ABUJA, Nigeria, September 2023

The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Government of the Republic of Namibia, will convene the Seventh Africa Sanitation and Hygiene Conference, commonly called the AfricaSan7 Conference. The event will take place in Swakopmund, Namibia, on 6 – 11 November 2023 – under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR).

The AfricaSan Conference is organised biennially to promote high-level political prioritisation of sanitation and hygiene issues across Africa. This 7th Edition is convened on the theme: “Strengthening Systems and Partnerships for Accelerated Action on Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene.”

The overall objective of the AfricaSan7 Conference is to revitalise the pursuit of the targets of the 2008 Ngor Declaration of African Ministers responsible for sanitation and hygiene. Among others, one specific Conference objective includes strengthening partnerships and facilitating knowledge exchange for action on delivering safely managed sanitation and hygiene services.

AfricaSan7 will convene ministers responsible for sanitation and hygiene in Africa, together with senior civil servants, academics, civil society, development partners and the private sector to take stock of the following:

1. The 2023 AfricaSan Ngor report highlighting Member States’ advancements in sanitation.
2. The Dakar Declaration’s suggestions from the 9th World Water Forum that elevate sanitation’s role in national development and, 
3. The UN 2023 Water Conference decisions to hastening SDG on sanitation and hygiene.

The AfricaSan7 follows in the tradition of six previous editions of the Africa Sanitation and Hygiene Conferences – held on a rotational basis across the five African sub-regions. The Government of the Republic of Namibia will host this editionat the prestigious MTC Dome in Swakopmund.

Arrangements have been in top gear since 17 August when the Cabinet of the Government of the Republic of Namibia approved the joint hosting of the AfricaSan7 Conference with AMCOW.

The technical sessions, Ministerial Dialogues, country and sector dialogues will address several thematic areas across different conference segments. The conference’s attendees will be African Union Member States, UN Agencies, networks of development partners, the private sector, civil societies, community-based organisations, and the media.

For more information about the AfricaSan7 Conference, click on: www.africasan.amcow-online.org

About the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW)

The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) is an intergovernmental institution of the African Union. AMCOW’s organs and structures serve as the Working Group of the African Union’s Water and Sanitation Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE).

AMCOW’s mission is to provide political leadership, policy direction, and advocacy for water management and sustainable sanitation services delivery in Africa. The Council convenes the AU Member States and all stakeholders, pursuing the Africa Water Vision, Ngor commitments, and SDGs. Our mandate involves mobilising collective action to achieve water and sanitation goals, streamlining efforts for a broader impact. Additionally, we share knowledge to support evidence-based policies and responsive initiatives. Efficient resource utilisation is crucial to guide funding and investments for effective outcomes. AMCOW strives to improve water and sanitation services in Africa through political leadership, policy direction, and strategic collaboration among diverse actors.

To arrange for interviews please contact

Obinna Anah

AMCOW Knowledge Management, Communications and Visibility Officer

oanah@amcow-online.org

And

Jona Musheko

Communication Officer at Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Namibia

Jona.Musheko@mawlr.gov.na

For more information, visit https://www.amcow-online.org  

Follow AMCOW/MAWLR: 

Twitter: @amcowafrica

LinkedIn: https://ng.linkedin.com/company/amcowafrica

Twitter: @MAWLR_Nam

Facebook: Ministry of Agriculture, Water & Land Reform

The 13th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly (GA) of the Governing Council of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) will be hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt in Cairo.

The GA, which will hold from 13-15 June 2023, will consider and guide the formulation and pursuits of AMCOW aspirations and ongoing interventions. These include mobilising the active involvement of the Member States and partners in the formulation of the post-2025 Africa Water Vision and advocating cooperation in the management of water resources through multi-sectoral approaches and water-energy-food-ecosystem perspectives.

The GA will also raise its profile and increase awareness of the value of water as the most precious resource for life and key to climate change adaptation and resilience. The assembly also presents a platform for setting a biennial agenda for Africa’s water and sanitation sector by the Council of Ministers. The principles of a bottom-up-top-down approach will be applied to adopt continental policy initiatives informed by Member States’ priorities at the national and regional levels.

Similarly, ownership of these initiatives is demonstrated by their domestication for implementation at the appropriate levels. It is in this regard that AMCOW executes its mandate as the working group on water and sanitation of the Africa Union’s Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (ARDWE).

The expected outcome would guide cooperative action in the management of Africa’s water resources to support continent-wide aspirations for social transformation, economic growth, regional integration, peace and security. It will also guide the application of information and knowledge resources to promote best practices in water policy reforms and water, food and energy security.

The Council would also agree on transboundary water resources management and water services provision, initiatives, action on climate change adaptation and mitigation studies and developing policies and strategies for mitigating and managing water-related disaster risks.

AMCOW plans to strengthen mechanisms to assure commensurate financial flows to the sector to deliver on continental and global commitments to achieve African water and sanitation goals.

About 135 participants are expected, including representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC), the 55 Ministers responsible for water, 55 TAC and Technical Experts Committees (TEC) members, staff of the Ministry for Water and Irrigation of the Arab Republic of Egypt and AMCOW secretariat.

Photo Credit. Nile River by Harold Edwin Hurst, Charles Gordon Smith, Magdi M. El-Kammash: Encyclopedia Britannica

PRESS RELEASE
May 19, 2023

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) hosted a High-Level Meeting on Transboundary Water Resources Management in Africa, ENTEBBE, Uganda – From May 23rd to May 26th, 2023, approximately 75
participants comprising senior management from African River and Lake Basin Organisations, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), members of the Diplomatic Corps in Uganda, and representatives of Development Partners convened at Speke Commonwealth Resort, Munyonyo, to discuss joint planning and implementation of water
governance, transboundary water management and development.

Organised by the African Network of Basin Organisations (ANBO) in collaboration with NBI, AMCOW, GIZ, and the World Bank, this pivotal high-level four-day meeting was held in recognition of the need for closer cooperation among these institutions to not only enhance their respective organisational capacities but also increase their responsiveness to the needs of the continent.

The objectives of this continent-wide stakeholder engagement include the following:

• Identifying sector areas on transboundary water resources management for joint planning and implementation.
• Leveraging partnerships and other transboundary cooperation arrangements that will support the management of shared water resources.
• Agreeing on mechanisms to promote the implementation of continental and global commitments on water and sanitation, including Africa Water Vision 2025, PIDA-PAP II water projects, AU Agenda 2063, and SDG 6.
• Preparing a Joint Action Plan for implementation and reporting on the meeting outcomes.

The Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs of the Republic of Uganda opened this high-level meeting as the Guest of Honor. Professor Patrick Otieno Lumumba delivered the keynote address. In her remarks, Hon. Kadaga said that Africa’s shared water resources present opportunities for socioeconomic development for riparian countries. Also, she stressed that knowledge and investment are required to translate these resources into social, economic, environmental, and political benefits for the populace.

Many African Member States recognise that the development of water infrastructure is a key driver of socioeconomic development, and it is worth noting that 64 percent of Africa’s surface area is composed of the transboundary river and lake basins. However, despite this abundance, these shared water resources are under-utilised and, at the same time, at risk of dwindling due to human activities exacerbated by climate change impacts.

African Member States have common developmental goals for the well-being of their respective citizens, and addressing these goals requires a cooperative approach – especially in the transboundary lake and river basins. This high-level stakeholder engagement is the first step in exploring possible areas of collaborative action. It offers a platform for learning and exchanging experiences and lessons learned in transboundary water management.

Following this four-day engagement, a joint Action/Engagement Plan for implementing regional and global commitments will be developed and reporting on the general meeting outcomes.

The Team Europe Initiative (TEI) launch took place during the week of the UN 2023 Water Conference, with David Lymer representing the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Sida supports the Abuja-based African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW). The ongoing contribution to AMCOW builds institutional capacity for 2018-2023 (40 MSEK) to support their role and mandate as an African mechanism for water and sanitation under the African Union – with the natural entry points to the African Union and water ministries of African countries.

These 55 Member Countries of AMCOW are represented by their water Ministers in the AMCOW steering committee. Preliminary findings in a Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the Sida support to AMCOW demonstrate excellent and tangible results.

Sida’s engagement within the ”Team European Initiative for Transboundary Water Management in Africa” has been carried out so far through our support to AMCOW. In the dialogue with the European Union (EU) around the TEI, Sida has demanded a clear and coordinating role for AMCOW. Sida is currently discussing with AMCOW about a second phase of support (50 MSEK, 2023-2026).

During the 9^th General Assembly of the World Water Council from 10-11 December, members elected The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) into the Board of Governors for 2023 – 2025. The BoDs will promote water as politics and a means to render services to release and sustain the global sustainable development agenda.  

The World Water Council, an international multi-stakeholder platform organisation, is the founder and co-organiser of the World Water Forum. Its mission is to mobilise action on critical water issues at all levels. WWC engages people in debates and challenges conventional thinking at the highest decision-making level. AMCOW, on the other hand, works to provide political leadership, policy direction and advocacy in the provision, use and sustainable management of water resources in Africa.

As part of the AMCOW Strategy to consolidate engagement at the global level, AMCOW successfully bid to serve on the Board of Governors for the period 2023 – 2025. Under College1: International Organisations, AMCOW emerged as first with 184 votes, more than any other.

AMCOW’s function will strengthen WWC’s global efforts in mobilising collective action on the water for all purposes. AMCOW brings on board several years of significant contribution to shaping the agenda and focus of the World Water Fora. It will facilitate access to the African Union Heads of State and Government, Ministers responsible for water affairs and the Member States. Overall, the World Water Council will benefit again from AMCOW’s experience in successfully coordinating the Africa Regional processes for the 5th, 6th and 7th editions of the World Water Forum. AMCOW will contribute to the sub-themes and format of the 10^th Forum – “Spare and Share Water”. It will also drive the mobilisation of a solid and impactful African presence at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.

AMCOW served on the World Water Council’s Board of Governors from 2008 – 2016 when it played critical roles at the 8th and 9th World Water Forums in Brasilia and Dakar.