2500 delegates, 80 technical sessions, 800 presentations, the most beautiful and largest exhibition ever held in Africa, in the water and sanitation sector: this is the ambitious goal that the African Water Association (AfWA) and the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Uganda want to achieve during the 20th AfWA International Congress and Exhibition in Kampala, Uganda, from 24 to 27 February 2020. The information was given by Mr Mahmood Lutaaya, spokesman of the Local Organizing Committee, at the congress launch ceremony held in Kampala on 25 January 2019. Many AfWA partners, stakeholders and members, including the representative of the Vice-President of North Africa, Mr Mourad Ben Mansour, took part in the ceremony.

For Dr Rose Kaggwa, second President of AfWA and President of the Organising Committee, NWSC is pride to organise the Congress a second time, after the successful one held in 2010. She reminded that the objective of AfWA’s congresses is to bring together in one place all stakeholders in the water, sanitation and environment sector in Africa and elsewhere to discuss ways and means to improve access to these resources. The 20th congress will also be an opportunity to celebrate AfWA’s 40th anniversary. For this reason, she therefore invited the members of the local organizing committee to continue to do their best to ensure the success of these two events.

Young water and sanitation professionals also welcomed AfWA's awareness of their role and importance in the sector’s development. They committed to take an active part both in the organization and in the debates that will help to find solutions, and innovations, for drinking water and sanitation security in Africa.

In his turn, Mr Sylvain Usher, Executive Director of the Association, stressed that this 20th Congress is of particular importance because "it will be an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate in a remarkable way the forty years of existence of our Continental Institution at the service of water and sanitation. It will also mark a new beginning in implementing innovative solutions to strengthen water and sanitation actors' performance in Africa, hence the theme "breaking new grounds to accelerate access to water and sanitation for all"».

Dr Silver Mugisha, NWSC Managing Director, was very optimistic; this congress, he said, will be the most professional and the best in AfWA Congresses’ history. It will be rich, both in experiences to share and lessons to learn, to improve the water and sanitation sector in Africa.

It should be noted that AfWA’s congresses are coupled with an international exhibition of suppliers of goods and services in the water and sanitation sector. Thus, according to Mr Bruce Perroud, Managing Director of NGC, the company in charge of organising the exhibition, more than 100 companies representing more than 20 countries will participate in the exhibition, thus showing their interest in and support for AfWA’s actions.