In Africa, women are very poorly represented in jobs related to the water and sanitation area. Their involvement is even weaker at the level of decision-making bodies of companies, water management and sanitation. This situation is all the more paradoxical as women play a decisive role in the process of collection, storage and management of water and sanitation systems at the household level. In order to bridge this gap and enable women to play a much greater role in the decision-making bodies of water, sanitation and environmental utilities, but also to meet Goal 5 of the SDGs which promotes gender equality, the African Water Association encourages the creation of networks of professional women in countries where it has member companies. Thus, since November 2016, an Ivorian Network of Professional Women in Water, Sanitation and Environment was established. With the view to officially present this network to the Ivorian public… a ceremony was organized on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at the Centre des métiers de l’eau de SODECI Yopougon (water related professions center). The ceremony was co-sponsored by Mrs. Anne-Désirée OULOTO, Minister of Health, Environment and Sustainable Development and Mrs. Raymonde GOUDOU COFFIE, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene. About 500 women from water, sanitation and environmental companies were in attendance. In his welcome address, Mr. GOSSO Olivier, representing the Executive Director of the African Water Association thanked the esteemed sponsors for having accepted to sponsor the ceremony, and also for honouring with their presence the activity. He expressed the pride of AfWA with regard to the dynamism of women and invited them to commit themselves to make the network a common work, a clear and lasting success. Following Mr. GOSSO, the president of the RIFPEA, Mrs. Adèle NDIORE said that the Network "aspires to play its full part in this world where climate change challenges stir into action and imposes a change of behavior on all, a network that refuses to be a one more and that works with all and for all". Taking the floor, Mrs. KABA Nasséré, Chief of Staff representing Minister Anne-Désirée OULOTO, congratulated RIFPEA for its vision and commitment to the issues of access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene which remain pressing and recurring issues on the continent. She invited them to be potential actors for the success of WASH actions, and not to limit them to advocacy for gender equality but rather to capacity building to make their views heard and to play an active role in decision-making processes.

To round up the speeches, Minister Raymonde GOUDOU COFFIE expressed her pleasure to participate alongside women, in the official presentation of RIFPEA. She commended her godchildren for their efforts to promote drinking water, sanitation and the environment, which have a direct impact on the health of the population. She also stressed the importance of the challenges to be met in order to live up to the expectations of the populations. Finally, the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene wished that the actions of the RIFPEA find a favorable echo among decision-makers, improve the living conditions of the populations, and enable the development of new activities generating jobs by promoting private sanitation services such as faecal sludge management and treatment.

It was with the sound of the Yopougon commune band that the ceremony continued with the baptism of RIFPEA members and the planting of trees symbolizing RIFPEA's contribution to the development of nature.