Africa’s water and sanitation challenges are set to take centre stage at the 11th African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) General Assembly.

The event will gather stakeholders from all over the continent in Libreville, Gabon to discuss solutions to Africa’s pressing water and sanitation concerns.

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Pamela Tshwete will lead South Africa’s delegation to the AMCOW General Assembly and the 7th Africa Water Week which take place from 29 – 31 October 2018.

Tshwete will use AMCOW General Assembly’s platform to highlight issues that affect South Africa and the continent, which could be a stumbling block in effectively providing water and sanitation services to the people of the region.

Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines

The assembly will also focus on issues such as climate change, water supply and sanitation as well as the Senegal Blue Fund and Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines among other things.

South Africa, as one the few countries on the continent with an approved Sanitation Policy is, expected to lead discussions on sanitation.

Tshwete is expected to share with member states South Africa’s milestones in its resolve to address historic sanitation challenges and highlight plans to tackle outstanding backlogs.

Toward achieving water security

Parallel to the 11th General Assembly, the Deputy Minister will participate in the 7th Africa Water Week activities convened by AMCOW and African Union Commission under the theme “Toward Achieving Water Security and Safely Managed Sanitation for Africa”.

The 7th Africa Water Week is set to build momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water security and sanitation by 2030, the 2025 Africa Water Vision as well as bringing to the fore the Africa’s Agenda 2063.