The 80th Meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council (STC) of AfWA took place from November 19 to 23, 2018 in Djibouti under the auspices of Djibouti Water and Sanitation Corporation (ONEAD). After 5 days of intense work, the AfWA news editorial team met with the President of the STC, Dr. Papa Samba DIOP. The interview focuses on the organization of the STC and the impact these meetings can have on the Association's members.

Mr. President, the STC meeting has just ended. What is your opinion on the conduct of the meeting?

It is a feeling of satisfaction at several levels:

• The Executive Board and the Executive Office authorized us, as a member of the STC Board, to hold a meeting during the two days preceding the meeting. A very important meeting, I must say, which allowed us to review a little bit on our roadmap, the activities - to coordinate our activities in relation to the specific objectives of AfWA business plan (on this point, we cannot have activities that do not support the business plan established by the Executive Directorate and which must lead our Association to its success) - to do a huge job in terms of casting the organization of the conferences.
• Secondly, we were able to have 2 full days of work in the agenda, as requested at the STC in Kampala; which allowed us to work in peace. We all appreciated the renderings, the production that followed. It is true that this is a start and that there is still room for improvement. That is why we have tried to dig deeper, from a thematic point of view within the Association, and to conduct a more in-depth reflection, going so far as to attempt to review the format of the Open Doors Days. Many proposals have emerged from this work. Let us simply remember that there is always room for improvement while maintaining what has been achieved.

The sessions focused on the theme: technological innovations to improve the performance and efficiency of water and sanitation operators in Africa, what should we learn from the exchanges?

With regard to this theme, it should be noted that the leitmotiv around corporate performance is still recurring. Today, everything can be summarized in terms of performance. Whether it is technical performance, financial performance or other, we can think in terms of efficiency. If we work properly, if we manage our companies well, it goes without saying that there will be an impact on performance. Now, we can use many other elements and tools to improve these performances. Among these, technological innovation; the more innovative we become, the more likely we are to boost the performance of our companies. Let me give an example: in the past, wastewater treatment plants were managed by twenty (20) to fifty (50) people and today, several of these plants, particularly in Europe, are managed by two (02) people who are on site only to follow the visualization tables. Today is the era of remote management since there are even interventions from portable terminals from home that allow valves to be opened or closed; why not in Africa?

Do you think STC meetings have a real impact on water and sanitation utilities?

Absolutely! But it is not just everybody who has the opportunity to measure this impact. The most intelligent people are the ones who can read between the lines and see what they can learn from our encounters. A lot can be learned from these encounters:

First, from a contact point of view. It is important to recognize that today the work is done in networks. For example, if the General Manager of the Congo utility meets me and raises a sanitation problem, I can help him find a solution by sending him documentation or guiding him one way or another. And that's invaluable! if he had to contract with a consultant, he would spend a lot more while it's free for his counterpart, a member of the same association. I would again give the example of the WOPs already implemented at AfWA and which have borne fruit. These benchmarking relationships between mentors and mentees, if the mentee had to pay to a consultant... Imagine that! I know countries or companies that have had to pay between 50 and 100 million CFA francs for a technical assistance contract while the neighboring country has solutions to these problems. So today, the African Water Association is the dedicated platform to ensure the best meetings and federate all these skills. So any company that wants to solve problems or make savings/profits can be satisfied within AfWA.

The STC is over, delegates are returning home. What message do you have for them and the Local Organizing Committee?

To the delegates, I express my sincere thanks and I repeat again that they are our constituents and we are their representatives and, as such, we are accountable to them. That is what we tried to do when we closed this meeting and we will not stop there. Indeed, since we have everyone's contacts, we will send them documents by e-mail, so that they can read in depth, and be aware of the work that has been done throughout this week. Another thing is that they should not return to their countries thinking that the STC is over and wait for the next meeting. Today they have become our ambassadors. They must carry the message that we have been at the STC, "what we have seen is beneficial", the first steps towards benchmarking must be born from this moment on.

To the local committee: I will probably be called a feminist, but I will say that where men have failed to organize such meetings, these brave women from Djibouti have succeeded. I keep repeating it and it's normal. In general and by analogy, men have a 3D perspective that allows them to effectively manage things in macro, while women excel at bringing coherence to details through this 2D perspective. They pay attention to all the details. They have shown their ability, their desire to do well. And they succeeded! Remember that it was they who, at the Bamako Congress, asked to organize the STC in November 2018. We have seen their enthusiasm. They were present at four consecutive STCs and they learned. In addition, they benefit from an advantage, that of supervision. Djiboutians are a very calm people, who do not make much noise and they are a people who capitalize very quickly. For example, if we put ONEAD in benchmarking with a mentor, the utility will learn very quickly until it surpasses its mentor. That is what I can see through this organizing committee.