Conference on Water and Sanitation: Industry Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Universal Access to Water and Sanitation | African Development Bank

The 21^st International Congress and Exhibition of the African Water Association, and the 7^e A conference on faecal sludge management has opened in the Ivorian commercial capital of Abidjan calling for stronger commitments to ensure universal access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The conferences, taking place together for the first time, opened Monday and are co-sponsored by the African Development Bank Group. They bring together public and private sector experts: government officials, development partners, engineers and researchers to discuss water and sanitation challenges in Africa under the theme “Acting for sustainable resource management and access to water and sanitation for everyone. Ministers from Senegal, Malawi, Niger, Madagascar, Togo and Bangladesh attended the opening ceremony.

In the opening speech, Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi stressed that tackling Africa’s water and sanitation challenges has become more important as the continent continues to experience the highest population growth. “We don’t really know the value of water until we miss it — without water there is no life, no peace, no prosperity,” he said.

Prime Minister Achi called on industry advocates to pay more attention to sanitation and how the water sector has shown. “The question we don’t ask often enough is whether drinking water is like eating – what happens next? It’s kind of strange that it took us a long time to connect water and sanitation. We have shown water, but we must insist on sanitation.”

The Ivorian Minister of Hydraulic Engineering, Sanitation and Health, Bouake Fofana, noted that most African countries cannot meet the SDG 6 target for 2030 and stressed that the congress provided an appropriate opportunity to explore new solutions.

Fofana also stressed the need to prioritize rural communities, which currently represent more than 50% of the continent and where open defecation continues to be a major problem. “We have yet to make progress in providing water and sanitation for all,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the financial partners, Islamic Development Bank Country Director Ouattara Oumar highlighted the benefits of investing in water and sanitation – it contributes to 1.5% of global GDP and generates at least 200% for every dollar invested.

He pushed for more response and awareness, including more money to improve access to water and sanitation for all. Oumar said: “Water and sanitation are at the heart of sustainable development and key to the survival of all people; access to water and sanitation reduces health costs for people and society. Children are more likely to go to school if they have access to water and sanitation.”

Oumar reiterated the commitment of the Islamic Development Bank to work with member states to address the challenges in the sector. “The Islamic Development Bank is deeply committed to addressing the challenges in the water and sanitation sector. We are ready to listen to our Member States and we ask Member States to prioritize water and sanitation to improve livelihoods and social and economic development.”

Dr. Silver Mugisha, President of the African Water Association, highlighted five areas of focus that the Congress should consider: technological innovation, developing sustainable infrastructure financing options, empowering people and systems, streamlining corporate governance and enabling conversation, and instilling a strong culture through relevant capacity building and learning systems.

He said the water and sanitation sector struggles with strategic plans lacking clarity, aging infrastructure, rapid urbanization that puts pressure on the water system and insufficient infrastructure funding, resulting in operational inefficiencies. “In the next three days, we have a great opportunity to make a significant contribution to addressing these challenges.”

He announced the association’s name change to the “African Water and Sanitation Association” to include sanitation, and called for building solutions for both water and sanitation. “It is our actions that bring the real reward. Our actions have the power to change the African water and sanitation sector and inspire others to stand up and take action.”

Jennifer William, Executive Director of Fecal Sludge Management Alliance, reiterated the need to do more to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 of clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

She called for the preparation, involvement and guidance of women and young people in the sector. “We must prepare our leaders of tomorrow to be seen and heard and to give them the space to lead us. The younger generation can teach us to put aside our differences and work together.”