Experts weigh in on challenges, from climate change and water scarcity to upstream-downstream conflict and industry abuse. Johannesburg, South Africa – From deadly Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar and surging waterborne disease risks across flood-affected Mozambique, to parched land and herds of dead livestock along the Kenya-Somalia border, the continent is starting 2026 under siege from water‑linked climate shocks – just as African leaders gather for a summit that puts the precious resource at the centre of its agenda. On paper, the African Union’s choice of water as its 2026 summit theme – with a focus on water as a vital resource for life, development and sustainability – appears apolitical. But experts say it is anything but. “Water is life,” said Sanusha Naidu, a foreign policy analys...