On July 23 and 24, 2024, Burundi will host the first meeting of the “Water and Sanitation Regulator-Provider Platform”, organized by ESAWAS (Association des Régulateurs de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement d'Afrique Orientale et Australe), AAEA (Association Africaine de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement) and APAA (Association Panafricaine des Acteurs de l'Assainissement). The two-day event, to be held in Bujumbura, Burundi, will bring together some fifty participants from various water and sanitation utilities, regulatory bodies, NGOs and emptiers from twenty African countries.

Under the theme “Factors for sustainable performance improvement in access and quality of services”, the workshop aims to promote effective and efficient provision of water and sanitation services. The objective is to encourage dialogue and experience sharing between regulators and regulated entities, in order to meet the sector's current and future challenges.

The workshop program includes plenary sessions, interactive discussions and presentations by experts. Discussions will focus on policies, funding, and data collection and management.

The Executive Director of AfWASA will make a presentation on “status of water and sanitation service provision in Africa”, which is eagerly awaited given the considerable challenges facing the water and sanitation sector, such as unequal access to services, dilapidated infrastructure and lack of adequate funding.