The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) are pleased to announce their partnership to advance the sanitation agenda in Africa towards the achievement of SDG 6; the Ngor Declaration on Sanitation and Hygiene, and the Africa Water Vision 2025.
The partnership announced at the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, comes at a critical time when there is increased focus on sanitation and strengthening the enabling policy environment for African countries through the African Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPGs) to address sector gaps.
“APHRC has for the last 20 years strived to elevate African voices in decisions that affect the continent’s development through high-quality and policy-relevant research, building capacity for evidence use and generation, and policy outreach and advocacy with decisionmakers at different levels. Therefore, we are delighted to collaborate with AMCOW in areas where our joint missions align to strengthen the policy environment through the ASPGs while mobilizing member states for policy reforms across the continent,” said Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, Executive Director at APHRC.
The 9th World Water Forum hosted for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa will be a catalyst for action on water and sanitation commitments connected to global and regional goals, including the SDGs, the Paris Agreement climate change, and Africa’s Agenda 2063, anchored on the main water challenges across the globe.
“Considering AMCOW’s mandate of providing political leadership, policy direction, and advocacy in water management for development and maintenance of Africa’s ecosystem, we want to strengthen AMCOW as a charged organ of the African Union’s effort to assure water security for Africa. On this note, AMCOW will work with APHRC, leveraging political convening power for stronger engagements of member states to mobilize and strengthen partnerships for action on water security and sustainable sanitation, and to broker knowledge for evidence-based policy advisory systems, ” said Dr. Rashid Mbaziira, the Executive Secretary at AMCOW.
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About APHRC
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is the continent’s premier research institution and think tank, exploring questions of population health and wellbeing. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and with a West Africa Regional Office (WARO) in Dakar, Senegal. The Center seeks to drive change with evidence led by a growing cadre of research leaders across sub-Saharan Africa.
About AMCOW
In 2002, the African Ministers responsible for water – after critically examining the global water situation and its implication for Africa – adopted the “Abuja Ministerial Declaration on Water – a key to Sustainable Development in Africa”. This declaration established the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW). AMCOW is thus an intergovernmental institution of the African Union. The vision of AMCOW is an Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation and the environment. AMCOW has the mandate to provide political leadership, policy direction and advocacy in the provision, use and management of water resources for sustainable social and economic development and maintenance of African ecosystems. AMCOW’s organs and structures serve as the Working Group on Water and Sanitation of the Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE) of the African Union.
For press inquiries, contact:
Moreen Nkonge
Communication and Knowledge Translation Officer, APHRC
mnkonge@aphrc.org