People blush when women start to talk about shit and poop in public. I’ve been asked a few times; why do you have to talk about toilets in get-togethers or in the public. We talk about it because of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. Most African households living in low income communities, slums and rural areas still do not have toilets in their homes and are required to share toilets with other households They depend on public toilets where you can distinctly catch the smell of faeces, or defecate openly. The right to clean and safe sanitation is, at the heart, the right of every individual to better health and human dignity. It is also fundamental to a healthier, safer society as it allow people to dispose of their waste appropriately. While substantial progress has been made in developing innovative toilet systems in African cities and towns, a lot more still needs to be done as 4 in 10 people still do not have access to a toilet. Research shows that a quarter of school girls drop out of school permanently because of simple lack of toilet. It is crucial to remove all forms of disparities preventing people living in disadvantaged areas and women and girls and guarantee access to safely managed sanitation. This year’s theme reminds us of the importance of building sustainable toilets in our homes, schools, health centres, markets and everywhere whilst drawing attention to the dangers of ill-maintained sanitation systems. We should not forget that climate change is accelerating which also poses an urgent threat on toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. It is worthy to note that one household’s lack of toilet can have a negative impact on the health not just of the people in that dwelling, but also on others living nearby. This means that we all have a joint responsibility to build sustainable, safe, accessible, affordable and culturally acceptable toilets. Not only for our own sake, but also for the sake of those around us. Everyone should have access to safe and clean toilets, alongside clean water and handwashing facilities to help stop the spread of deadly infectious diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and COVID-19. As we celebrate World Toilet Day 2020, I wish to encourage all actors to continue to educate the public on sanitation and climate change issues, mobilise political will and resources to build more toilets, and to not forget to celebrate our achievements. Happy Toilet Day. Faustina BOACHIE, President of WIWASH-Ghana (women in water, sanitation and Hygiene, Ghana)

"Women must stand up for the cause of sanitation.

Their lives and those of their children are at stake.

Investing in sustainable sanitation brings development,

offers many opportunities and contributes to saving the planet. »

Geraldine Mpouma Logmo, President of the Association

of Professional Women in Water and Environment of Cameroon (AFPEEC)

People blush when women start to talk about shit and poop in public. I’ve been asked a few times; why do you have to talk about toilets in get-togethers or in the public. We talk about it because of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. Most African households living in low income communities, slums and rural areas still do not have toilets in their homes and are required to share toilets with other households. They depend on public toilets where you can distinctly catch the smell of faeces, or defecate openly.

The right to clean and safe sanitation is, at the heart, the right of every individual to better health and human dignity. It is also fundamental to a healthier, safer society as it allow people to dispose of their waste appropriately. While substantial progress has been made in developing innovative toilet systems in African cities and towns, a lot more still needs to be done as 4 in 10 people still do not have access to a toilet... Read more

Faustina BOACHIE, President of WIWASH-Ghana (women in water, sanitation and Hygiene, Ghana)

On the occasion of World Toilet Day, whose theme this year is "sustainable sanitation and climate change", the population should be sensitized to connect to a sustainable and decent sanitation system and equip themselves with adequate hand washing devices; this will consequently annihilate illnesses linked to lack of hygiene and thus promote, in the long term, the life expectancy of these households. This awareness of the importance of handwashing for household safety will consequently annihilate illnesses related to lack of hygiene and will thus, in the long term, increase the life expectancy of these households. In this regard, since youth is the best vector for raising awareness, we make schools a priority in our awareness activities, especially in this time of pandemic COVID19 crisis, it is important to recall the essential gestures.

.. Read more

Mariam AHMED, Djiboutian Network of Professional Women in Water and Sanitation

 Nothing is more astounding than to see that in Africa, people without access to toilets proudly walk around communities with a smartphone in their hand...

Why is the African continent struggling to meet the sanitation challenge? Quite simply because most African countries prefer to invest billions in the construction of roads and telecommunication networks rather than in the construction of sanitation networks and/or toilets that meet standards! Don't African countries understand that floods, droughts and the scarcity of water resources will continue to have catastrophic but above all alarming social, health and environmental repercussions for the planet?

As committed leaders in the water and sanitation sector, we as women are reiterating our willingness to support AfWA in its quest for African solutions for sustainable access to sanitation for the most vulnerable, namely women and children... Read more

Konaré Kadiatou Malinké, President of the Malian Network of Women Water and Sanitation Professionals

    With more than 80% of the population (Ivorian) using non sewer sanitation system, it is up to each individual or collectively, through households, emptying companies or through the action of organizations and institutions to promote :

- the construction and maintenance of suitable sanitation facilities, particularly toilets and septic tanks; - a secure collection and transport system; - the provision and proper functioning of dedicated treatment units.

Together, let's make our toilets a means of safeguarding life. Read more

Sié Palé Julienne, president of the National Association Toilets for All, Côte d'Ivoire

" Facing the threat of climate change, securing water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure is more than ever the responsibility of all,

for the health and well-being of our populations and that of future generations. "

Mouminatou Adjibi, president of the Beninese network of women water and sanitation professionals

AfWA is committed to universal access to sustainable sanitation and climate protection.

Please spread the word!

The African Water Association organizes during the sessions of its Scientific and Technical Council (STC), Open Days (OD) or AfWA’s DAYS. Open Days consist of the organization of a mini exhibition, varying between 10 and 20 stands, and conferences during the large plenary session at the opening of the STC' sessions.

The STC bureau, highly mobilized and involved in the organization of all stages of the ODs, has decided to make it a showcase for the constant improvement of AfWA's image throughout Africa and the world.

The present edition is materialized by 02 technical conferences and a workshop on innovation technologies. This last one is held in digital form due to the current health crisis.

You're cordially invited !

The African Water Association is pleased to invite all the actors of Water and sanitation sector to the 85th meetings of its Scientific and Technical Council to be held from 16 to 18 November 2020 by videoconference under the theme: Challenges and Opportunities of health crises on achieving goal 6 of the SDGs : what are AfWA strategies to support responses in Africa.

AfWA members, decision-makers, politicians, municipalities, experts, NGOs, technology providers, you are all expected.

Save the dates to take part in this meeting of exchanges concerning challenges in WASH that Africa is facing.

Registration link: 85th AfWA STC

Equipping municipalities with a strategic tool to assess their institutional capacity building needs is one of the activities of the West Africa Municipal Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (MuniWASH) project - a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development. Among the anticipated outcomes of the project is the improvement of municipal governance and management capacities of municipal actors in the water and sanitation sector. By their strengthening institutional capacities, municipalities will have the skills and autonomy to advocate for their WASH priorities to high-level decision-makers in charge of planning, budgeting, management, regulation, and monitoring of water and sanitation services. This new dynamic will foster successful collaboration between municipalities and the central government.

At the conclusion of a transparent, participatory selection process, eight municipalities in Benin and eight municipalities in Côte d’Ivoire were selected as beneficiary partners of MuniWASH. The project is aiding municipal administrations, national departments and agencies, and service providers to improve water and sanitation services while including poor and vulnerable populations. To help achieve these goals, MuniWASH will equip the 16 target municipalities with a tool called the Institutional Strengthening Index.

This Institutional Strengthening Index tool proposes a method for assessing the capacity of organizations based on a shared analysis of essential and non-exhaustive functions such as: human resources/staff skills, policies and procedures, facilities/equipment and technologies, citizen engagement, and systems and processes. This approach facilitates a diagnosis of institutional weaknesses through a self-assessment process that examines the functions of the communal contracting authority relating to the water, sanitation and hygiene sector. The tool will enable municipalities to have a reliable benchmark of their present capacity in order to identify deficiencies, and consequently, define a capacity building plan based on the gaps they observed.

Prior to deployment, the MuniWASH team trained technical ministries, as well as representatives of communal organizations of Benin and Côte d'Ivoire, namely the National Association of Communes of Benin and the Union of Cities and Communes of Côte d'Ivoire on this tool. These commune umbrella organizations will play an important role in mobilizing communes to leverage the information generated by the tool in the 16 municipalities/communes targeted by the project. “The Institutional Strengthening Index is neither an audit nor an evaluation of the quality of the services provided by the mayor's office, but rather evaluates the internal capacity to deliver them," explained MuniWASH consultant Sarah Leddy, who led the online training. Preliminary training will be followed by a pilot phase where the tool will be applied in one municipality before being extended to all 16 target municipalities in Benin and Côte d'Ivoire. Data will be collected for input to the tool through interviews with mayors and their deputies, members of municipal councils, mayor's office staff, and civil society organizations advocating for water and sanitation issues in each of the two countries.

From 07th to 08th October 2020 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organized a validation workshop which gathered together municipal representatives of Plateau, ministries in charge of water, sanitation, environment and health, regulators, water and sanitation operators, laboratories for water quality analysis, national universities, research centers and institutes, international organizations, donors and media.

This workshop aimed to validate the concept note by the National Observatory for Water Quality in Côte d'Ivoire.

The African Water Association (AfWA) was represented by Mr. Gilles Djagoun, Senior Coordinator of the Water Program in charge of AfWA capacity building program (AfriCap). Being an important step in getting all water and sanitation stakeholders involved, this workshop was part of a process facilitated by UNESCO for setting up a National Observatory for Water Quality in Côte d'Ivoire. Following a number of presentations, group work and discussions, participants were able to help improve the draft version of the concept note for setting up an Observatory for Water Quality in Côte d'Ivoire, develop a draft action plan and implementation strategy for establishing this Observatory (activities, timeline, key players and role), propose key partners, potential donors and fundraising guidelines, and identify the next steps for setting up this Observatory.

For further information, kindly liaise with Mr. YEYE, Ange Boni Joachim, Consultant - UNESCO Sciences Programme, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.