The Executive Management of the African Water and Sanitation Association has been organizing its 2023 annual review and 2024 planning workshop since Sunday.

In his opening remarks, Sylvain Usher, Executive Director of the Association, expressed his gratitude to his collaborators for their contribution to the Association's success. ''Your commitment and dedication have been the pillars of our progress. Together, we have overcome challenges and made significant progress in building the capacity of stakeholders to promote people's access to safe drinking water and quality sanitation services on the African continent," said Mr. Sylvain Usher.

He recalled the importance of water as a vital resource whose sustainable management is essential for the health, food security and economic development of our nations. However, he continued, "320 million Africans still do not have access to drinking water, and 695 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to adequate sanitation services. This is why, as the only pan-African organization in the water and sanitation sector in Africa, with a mandate to build the capacity of stakeholders to improve service performance, we have decided to play a leading role in creating a future where every person has access to clean water and adequate sanitation facilities".

He encouraged his colleagues to take an active part in the workshop, to share their ideas and experiences, and to work together to develop effective strategies. We must also strengthen our partnerships with governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and research institutions to maximize our impact," he concluded.

It should be noted that the first day of this workshop was marked by the presentation of the results of activities implemented during the year 2023.