As a prelude to its 21st Congress and the 7th Conference on the management of faecal sludge, AfWA is organizing a capacity building workshop for journalists on February 17 and 18 in Abidjan.
A total of twenty media professionals from 20 English- and French-speaking African countries are participating in this capacity building workshop. The objective of this workshop is to bring media professionals to become familiar with water and sanitation issues and to accompany AfWA in the implementation of its activities.
The workshop which started on Friday was opened by Dr. Simeon Kenfack, AfWA's Director of Programs.
In his speech, he emphasized the importance of access to safe drinking water and sanitation for African populations. According to him, this access to water and sanitation contributes to the socio-economic development of our countries.
It is essential, he said, that journalists have the knowledge and skills to share accurate information on the importance of universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation services.
We urge you," he told journalists, "to use your pens to be spokespersons and accompany AfWA in its advocacy, so that the issues of the sector are included in the agenda of African governments. It is necessary, he added, that men and women of the media work to give more visibility to AfWA and to strengthen its reputation.
The opening ceremony was followed by presentations on the theme of sanitation.

Thus, Dr. Mbaye, AfWA's Senior Sanitation Program Coordinator, and Valentin Yao, Sanitation Training Manager, presented the global and African sanitation situation, as well as AfWA's City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) program, its principles, steps, tools and implementation conditions.
In their presentation, they emphasized the links between water and sanitation. Most cities in African countries, they noted, face major sanitation problems. A situation that should be resolved as soon as possible, they recommended, calling on African countries to work to ensure that sanitation is given priority.
Governments, they said, "could create an enabling environment to ensure that water and sanitation services are properly provided.
It should be recalled that this meeting of journalists members of the AfWA network, will continue with the media coverage of AfWA Congress activities from February 19 to 23.