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Maintaining the excellence bar

Friday, 07 April 2017
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The year 2010 is ending and we can proudly say that the harvest was good for the African Water Association, in view of the activities conducted. The year 2010 marked the age of maturity for our Association, which celebrated its 30 years of existence in March in Kampala. The 30th Anniversary coincided with the holding of our 15th Congress in the same city. The international echo of this Congress, the number (1,600) and quality of delegates drawn from 64 countries conferred a qualitative imprint on our commitment to ensure equitable access for all to potable water and decent sanitation services.

The inventory of actions conducted during the year 2010 is eloquent. Our objective of investing in the human capital through capacity building was materialized by the creation of the African Water Academy, based in Kampala, Uganda, in premises offered by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). This Academy, dedicated to the development of leadership and change management, initiated its training sessions in February.

In 2010, the African water family found its unity, following our fusion with the ex-ESAR-IWA. Today, our Association is the only continental organization in the water and sanitation sector that enjoys the confidence of multilateral partners. A position that enabled us to organize a regional African Forum during the Congress of the International Water Association (IWA), held in September in Montreal, to deliver, at the invitation of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), a statement to the high level ministerial session during the third African Water week, held in November in Addis Ababa.

To improve the performances of water companies, The Water Operators Partnership for Africa (WOP-Africa) initiated workshops and partnerships. The outcome is convincing for our water companies and will be even more convincing in the coming years, thanks to the support of our partners (UN-Habitat, USAID, and AfDB). The year 2011 will open new perspectives for our Association and our responsibility is not to balk at the task. This pivotage year before the 2012 Congress in Marrakech will be a year of intense activities aimed at promoting visibility, advocacy and formalization of partnerships to consolidate the international status of our Association and positively influence public policies in the water and sanitation sector.

We should, more than ever, be determined to maintain the excellence bar. This was demonstrated by our Scientific and Technical Council (STC) during the two previous annual meetings (Libreville and Dakar). Its agenda for the New Year is even more attractive for enhancing the level of performance of our members. What is important now is to save words and act efficiently in order to achieve our objectives.

Happy New Year 2011.

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