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How renewable energy can be a game-changer for Africa's desalination industry By 2050, it is expected that there will be at least 800 million Africans living in regions with acute water scarcity (where the renewable water resources capacity is less than 1000 m3/capita/year).1 A recent study on the potential growth of the desalination market in developing countries estimated the demand for desalination in Africa’s most water-scarce countries to reach 37 Mm3/day by 2050, satisfying total municipal water demand for urban populations; which is an increase of more than 1500% compared to the current installed capacity in these countries.1 FIGURE 1: Projected desalination capacity in sub-Saharan Africa’s most water-scarce countries by 2050 According to the FAO, the agricultural sector has the highest water demands in these regions, which makes desalination a key enabler for food security. African governments are already taking serious steps to develop more desalination plants.

Globally, nearly 2 billion people – about half of them in sub-Saharan Africa – lack access to safe drinking water.