already emerging from DUT’s laboratories: Africa’s first microalgae pilot plant for simultaneous wastewater treatment and biofuel generation; a biological nitrogen removal system operating in Durban; and a dairy wastewater remediation project that converts industrial effluent into irrigation water and biofertiliser. Her message was clear: the solutions exist, but scaling them requires coordinated action and sustained cross-sectoral commitment.
The panel reinforced this call to action, with each voice adding a distinct but complementary dimension. Contributing from an industry perspective, Karlin Naidoo of Khanyisa Projects made a compelling case for a mixed-technology approach, arguing that new innovations should complement, not replace, existing infrastructure. He cautioned that community engagement is critical, as resistance to new technology is common, and warned that long-term sludge management remains one of the sector’s most overlooked failures. Sharing experiences from Ghana, Dr Prince Antwi-Agyei of the University of Energy and Natural Resources showcased circular economy models, from Biofil systems and constructed wetlands to the Safisana initiative, which converts faecal sludge into biogas, electricity, and compost, demonstrating that Africa is actively innovating its way through its water challenges.
Dr Mmaphefo Thwala of EWSETA argued that addressing Africa’s water challenges requires an integrated approach combining skills development, strategic partnerships and institutional reform, stressing the growing need for engineers, process controllers, artisans and digital skills professionals across the water value chain, with targeted programmes placing special emphasis on women, youth and vulnerable communities. Mr Vuyani Khumalo of Mangosuthu University of Technology urged universities and public institutions to stop working in silos, noting that when research, innovation and young minds meet municipal understanding of community realities, projects become more practical, community-centred and impactful.
Fundiswa Cele of the Duzi-uMngeni Conservation Trust observed that a significant gap exists between scientific conservation knowledge and how communities understand it, pointing to DUCT’s EnviroChamps model as proof that bridging this gap requires meeting communities as equal partners. Her sentiments resonated with participants, prompting Dr Moeti Kgware of DUT’s Community Health Sciences department to share that student-community water committees are already doing exactly that, embarking on activities such as educating schools, protecting infrastructure, and cleaning catchment areas at the grassroots level.
Facilitating and steering the conversation with purpose, Dr Nomcebo Happiness Mthombeni, Interim Director of Research and Postgraduate Support at DUT, drew out key themes, posed incisive questions and reminded participants that sustainable water futures cannot be achieved through infrastructure and technology alone, highlighting the significance of skills development, community ownership, inclusive partnerships and meaningful youth participation.
Student panellist Bright Nsako Biney of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana, called for a shift towards evidence-based, predictive approaches to water and sanitation policy, arguing that research findings must move beyond repositories to inform frameworks and on-the-ground implementation. Fellow student panellist Lindokuhle Ndlovu of Mangosuthu University of Technology reminded the room that decisions are too often taken for communities rather than with them, and that water and sanitation are not merely technical issues, but matters of dignity and daily lived experience. This session demonstrated the value of bringing diverse voices together to connect research, policy, and practice in pursuit of the Africa we want.
Pictured (top row, left to right): Dr Lavern Samuels, Dr Nomcebo Mthombeni, Prof Sheena Kumari, Dr Prince Antwi-Agyei and Bright Nsako Biney. Bottom row, left to right: Ms Lindokuhle Ndlovu, Dr Mmaphefo Thwala, Mr Vuyani Khumalo, Fundiswa Cele and Karlin Naidoo.
Nonhle Mdlalose
