After six years devoted to structuring their association and positioning it as a civil, advisory and useful entity in the water and sanitation sector in Senegal, Senegal's young water and sanitation professionals, gathered in the AYPWS (Association of Young Professionals in Water and Sanitation of Senegal), held their first ordinary General Assembly on April 27, 2019 in Dakar.

Chaired by Mr. Lansana Gagny SAKHO, President of the Senegalese Committee of the African Water Association and also Managing Director of ONAS, the General Assembly, which brought together nearly 200 participants, made it possible to review the activities and prospects for young people in the run up to the next World Water Forum to be held in Dakar in 2021.

Overall satisfactory results, said the outgoing president, Mr. Dame NDIAYE. In addition to the recognition by all the actors of the sector, the association has actively participated in all the activities of the sector, has led reflections on resource mobilization, water and sanitation governance in Senegal. Through scientific papers and exhibitions, it has also participated in several high-level meetings, including the African process in preparation for the World Water Forum in Daegu, 2014, the 19th Congress of AfWA in Bamako in 2018, and the preparation of Senegal's bid for the 9th World Water Forum.

For the outgoing President of the Young Senegalese Professionals, the achievements were due to the promotion of progress, continuous research, the professionalism of the members, the exchange of best practices, the participation in and organization of national, regional and international meetings.

These performances and positioning must be maintained or even reinforced by the new Board with its president, Dr. Fatimatou SALL, whose dominant theme of the mandate is the assertion of youth leadership in the governance of the water and sanitation sector. During this term, she says, "we will work to strengthen the competence and dynamism of young people". Her program is based on the vision of a competent and dynamic youth that contributes to the development of innovations in water governance in Africa, participates and is recognized as a key actor in achieving SDG6. This is consistent with the recommendations made by young people during the last African Water Week held in Libreville in october 2018 but also with the framework paper for the mobilization of young people on the road to Dakar 2021.

Speaking specifically about the next World Water Forum to be held in Dakar in 2021, and in particular with regard to youth participation, the President plans to "work on a roadmap with youth associations at African and international level on their way to Dakar 2021". However, she hopes that the “kick off meeting” which will be held in 2019 in Dakar and the next youth forum on the margins of AfWA’s 20th Congress scheduled to take place in Kampala in February 2020 will be an opportunity to prepare the participation of African youth in the Dakar event.

In terms of priorities, the President of AYPWS intends to work towards "the massification of the association and the diversification of activities focused on education, training, research and the facilitation of young people’s professional integration". The strategy is based on intergenerational dialogue through the “Face Eau Jpeas” concept, capacity building, advocacy, awareness-raising, communication, partnership and synergy with the various youth associations.

It should be noted that this AYPWS General Assembly was also an opportunity for young Senegalese professionals to award distinctions to their mentors and partners for the support they provide them, but also to pay tribute to some key members of the sector, including Mr. Sylvain Usher, Executive Director of AfWA, in the category "Wise People of the Water and Sanitation Sector".