The 89th AfWA Scientific and Technical Council Meetings started this Monday, June 13, 2022 in N'Djamena, under the theme: "Environmental challenges and climate change: what water resources and sanitation management for universal access to services in Africa".

Opening the series of speeches, Dr. Papa SAMBA DIOP, President of the STC, welcomed the organization of these meetings in person, after the difficult period of Covid-19. He gave an overview of the difficult situation of access to water and sanitation in the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and then said: "The STC is made up of engineers, researchers, technicians, innovators, experts, in short a wide range of intelligence capable of finding solutions, answers, to transcend the issue of water and sanitation for the continent".

Following the President of the STC, the Executive Director of the African Water Association, Mr. Sylvain Usher, affirmed that in the search for solutions to the problem of water and sanitation, no one should be left behind; he was thus talking about women, "the very ones who are in charge of fetching water in households, the first victims of the lack of water and sanitation". Then, referring to the women's pre-forum held prior to the conference, Mr. Usher said that women "have demonstrated their ability to take part in the debate, in the search for solutions for access to water. They shared with us very enriching experiences and allowed us to understand that they have intelligence, know-how and competence to sit at the decision-making table in this sector.

Mrs. Koubra Hissène ITNO, the only woman on AfWA Executive Board and Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the 89th STC meeting, emphasized the importance of such conferences, which promote the exchange of experiences for the improvement of services to the population.

Concluding the series of speeches, the Chadian Minister of Urban and Rural Hydraulics, Mr. Alio Abdoulaye Ibrahim, acknowledged that his country, Chad, is facing challenges in terms of water and sanitation, despite the considerable efforts made with its partners. That is why he stressed that "all initiatives that contribute to the development of the sector are strongly encouraged and supported. He concluded by urging the Chadian actors present at the ceremony to take advantage of this framework for sharing among peers.

It should be noted that about 200 delegates from Africa and Europe have made the trip to N'Djamena for the STC meeting which is taking place from 13 to 17 June in the Chadian capital.