‘All hands on deck’ to address Africa’s water challenges

The technical meetings of the 13th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly of the governing council of African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) kicked off on Tuesday in Cairo under the chairmanship of Egypt.
Egypt took over the two-year presidency of AMCOW for 2023-2024, succeeding Namibia.
The first two days of the event will witness technical discussions on several topics before the ministerial meeting on June 15 for further dialogue and endorsement of certain decisions.
The technical meetings witnessed remarkable presence of almost 40 countries, including members of the TAC and Technical Experts Committees (TEC), technical staff of the AMCOW secretariat along with representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations. The participants adopted the assembly’s agenda and started the discussions.
The meetings generally review the various programmes and activities of the AMCOW to provide technical support to African countries to upgrade their water resources management.
In her opening remarks, Dr Tahani Silet, Head of External Co-operation at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, said the numerous challenges facing water sector in Africa requires an ‘ all hands on deck’ approach to a coordinated approach.
Silet referred to the UN Water Conference in New York earlier in March where the AMCOW co-hosted a side event entitled ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability: An essential Element to Meet Vital Human Needs and A Success Factor for Africa’s Social Stability; Economic Growth; Regional Integration; Trade; Peace and Security’. Africa was heavily represented in this major conference, she added.

Silet told The Egyptian Gazette that water is part and parcel of sustainable development.
“The Covid-19 crisis has revealed the paramount importance of this vital sector in facing such crises. Africa is somehow off track in terms of achieving UN SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation. That is why there is great keenness from African countries to collaborate as you see in the considerable presence of African countries in this meeting,” Silet said.
AMCOW was formed in 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria, to promote co-operation, security, social, economic development and poverty eradication among member states.
Nicholas Madu, director of water supply and support services at the Nigerian Ministry of Water Resources, told The Gazette that AMCOW has come a very long way since its foundation in Abuja.
“Priorities of African countries are the same like providing access to water and climate change issues. So, it is essential to adopt holistic approach,” Madu said, hailing collaboration between Egypt and Nigeria in water sector, which he described as “deep”.