97th AfWASA Strategic and Technological Council Meetings | 13 and 14 July 2026 | Online
The 97th Meetings of AfWASA Strategic and Technological Council will be held virtually on 13 and 14 July 2026, under the theme: “Water and Sanitation in Africa: Building Smart, Inclusive and Resilient Services.”
This major continental gathering forms part of the strategic momentum initiated during the 23rd AfWASA International Congress and Exhibition held in Yaoundé in February 2026, which brought together more than 2,000 participants from 52 countries around the key transformation challenges facing the African water and sanitation sector.
In a context characterized by accelerating climate change impacts, rapid urban growth, increasing pressure on water resources, rising service performance requirements and the emergence of digital technologies, building smart, inclusive and resilient services has now become a strategic priority for the African continent.
Today, the STC stands as one of Africa’s leading platforms for the production, sharing and valorization of knowledge in the water and sanitation sector. Through its regular sessions, it fosters networking among experts, utilities, researchers, public institutions, technical and financial partners, as well as innovation and sector governance stakeholders. It also serves as a strategic platform for forward-looking reflection aimed at anticipating sector transformations and promoting responses tailored to African realities.
Discussions will notably focus on issues related to service digitalization, data exploitation and artificial intelligence, climate resilience of infrastructure, utility performance improvement, social and territorial inclusion, as well as new governance and financing mechanisms for the sector.
The virtual organization of this session also offers several major opportunities. It will help strengthen the participation of African experts and institutions, facilitate wider access to STC proceedings for sector stakeholders, and consolidate the ongoing digitalization of AfWASA’s technical and institutional cooperation mechanisms. It will also contribute to reducing the logistical and financial constraints associated with international travel, while promoting greater organizational flexibility.
Beyond its format, this 97th STC Session above all reflects AfWASA’s commitment to maintaining a high level of mobilization around the strategic challenges facing the sector and to further strengthening its position as Africa’s leading continental platform for scientific, technical and institutional dialogue in the field of water and sanitation.
Through this new edition, African Water and Sanitation Association once again reaffirms its commitment to sustainably supporting the transformation of the sector, promoting African innovation, and strengthening synergies among stakeholders in pursuit of universal, sustainable and resilient access to water and sanitation across the continent.
