Dear all

I think the emphasis according to President Kenyatta in his closing remarks was to promote the integrated water resources management approach to ensure adequate sources, to protect catchments, and to safeguard biodiversity by promoting wider stakeholder participation including involving local communities in water conservation activities.

In the the exhibition section where there was display of innovations and smart solutions to water management & technologies to access safe drinking water, manufacturers / consultants /suppliers / distributors of various products related to water supply & services etc

There were many plenary sessions where no one would have able to attend all at the same time.They varied from 1) Innovations for Increased Availability and Access to Water Supply 2) Capacity Building through partnerships for improved Faecal Sludge Management 3) Partnerships & Capacity building of African Operators etc and of course in between there was sub-sessions pertinent to the main sessions.

It was a very successful forum and very many world’s foremost water and sanitation professionals, specialists from industry, governments, utilities, regulators and research organizations attended.

The next Congress will be in Bamako, Mali in 2018. Be there!

Kindly

S.Mwaniki

Dear Elisabeth,

Yes the vision statement is outdated. I can confirm to you that a lot has changed. During the conference there was a huge focus on non-sewered systems and on site sanitation technologies.

Best regards.

Doreen

Dear Elisabeth,
I think the vision statement mentions only drinking water just because of the historic membership of AfWA that has largely been dominated by utilities. Some of these things just take long without updates! I remember attending an AfWA summit in Kampala in December 2011 and the focus was on utilities providing drinking water and sewers. Of course a lot could have changed between then and now (considering that people like Doulaye Koné are giving keynotes in Nairobi) but I think a lot more needs to be done to make faecal sludge management mainstream in the conversation.

Regards,
Daniel

Dear Doreen,

Thanks a lot for posting this information from the conference! Please keep the updates coming!

For those who use twitter, follow this handle:
@afwa2016
or Doreen's twitter handle: @Doreen_Mbalo
and the conference hashtag: #afwa2016

Doreen, you wrote:

Since its creation in February 1980, its main objective has been to develop the professional capacities of its members in order to achieve its vision regarding the access to drinking water for all Africans.

--> how come this mission statement doesn't mention sanitation? Is it in need of an update?

Also:

The African Water Association (AfWA), formerly known as Union of African Water Suppliers (former UAWS) is a professional association of organizations, utilities and operators working in the water, sanitation and environment related sector in Africa.

--> from this, I assume that the focus is on sewer-based sanitation (as most utilities in Africa only focus on that) - but I am hoping that I am totally wrong and non-sewer-based sanitation, and fecal sludge management, are nowadays also topics for the members of AfWA? What are you observing in that respect?

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear Colleagues,

I am currently attending the 18th AfWA International Congress & Exhibition, 22nd to 25th February 2016 at KICC in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme for this international congress is Sustainable Access to Water and Sanitation in Africa.

African Water Association (AfWA)
The African Water Association (AfWA) is a self-governing non-profit organization which aims to cover all facets of the water cycle.

The group's mission is to serve as a continental network for water professionals and to advancing standards and best practices in sustainable water and sanitation management.

The African Water Association (AfWA), formerly known as Union of African Water Suppliers (former UAWS) is a professional association of organizations, utilities and operators working in the water, sanitation and environment related sector in Africa. Since its creation in February 1980, its main objective has been to develop the professional capacities of its members in order to achieve its vision regarding the access to drinking water for all Africans.

The AfWA has more than 100 member utilities in over 40 countries in Africa, and its head office is located in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The key guests for the international congress are as follows:

- His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, C.G.H. President & Commander In Chief of the Defence forces of the Republic of Kenya.
- His Excellency Hon. William S. Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya
- Hon. Eugene L. Wamalwa, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Water & Irrigation, Kenya
- Dr. Evans Kidero, Governor, Nairobi City County

Below some pictures of Day 1 which was yesterday: 22.02.2016. Attached you will find the programme. There are quite a number of sanitation sessions.

Picture 1: Discussions at the Water Services Trust Fund stand



Picture 2: Water Services Regulatory Board stand at AFWA 2016



Picture 3: Brian Arbogast from BMGF with some opening remarks



Best regards,

Doreen