Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN deputy director for women: Africa must prioritise water over war

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Interview – Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Deputy Director for Women: Africa Must Prioritise Water Over War

Podcast: The Interview, BBC World Service
Episode Date: March 2, 2026
Host: Daniel Daze
Guest: Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Assistant Secretary-General & Deputy Executive Director for UN Women
Location: African Union (AU) Summit, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the urgent need for African leaders to prioritize water access and sanitation over military spending and conflict, as articulated by Dr. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda at the African Union Summit. The conversation deeply explores the gendered impacts of water scarcity, the long-term effects of war—especially in Sudan—on women and children, and the concrete steps needed for Africa to deliver on its promises regarding sustainable water. The episode also discusses the mechanisms of accountability and the role of political will, highlighting Dr. Gumbonzvanda’s insistence that action should not wait for future generations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis and the Cost of War

[02:41] Dr. Gumbonzvanda on Sudan:

• Peace as the Only Viable Solution: She emotionally described how the ongoing conflicts, especially in Sudan, have left deep scars, disproportionately affecting women and children through atrocities and displacement.
• She highlights Africa’s historical resilience:

  “This continent experienced colonialism and slavery for centuries... But peace arrived... because discussions and negotiations became a priority. The Sudan today needs a solid political solution to stop the guns, for people to go back home, for mothers to heal from the rape and atrocities, for the children to go back to school, to have hope.” (Dr. Gumbonzvanda, [02:41])

• Emphasized regional and global responsibility, calling peace “a responsibility to Sudan at this moment for peace.”

2. Water as a Foundation for Gender Equality and Economic Growth

[03:47] Dr. Gumbonzvanda on Everyday Realities:

• Women at the Center of Water Crisis:

  “…when a woman or a little girl wakes up every day, they start by having to wash their hands, provide for the family... Quality, accessible, clean water for everyday care, responsibilities. That's the first and that's not where we are as yet.” ([03:47])

• Water’s Extended Impact: Beyond household needs, access to water ties directly to economic opportunity, especially for women entrepreneurs, public health, education, and productivity.

[05:52] Practical Solutions:

• Resource Prioritization:

  “Government's prioritization of resources, because it's doable...for our countries to be able to prioritize domestic resources... facilitate access to clean accessible and affordable water, because that lies at the heart of care.” ([05:52])

• Indigenous Knowledge & Environmental Protection: She praised traditional wisdom in environmental management and stressed the importance of protecting key water resources (like the Congo Basin and wetlands) and learning from local practices.
• Reallocation from Military to Social Needs:

  “The question for me was, how much is Africa spending on military, on wars, when dialogue can be fostered... millions of dollars can be saved and those millions... go to water and sanitation, can go to education and healthcare.” ([08:56])

3. Political Will, Budgeting, and Governance

[09:09] On Africa’s Water Budgets:

• Dr. Gumbonzvanda acknowledges AU’s decision to make water and sanitation the 2026 theme:

  “The political will that is there starts with just recognizing that this year the African Union has made a decision to give Water and sanitation is the theme of the year. That's the first bold step...” ([09:09])

• Calls for follow-through:

  "...needs to be accompanied by doable, tangible interventions related to access to the services and the availability."

• Warns about the risks of privatizing water access and deepening inequality: “The essence of water and inequalities is very important because at times the poor cannot afford water even if the instruments are there.”

[11:57] On Sustained Impact and Timelines:

• Cautiously optimistic that this year can be a turning point but notes that transformation takes time. She references past successful AU conventions (e.g., on ending violence against women) as models.
• Insists on embedding water within the 2030 Agenda, rather than waiting until 2063:

  “We have an expectation that Africa will prioritize water and sanitation within the 2030 Agenda...” ([11:57])

4. Accountability and Progress Tracking

[17:51] Need for a Scorecard:

• Dr. Gumbonzvanda strongly advocates for transparent progress tracking:

  “The tools for measuring progress on issues like water and sanitation needs to be more than a case study in a report...We need to be monitoring progress at scale in the communities.” ([17:51])

• Proposes an Africa-wide "scorecard" accessible even at the village level, tracking school access, water quality, and issues like menstrual health.
• Cites the fundamental right to water:

  “Water and sanitation is a basic right...it's a basic right which needs to be resourced, prioritized and funded.”

5. Conflict Resolution, Sanctions, and Women’s Voices

[21:08] On Sudan and International Responsibility:

• Urgency for a ceasefire:

  “The women of the Sudan...said yesterday to the Quintet is stop the war. We need a ceasefire. We need healing, we need trust. Stop the arms trades which might be there. Where are the weapons coming from? Who is fueling? Who is benefiting from the war?” ([21:08])

• Links peace to broader history:

  “It's a scar on humanity for us to continue to have the situation we have in Sudan, peace is possible...” ([21:45])

[24:04] On Sanctions and Inclusion:

• Supports using international sanctions as a tool if needed for peace, but stresses centering women in negotiations as required by UN Security Council Resolution 1325:

  “Women have to be on the table, their rights have to be protected, they need to be part of the solutions.” ([24:04])

• Calls for stronger action from AU and UN bodies, not just statements.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Water and Gender:
  “It is the women who hold the household and the community in relationship to water every day for the reproduction of society.” (Dr. Gumbonzvanda, [09:09])

• On Water as Power and Peace:
  “Before we take medicine...you need water. When a visitor arrives at home...you give them a cup of water. It cements well-being, relationship, social cohesion.” (Dr. Gumbonzvanda, [17:51])

• On Priorities:
  “Africa is flowing with resources...But at times...there’s no toilets with running water in a country which is rich with possibilities.” ([05:52])

• On Progress and Patience:
  “My confidence is grounded on how we start by raising the bar… It might not be tomorrow, but it should not be by 2063.” ([11:57])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:41: Dr. Gumbonzvanda discusses Sudan’s ongoing crisis and the necessity for political solutions and peace.
• 03:47-05:52: The intersection of water, gender, and economic empowerment.
• 05:52-09:09: Practical steps for prioritizing water, leveraging resources, and indigenous knowledge.
• 11:17-11:57: Reflections on AU commitment, governance, follow-through, and realistic expectations.
• 17:51: Argument for a scorecard and practical progress tracking across Africa.
• 21:08-24:04: The call for action and peace in Sudan and the role of sanctions and international cooperation.
• 24:04-25:14: Emphasizing women’s inclusion in peace processes and holding institutions accountable.

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Conclusion

Dr. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda persuasively argues that for Africa’s future, its leaders must urgently prioritize water and sanitation above war and military spending. Throughout the episode, she grounds her analysis both in practical solutions and a compassionate, lived understanding of the daily struggles facing African women and children. She brings both a critical and optimistic lens: while acknowledging historic challenges with implementation, she calls for ambitious, actionable, and accountable leadership, and insists that gender equality and water access can and must be secured—not tomorrow, not in 50 years, but starting now.

Transcript

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[Daniel Daze]

Hello, I'm Daniel Daze, the BBC's senior journalist with the Focused on Africa podcast. And this is the interview from the BBC World Service. The best conversations coming out of the BBC People shaping our world from all over the world. If you're not a little bit afraid, then you're not paying attention.

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

We have never seen a people so united. Do not make that boat crossing. Do not make that journey. Being born in America, feeling American, having

[Daniel Daze]

people treat me like I'm not. We're more popular than populism. For this interview, I met Nyawadzai Gumponzanda, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director for Women, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The theme of the AU for 2026 is ensuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems. It's part of Agenda 2063, the organization's 50 year strategic framework. But as you will hear for Kumbunzanda, these things can't wait 50 years. They need to be a priority for African leaders now. And in her role as Deputy lead for UN women, she has been meeting with the women of Sudan and hearing their stories of rape and displacement. The women and children, she says, continue to be the worst affected and a ceasefire is urgently needed.

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

It's a scar on humanity for us to continue to have the situation we have in Sudan, peace is possible. This continent experienced colonialism and slavery for centuries. Our people were being trafficked out of Africa for centuries. Countries, including my own, was under colonial rule. But peace arrived in some of our countries because discussions and negotiations became a priority. The Sudan today needs a solid political solution to stop the guns and for people to go back home and for mothers to heal from the rape and the atrocities, for the children to go back to school, to have hope. As humanity, we owe and we have a responsibility to Sudan at this moment for peace.

[Daniel Daze]

Welcome to the interview from the BBC World Service with Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda.

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

As UN women, we realize that when a woman or a little girl wakes up every day, they start by having to wash their hands, provide for the family. And that's where the first success lies. Quality, accessible, clean water for everyday care, responsibilities. That's the first and that's not where we are as yet. So we really, really appreciate that the African Union could put the issue of water and sanitation at the heart of its theme of this year. Success for us is also recognizing that water is not just about household care. It's not just about community livelihoods. It is also about the economy. It is about the women on the market who, when she wakes up every day, wants to spread their tomatoes, she may be having a period, wants to make sure that there's sanitation on that market. So it's also about how we are able to give access that reduces disease. And we know the roles and responsibilities that women have. But also it's about the young girls, it's about the schools. And so success for us is more around the better life. It's about entrepreneurship for women. Success also looks for us on the reality that we have that in many countries in Africa, climate change is happening, there are droughts. So success is also mitigating some of those incidences of natural disaster when they happen and a good preparedness that is necessary within our countries.

[Daniel Daze]

That's very well said.

[Interviewer]

Now, from UN data, 400 million people in Sub Saharan Africa still lack access to drinking water. So now that we know what we want the end to look like, what must happen now to achieve that?

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

We met this morning in a session with the president of Ghana, who is the presidential champion on gender equality and on financing. What needs to be done is very practical, real and doable. Government's prioritization of resources, because it's doable, it's achievable for our countries to be able to prioritize domestic resources of our nations to facilitate access to clean accessible and affordable water, because that lies at the heart of care. The care responsibilities, the care opportunities. Secondly, it is also very possible and doable for Africa to also look at protecting some of the water resources that we have. And we talk about the Congo Basin, we talk about not building in the wetlands, the naves of our water systems. These are doable. It's just making those decisions which practically protect the water resources that we have for our communities and ourselves. I also so much also appreciate indigenous knowledge that is there in the times we don't talk sufficiently about indigenous knowledge, which trees not to cut, which areas that should be preserved, which forests are critical forests and why all this is so much linked. But when it comes to the sanitation aspect, and we look at the resources of the African continent, domestic resources that we have, Africa is flowing with resources from oil, diamonds, critical minerals. But at times we find that in our cities, at the bus stations, there's no toilets with running water in a country which is rich with possibilities. So it's how that intentionality, that political will to put resources to what matters most. It's so important. And I met yesterday with the Sudanese women. My heart was bleeding when they were talking about displaced women, women in the refugee camps, those in El Fasha and others. The question for me was, how much is Africa spending on military, on wars, when dialogue can be fostered on the table, when millions of dollars can be saved and those millions of dollars can go to water and sanitation, can go to education and to health care. So it's about prioritization and it's also about putting the resources that Africa has and putting its best foot forward.

[Interviewer]

I was reading that most African governments budget less than 1% of their GDP on water and sanitation. So clearly there's no political will from governments on the continent.

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

I think the political will that is there starts with just recognizing that this year the African Union has made a decision to give Water and sanitation is the theme of the year. That's the first bold step that has been taken. And it's the theme to run for the rest of the year. And for us in the un, we also know that we have UN Water Day and they said there's a very strong focus on gender equality, on women's rights and empowerment. So that bold step to have water and sanitation on the political agenda of the African Union needs to be accompanied by doable, tangible interventions related to access to the services and the availability. But you're also looking at how to engage with the private sector. The engagement with the private sector is important to facilitate the access, but also not in a way that water becomes a commodity which is unreachable to the poor. So the essence of water and inequalities is very important because at times the poor cannot afford water even if the instruments are there, the tools are there, but the cost can be so high. So I really feel that as UN women, this really speaks to the core of the mandates that we have and the responsibilities that we have. And also water governance is important. Who is sitting on the table making decisions from the numbers of women in the executives? How many women presidents do we have in Africa? How many women do we have who are running the ministries of finance, who are holding the purse to decide on what is a priority? But even when we look at water committees in our villages, we still do not have a strong representation of women. And yet it is the women who hold the household and the community in relationship to water every day for the reproduction of society.

[Interviewer]

So the beginning of your points really goes to one of the biggest critiques of the au, which is that when the decisions are made, there's a challenge with follow through from where you sit. It's very critical from what you describe, that there is follow through with commitment of resources and with even selection of leadership. From the points that you've made, are you confident that this year we would see something different in terms of after the big agenda is set, the finance ministers make a decision, the ministers of environment and water make a decision. Are you confident that this year will see a difference?

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

I am confident my confidence is grounded on how we start by raising the bar, which has been done by having the issue on the agenda. The second is what the follow up that we need to do and the support to each of the countries. So as the un, we work with the member states in the various countries, countries and therefore our cooperation frameworks our relationship as the un, it means for Africa and African member states. They are also saying to us, as the United nations, this is a priority that we want to have. So my confidence is more on just the political will that has been raised. The follow through. We may not see it tomorrow because as I said, we still need to look at the financing aspect, the prioritization at the country level. And at the same time we have seen experiences, I have seen experiences both in my previous role as the AU Gudi Ambassador on ending child marriage, that at times decisions are made. It takes time to then build on a critical momentum for the issue to be a non negotiable issue at the country level. And also just as we saw it has taken us time to push for the issues of violence against women on this continent, but we saw the adoption of a convention on ending violence against women that gives us confidence that it might not be tomorrow, but definitely it should not be. For by 2063 many people, they've lost their lives due to preventable diseases. By then we have an expectation that Africa will prioritize water and sanitation within the 2030 Agenda because the issues around water and sanitation are part of the Sustainable Development Goals. So my expectation and our expectation within UN women is that Africa is putting the issue of water as part of accelerating and leapfrogging the focus around achieving the 2030 Agenda. We would be following up the discussions we've been having with the African Union Commission on how can we have a stronger roadmap for accountability for monitoring progress so that it's more than just declarations, but it's declarations which are accompanied by practical, doable actions, including at the community level.

[Daniel Daze]

You're listening to the interview from the BBC World Service.

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[Steve Rosenberg]

BBC's Russia editor in Our man in Moscow. I'll show you what it's like being a news correspondent in Russia as the Russian authorities wage war war on Ukraine and try to silence dissent.

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

The sound of war has reverberated around Ukraine for three years.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Dramatic geopolitical upheaval alongside threats of intimidation and imprisonment. Our man in Moscow Watch with a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app. Visit BBC.comdocs to learn more

[Daniel Daze]

I met Dr. Nyarata Igunbonzanda whilst reporting on the African Union summit in Addis Ababa earlier this month. When I walked into the room where our interview with Nyaradai Kumbunzanda was scheduled to take place at the Skylight Hotel in Addis, I almost didn't notice her. She struck me as a kind mother, thoughtfully looking at her children, who I later discovered were her aides. Once I had finally got my wits about me, I mentioned I'm from Ghana, and she exclaimed, you're my in law, referring to the first wife of her home country's former president, Robert Mugabe, who was Ghanaian. The conversation immediately took a turn for the connections that Africans share despite our mostly colonial boundaries. She recalled her time spent in Nairobi and laughed over a few Swahili phrases with my crew. For me, this was a peek under the hood, a subtle indication of what motivates her Africa and Africans. This was someone who saw the entire continent as her home and its many nationalities as her family. Okay, let's return to my conversation with Dr. Nyaradai Gumbo Nzanda.

[Interviewer]

I'm not going to post what I'm about to say right now in the cast, but it's as if you read my mind because again, the key points I was just about to ask this was about tracking progress and accountability. Would you say that we need, for instance, a scorecard for the end of the year to track what has been done, what has not been done, and how we move it forward? Will that be a way to ensure this accountability that you speak of?

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

Definitely. Definitely. The tools for measuring progress on issues like water and sanitation needs to be more than a case study in a report. Needs to be more than an anecdotal story of women on the market in Dhaka that I met. It has to be at scale because we are talking about the 55 countries in Africa. We need to be monitoring progress at scale in the communities. Water and sanitation are issues that are lived every day in people's lives. Therefore, having a scorecard, a simple tool that is monitorable at a village level, at a local sub national level, which can identify key indicators that are there. Whether it's related to water and sanitation in school, whether it's related to domestic use, whether it's related to the quality of our rivers, you know, siltation, pollution, we no longer, at times our rivers are drying because also there is mining that is happening on the riverbanks. So a scorecard and tracking that looks at access quality in the different dimensions of water and sanitation related Issues is important. Definitely. The girls in Africa would really equally want to track around menstrual health, because they don't have a choice. You naturally have your period every month and you naturally need water. You naturally need disposable. You need ways of disposing which is healthy and empowering to the girls. So a scorecard which looks at the needs for different members of society, but also tracking the progress that is needed is important. And again, what are. And sanitation is a basic right. It's not something that you can say, I can live without. I can afford not to have water today before we take medicine. Okay, you need water when a visitor arrives at home, even when you have no ground nuts or anything to give them, you give them a cup of water. It's Siemens well being, relationship, social cohesion. So it's not an issue that we can deal with as a. By the way, it's a basic right which needs to be resourced, prioritized and funded.

[Interviewer]

Earlier you told me this heartbreaking story about your conversation with the women of Sudan and the fact that so much is being committed, you know, to military might across the continent, when we should be looking at some of these germane issues. The UN has been issuing statements calling for the protection of women and children in this war. From your engagements with the AU this year, are you confident that we'll see a difference this year when it comes to how the condition of the women

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

of Sudan efforts that are there on the Sudan needs first and foremost to translate to a ceasefire? We have spoken the women of Sudan, the people of Sudan have described the atrocities they are facing in so many words in the Times. No words are no longer able to describe the expectation that the women of the Sudan are saying and said yesterday to the Quintet is stop the wall. We need a ceasefire. We need healing, we need trust. Stop the arms trades which might be there. Where are the weapons coming from? Who is fueling? Who is benefiting from the war? The people of the Sudan deserve peace. It has been too long. It has been too long talking of Sudan. The war has been going on. We may speak to the recent moment since 2023, but we are talking about the Dafu war that there before. We're talking about when there were issues with South Sudan before South Sudan became independent. We can see the pain. It's a scar on humanity. For us to continue to have the situation we have in Sudan, peace is possible. This continent experienced colonialism and slavery for centuries. Our people were being trafficked out of Africa for centuries. Countries, including my own was under colonial rule. But peace arrived in some of our countries because discussions and negotiations became a priority. The Sudan today needs a solid political solution to stop the guns and for people to go back home and for mothers to heal from the rape and the atrocities, for the children to go back to school, to have hope as humanity. We owe and we have a responsibility to Sudan at this moment for peace.

[Interviewer]

So, again, very brilliantly stated. You touched the core of one of the issues that has been raised the most. Who is benefiting from the war? Where are the weapons coming from? We need to stop the guns. Fingers have been pointed at people who have even been involved in mediation that they may be supporting warring fractions. The UN has had reason to point at some of these organizations. Do you think that there should be a clear call for sanctions for some of these countries who are suspected of fueling the conflict from outside?

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

I think the Secretary General of the United nations in the Security Council, he has been having these discussions around what are the tools and ways in which there could be progress on Sudan and being here supporting the Africa effort is important. So I continue to recommend that what is priority for us as UN Women is that UN Security Council Resolution 1325, we say women have to be on the table, their rights have to be protected, they need to be part of the solutions. And therefore the solutions that they are looking for is also ways in which there will be greater protection to the experiences that they have had. So we look up to the African Union Peace and Security Council, we look up to the United Nations Peace and Security Council for them to step up at this moment, what is expected and from what the women said, they are asking for our institutions to step up so that there's a ceasefire.

[Interviewer]

Are they doing enough for women?

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

Some steps are being taken. More could be done.

[Daniel Daze]

Thank you for listening to the interview. You'll find more in depth conversations on the interview wherever you get your BBC podcasts, including episodes with Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the un, and Duma Boko, President of Botswana. Until the next time, bye for now.

[Steve Rosenberg]

I'm Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Russia editor. In Our man in Moscow. I'll show you what it's like being a news correspondent in Russia as the Russian authorities wage war on Ukraine and try to silence dissent.

[Nyawadzai Kumbunzanda]

The sound of war has reverberated around Ukraine for three years.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Dramatic geopolitical upheaval alongside threats of intimidation and imprisonment. Our man in Moscow. Watch with a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app, visit BBC.com docs to learn more.