On Monday, November 15, 2021, the 88th meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council (STC) of the African Water Association (AfWA) opened by videoconference, under the theme: "Promoting cooperation in support of innovations for the development of the water and sanitation sector in Africa". These works which were held a few months before the 9th World Water Forum Dakar 2022, and which lasted three days, allowed experts and different actors of the sector, to consider once again, the issue of access of African populations to drinking water and sanitation services, and to define new strategies for the achievement of the goal 6 of Sustainable Development.

 Proceeding to the official launch of the meeting on behalf of the Minister of Water and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, Ousmane Nacro, the Secretary General of the Ministry, Mr. Alassoun Sori, said that the water and sanitation sector occupies an important place in the programs and projects of the government. He therefore reaffirmed the willingness of the government, through the Ministry, to support the AfWA in its mission and the achievement of its objectives.

According to the STC President, Dr. Papa Samba DIOP, despite the efforts made by the Association and political authorities to improve access to water in Africa, difficulties remain. "There are still about 320 million people on the continent who do not have access to safe drinking water, and 695 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who do not have access to adequate sanitation services. This means that we still have a long way to go. The STC President called for the involvement of all actors to "leave to future generations a world in which the issue of lack of water and sanitation will be told in the history books, because we adults will have succeeded in solving the problem for our descendants.

Following the STC president, AfWA Executive Director, Mr. Sylvain Usher, presented the strategic objectives of the Association, as well as the assessment of the activities carried out during the period from July to October 2021. Among others, we note the signing of an agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to develop a database on performance indicators of water and sanitation utilities and knowledge sharing; the inauguration of the first sludge station in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on September 20, 2021, the training of 27 representatives of Wolaita Sodo and Blantyre on various topics.

The work of the specialized committees as well as all the discussions that took place during these meetings have allowed the African experts to refine new strategies to further promote access to water and sanitation to populations. All eyes are now on the 9th World Water Forum, to be held in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2022.

 The 21st Congress of the AfWA invites itself to the meeting

Beyond the reflections on the improvement of the access of the populations to drinking water and sanitation, the 88th STC meetings, also allowed to review the preparations of the 21st AfWA congress, to be held in Guinea Conakry in February 2023. Thus, for the Local Organizing Committee, the preparations are going well. With the advent of the CNRD (National Committee for Recovery and Development) on September 5, 2021, we had to wait for the establishment of the new government to restart the information and awareness for their involvement in the process of organizing the congress. To date, the new government being constituted, all the arrangements are made including the letters to the attention of the new authorities", reassured Mr. OUO OUO Koulémou, President of the local organizing committee. The theme of the 21st Congress of the AfWA will be: "Supporting human development in Africa through innovations in the water and sanitation sector".

Let’s note that the 88th Congress of the Scientific and Technical Council of AfWA was supported by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, as well as the sponsorship of the National Water and Sanitation Corporation (ONEA) of Burkina Faso. The 89th STC meeting is Scheduled for May 2022.

Within the framework of the SAO-CWIS project (capacity building project of AfWA and operators for the implementation of inclusive sanitation in cities), AfWA organized, from November 23 to December 14, 2021 a training of trainers on inclusive sanitation, for African experts in order to constitute a pool of competent instructors who will then host various training courses at the benefit of sanitation actors at the level of the cities involved in its SAO-CWIS project.

This training of trainers comes after the series of launching workshops of this program organized in 12 African countries and pursue objectives such as mobilizing Regional Implementing Partners and regional experts to facilitate training within the framework of the project, clearly definition of their roles and responsibilities, establishment of a common understanding and language around CWIS to ensure continuity across the continent, providing learners with the experience and training resources so that they can adapt it to their region, and finally assessment of the training needs of the main actors in sanitation in order to offer tailor-made trainings to help cities achieving the sustainable development goals, using the CWIS approach.

About 50 participants attended this training organized in collaboration with CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology); they expressed their satisfaction at the end of the session by saying that the training gave them the opportunity to meet colleagues,as well as the interactions, especially the group work, which were educational and conducive to sharing experiences. They expressed their willingness to make their skills available to their cities ---------------------

It is worth to note that the SAO-CWIS project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development. It aims to build the capacities of sanitation operators and help improve access to adequate sanitation services for around 10 million people in 52 African cities.

As part of the implementation of the African Water Association (AfWA) AfriCap program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), AfWA organized from November 24 to 26, 2021, for the benefit of African experts who are members of its ''Water Quality'' Task Force, a refresher training in auditing water quality testing laboratories. This training took place by videoconference with the ultimate goal to consolidate the technical experts’ knowledge in conducting an audit of a water testing laboratory. Specifically, the aim was (1) to reinforce their knowledge on the use of the standard audit template, and (2) to reinforce their knowledge on the key steps for auditing a water testing laboratory.

Thus, 32 experts or 12 French-speaking and 20 English-speaking experts from AfWA member utilities took part in this training. As per their feedback following this session, the theme of the training was well adequate, and the presentations were practical enough. They congratulated the trainers for their mastery of the topic and for their pedagogical know-how. They found the learning methodology good and instructive. Overall, the workshop was instructive and satisfactory.

The African Water Association (AfWA) women's networks, organized on November 24, 2021 the 2nd webinar for professionals women in the water sector as a prelude to the 9th World Water Forum Dakar 2022. This webinar was chaired by the Hon.  Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources of Ghana.

This online Women’s Forum was a means of publicizing the upcoming World Water Forum and mobilization women networks both within and outside of AfWA to actively and strategically participate in the forum.

"You play a key role in the sector as it moves towards achieving SDGs 6. You are a pride for our association" said Mr. Sylvain Usher, Executive Director of AfWA in his speech. According to him, the Association has understood the stakes so well, that it gives a prominent place to gender promotion. ‘’ Women are often tasked with fetching water, putting extra pressure on their wellbeing and leaving them out of school”. In addition, because they are at the heart of the water, "they should also be at the heart of the debates, decisions and the search for solutions for access to drinking water" said Mr. Sylvain Usher.

A statement echoed in the opening address of Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources of Ghana. In her opinion, in this male-dominated sector, the importance of women's contribution in finding solutions should be acknowledged (…) in view of our participation in the World Water Forum we must prepare a draft of activities to be undertaken by women, networks and partners and also identify projects to be presented during the forum", urged the Minister.

Mrs. Adrienne Paule Demanou Tapamo, Mayor of Fokoué, Cameroon for her part said that "professional women in WASH must be aware of the role they have to play in shifting the lines of access to water and sanitation in the world. I urge you to advocate for gender mainstreaming in the sector, to engage in community and school awareness programs on current issues such as environmental preservation, sanitation and hygiene," said the mayor of Fokoué.

At the end of the group work and the experiences shared by the panelists, including Dr. Jackie King, from the Institute of Water Sciences, we note that women are mobilizing to make their voices heard during the 9th World Water Forum to be held in Dakar in 2022.

The series of launches of AfWA Capacity Building Program on inclusive sanitation ended this Friday, November 12, 2021 with the launch of the project in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire. 52 cities from 14 countries, including Anyama, Bouaké, Korhogo and San Pedro regarding the cities of Côte d'Ivoire are involved in this project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. More information soon.

The African Water Association (AfWA) and German Water Partnership (GWP) are organizing the German African Exchange of Expertise on "decontamination of water", on Thursday November 11th, 2021.

Please, click on the link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtf-6urTwvGtFOWSEN1OLloHlFX5cMK9Pf

The Congolaise Des Eaux (LCDE), the water utility of Congo-Brazzaville, is hosting from November 3 to 4, AfWA experts to conduct the Audit on Non Revenue Water (NRW), an activity implemented under the USAID-funded AfriCap Program.
More details soon.

The African Water Association (AfWA) would like to inform its members and the WASH sector entire stakeholders’ community that the 88th meeting of its Scientific and Technical Council (STC) will be held from 15 to 17 November 2021, by videoconference, under the theme: Promoting cooperation in support of innovations for the development of the water and sanitation sector in Africa.

AfWA kindly invites all actors and all those interested in the development of the WASH sector on the continent to mark their agenda to participate in this meeting of exchanges around the issues of access to water and sanitation in Africa.

- How to participate?

Participation in the opening ceremony of the 88th statutory meetings, on November 15, is open to all. However, participation in the work of the Specialized Committees on November 16 and in the closing ceremony on November 17 is subject to restrictions.

 - Participation of members in the work of November 16 and 17

The membership number of the member- company is required to validate the registration of any member wishing to participate in the work of November 16 and 17. To do so, the interested member is asked to contact his Financial Department or to ask for the number of his company by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject ''Request for AfWA membership number''.

 - Participation of non-members in the work of November 16 and 17

Non-members of AfWA who wish to take part in the November 16 and 17 meetings are invited to request an access code by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  with the subject line: Request for guest access code.

 Please click on the link to register:  https://assises.afwakm.com 

AfWA thanks you for your confidence and wishes you a successful conference.

On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, the International Conference Center Mahatma Gandhi of Niamey hosted the launch, of the Niger component of the AfWA project "Strengthening AfWA and operators’ capacity for the implementation of city-wide inclusive sanitation in Africa (SAO-CWIS)". This project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims at strengthening the capacities of sanitation operators and contributing to the improvement of access to adequate sanitation services for 10 million people in 52 cities in Africa, including Niamey and Maradi in Niger.

The meeting was chaired by the technical advisor of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mrs. Saidou Fatimata, and was attended by the vice-presidents of the city councils of Niamey and Maradi, as well as all the stakeholders in the water, hygiene and sanitation sector of Niger.

Opening the workshop, the representative of the Minister reminded the efforts made by the Government since several years to provide the population with adequate hygiene and sanitation services, highlighting particularly the two fecal sludge treatment plants built in Niamey (one of which has been completed and the second with completion rate of 90%). "The Government of the 7th Republic has breathed new life into the hygiene and sanitation sub-sector through the adoption of the Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Sector Program (PROSEHA) aligned with the SDGs," said Ms. Saidou Fatimata.

Following the representative of the Minister,  the City Council of Niamey and Maradi Vice Presidents described the situation of hygiene and sanitation in their county  as a critical challenge  that need to be addressed urgently. "The population of the city of Maradi is growing at an exponential rate with a current growth rate of 4.3%. This growth is certainly a source of insalubrity with an estimated volume of garbage of 40176 tons of waste evacuated and 12852 tons of fecal sludge emptied for the year 2021," said the first vice president of the City Council of Maradi, Mr. Laouali Issa.

The first vice-president of Niamey City Council, in his speech, stressed out the importance of addressing the issue of hygiene and sanitation. "The authorities of the city of Niamey are working hard to provide the population with drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities to keep the population healthy ", said Mr. Habiboulahi Zanga.

The AfWA Sanitation Program Coordinator in charge of the CWIS project, Dr. Mbaye Mbéguéré, on behalf of the AfWA Executive Director, congratulated then the commitment and the clear political will of the authorities to improve access to adequate sanitation services to the Niger populations, that is also the vision of the African Water Association for Africa.

The CWIS program presented to the stakeholders

The opening ceremony was followed by three presentations: the first one was made by Mr. Maman Saley Maman Sani, AfWA's local expert who gave an overview of the sanitation situation at a national level and in particular in the cities of Niamey and Maradi.

Then Dr. Mbaye, presented the SAO-CWIS project, its objectives, the expected results, the approach used, the countries and cities involved, as well as the project components. He ended his presentation by encouraging the actors to join AfWA in order to benefit more from it.

Finally, Dr. Ernest ILBOUDO, representative of the REIP (Regional Implementing Partner) for the West Africa zone, the Training Center (CEMEAU) of the Burkina Faso Water and Sanitation Utility (ONEA°, presented his organization and their mission regarding the the implementation of the SAO-CWIS project in Niger.

The questions-and-answers session that followed the various presentations allowed AfWA to gather the participants' expectations and address their various concerns. The participants clearly expressed their satisfaction with the project and hope that it will help solve a large part of the sanitation problems in the two beneficiary cities.

AfWA Scores Well in the Field of City-wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) in Africa.

The plant has been officially inaugurated on Monday, September 20, 2021 by H.E. Georges Elanga Obam, Cameroon Minister of Decentralization and Local Development. With $4,647,000 in funding provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), Cameroon’s first fecal sludge treatment station is located in Etoa, an eastern outskirts 20 kilometers away from downtown Yaounde, the political capital city of Cameroon which hosts the central offices of Cameroon government institutions.

Triggered by the African Water Association under its CWIS Program, this project is part of the second phase of the Yaounde Sanitation Project (PADY II).  

The fecal sludge treatment plant is a solution to help improve the health of the populations.

Dr. Mbaye MBEGUERE, Senior Coordinator of AfWA Sanitation Program has represented the Association at this inauguration ceremony, which is a milestone in the RASOP-Africa program implementation, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation over the period 2016-2019 and which aimed at mobilizing and strengthening the capacities of actors for better consideration, planning, resource mobilization and implementation of non-sewer sanitation in 5 African pilot cities including Yaoundé, the political capital of Cameroon. As he rightly observed: "AfWA has contributed to making Yaoundé a mentor in sanitation".