At the 22ᵉ International Congress and Exhibition of the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA), held in Kampala from February 16 to 20, 2025, Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Water and Forests, Laurent Tchagba, highlighted the advances and challenges related to water and sanitation management on the continent.

He recalled that the 21ᵉ edition of the Congress, organized in 2023 in Abidjan, had led to the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration. This committed the international community to three major axes: recognizing access to water and sanitation as a fundamental right, guaranteeing the availability of water resources in quantity and quality, and establishing a sustainable financing mechanism for the sector.

Two years on, he gave an initial assessment of the implementation of these commitments in Côte d'Ivoire. According to him, an integrated strategy has been drawn up, encompassing the mobilization of water resources, access to drinking water and sanitation services. This strategy is currently being implemented with the support of the World Bank through the Water Security and Sanitation Support Program.

This program aims to improve water resource management, access to drinking water and sanitation services, and institutional strengthening. A financing platform is also being developed to ensure that projects are consistent with this global strategy.

At the same time, Côte d'Ivoire is committed to strengthening the monitoring and protection of water resources by setting up information systems covering all the country's watersheds. These will enable continuous monitoring of the quality and quantity of water resources. In addition, initiatives such as the drafting of a Master Plan for the Development and Management of Water Resources and the creation of a dedicated monitoring squad testify to the country's determination to better protect these resources.

With regard to cross-border cooperation, the Minister mentioned the establishment of management authorities for hydrological and hydrogeological basins, notably for the Niger and Volta rivers, as well as efforts underway for the Comoé-Bia-Tanoé and Mano River basins.

On the financial side, he announced the implementation of a platform dedicated to the implementation of the SDG-6 strategy, aimed at federating the sector's players around a common vision. This initiative should lead to the organization of a donor roundtable in 2025.

In conclusion, Laurent Tchagba emphasized that, despite the progress made, the efforts of Côte d'Ivoire and other African countries remained insufficient in the face of the sector's challenges. He therefore called for a strong political commitment from governments to integrate the Abidjan Declaration into their national development strategies.