Africa's population is projected to reach 1.6 billion by 2030, which translates into a need to produce at least 50% more food; and at least a tenfold increase in water needs for energy production to support socio-economic development. These challenges and the resultant increase in water demand are further aggravated by rapid urbanization and industrialisation. This requires huge investments in water to satisfy the social and economic demands among other things.
On 26 December 2017, the Malian Minister of Energy and Water, Malick Alhousseini, opened a three-day workshop to inform and sensitize stakeholders on the state of the Niger River. Organized by the Department of Energy and Water in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, the workshop aims to inform and sensitize all water stakeholders on the state of the Niger River and the current year's hydrological deficit.
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) will be launching its Strategy for 2020 – 2025 themed “Mobilizing Investments for A Water Secure Southern Africa”, to its partners in Pretoria, South Africa. The Strategy, to be launched at a meeting to mobilize investments for a water secure southern African region, will guide how GWPSA will focus its work between 2020 and 2025 in line with the GWPO Global Strategy.
GWP Senior Network Officer (SNO) Julienne ROUX took the opportunity of her stay in Ouagadougou to meet and get to know some of GWP/WA's strategic partners. Together with the executive secretary, she met the ECOWAS Water Resources Coordination Centre (WRCC) and the Executive Directorate of the Volta Basin Authority (DE ABV).
From 26th – 28th June 2018, meetings were held at WRC to review the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Tool for the water resources sub-sector to include climate change.
There were two youth associations competing to be the implementing partner of the project on the ground. Competing for this project were the "Koom La Viim" association (which means "Water is life") of Nomgana / rural municipality of Loumbila and the "Nongtaaba/Jeune La Touma" association (which means "youth is work") of Koankin in the rural municipality of Saponé.
The governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe have signed an Agreement on Co-operation on the Development, Management and Sustainable Utilization of the Water Resources of the Buzi Watercourse. The Agreement signed on 29th July, in Mutare, Zimbabwe by the ministers responsible for water will enhance cooperation between the two countries and the region as a whole