Means of boosting bilateral co-operation in the water sector were at the core of talks which Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Swailem, held on Thursday with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of Liberia’s National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Commission, George W. K. Yarngo.
The two senior officials met on the on the sidelines of the 9th Cairo Water Week.
Minister Swailem affirmed Egypt’s keenness to enhance co-operation with Liberia and other African countries and exchange expertise in water resources management and development, contributing to efforts to achieve water security and sustainable development across the continent.
The meeting probed opportunities for co-operation in training and capacity-building.
This includes making use of Egyptian expertise and the ministry’s available training and research facilities to qualify technical personnel and enhance their capabilities in water resources planning and management, as well as project preparation and implementation.
Swailem highlighted the importance of strengthening African co-operation to address water and climate challenges through the exchange of knowledge and technical expertise and the use of modern technologies.
Such efforts would help improve water-use efficiency and enhance national institutions’ capacity to manage water resources sustainably.
The talks also addressed the importance of strengthening partnerships with financing institutions and development partners and mobilising the necessary funding for water and sanitation projects across Africa, in line with countries’ priorities and development needs.
Swailem underlined the need to maintain co-ordination between the two sides to identify areas of mutual interest and make use of existing African frameworks to promote technical co-operation, capacity-building and the exchange of expertise, serving shared interests and supporting development efforts across African countries.
