The AfWA’s 20th International Congress and Exhibition opened on Monday February 24, 2020 in Kampala, UGANDA, under the theme: breaking new grounds to accelerate access to water and sanitation for all in AFRICA.

2700 delegates from all over the world took part in this meeting chaired by the Ugandan head of state, His Excellency Yoweri Museveni. In welcoming the participants, the Chairman of the Board welcomed the leadership of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation in the water sector and in the African region. Leadership obtained thanks to the financial and political support of the Head of State who has made access to water and sanitation a subject of interest in his country. This, according to Minister of State for Water, Ronald KIBULE, has helped NWSC to gain the trust of AfWA’s Executive Board to organizing the Congress.

Speaking following the Minister of State for Water, Mr. El HAFIDI, AfWA chairman and Managing Director of the National Electricity and Drinking Water Corporation (ONEE) of MOROCCO underlined the importance of opening new development paths for the water sector by using smart solutions, digital transformation, innovative financing, resilience to climate change as well as the development of renewable energies to spread access to drinking water and sanitation services on the African continent.

Closing the series of speeches, President Museveni invited experts from the water and sanitation sector to make additional efforts to make water available in quantity and quality to the populations. These efforts boil down to water conservation, purification, reuse, desalination and management. The President of the Republic of Uganda also urged African water officials to address water issues comprehensively in order to create effective and lasting global solutions to water challenges and threats. "Water issues cannot be tackled in a piecemeal fashion," he said. For him, ministries of health should be involved in such a meeting because water also has an impact on the health of country, and to continue: "we cannot speak of water either without speaking of electrification, because the population must find an alternative source of energy to avoid destroying the forests which bring rain", said Mr. Museveni.

Note that the opening ceremony of this 20th congress was also marked by the passing of the torch between AfWA’s outgoing president, Mr. El HAFIDI and the new president, Dr. Eng. Silver MUGISHA, Managing Director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation - UGANDA.