Africa-Press – Uganda. The president of the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWSA, Mr Silver Mugisha, has urged water supply and sanitation sector players in Africa to innovate homegrown solutions for a water-secure continent.
Dr Mugisha, who also doubles as the managing director for Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), made the call at the opening of the International Water Association (IWA) Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (WDCE) in Kigali, Rwanda.
“Can we have a paradigm shift from adopting solutions because others have them to adapting solutions because we need and can afford them,” he suggested to more than 3,000 participants attending the week-long conference.
Adding: “Can African water supply and sanitation actors develop a mindset that what man can innovate anywhere on earth, they can also innovate it themselves? Can’t they reverse the trend of being net importers of technology solutions to creators of solutions.”
Dr Mugishu said there is no one-size-fits-all solution, which may explain why, according to the United Nations, half of all donor-led schemes to provide safe drinking water fail in the first two to five years.
The water boss also discussed the need to look at operating efficiency reforms and structured cost containment measures as the most feasible way to get the continent out of the black hole.
He also said that despite billions of dollars of investment earmarked to solve Africa’s ongoing water crisis, a lot remains to be done. Mr Mugisha said the crisis can only be solved by locally developed solutions.
He said under his leadership, AfWASA is working with its members to address several questions including pushing for innovative and sustainable sources of financing for critical infrastructure inputs, including the use of internally generated revenues.
He also urged African utility leaders to move away from a build, neglect and replace approach, to one where all developed infrastructure is effectively and sustainably managed.
Themed ‘Water, sanitation, and climate resilience – keys to a water-wise future’, the IWA’s Water and Development Congress and Exhibition, which started on Sunday, will run upto this Thursday.
The 2023 edition will present solutions spanning water and sanitation services, the role of water in urban areas, the links between cities and basins, and the opportunities to achieve climate resilience.
Participants will share knowledge on innovations in science and practice, highlighting the opportunities for securing new and effective solutions in water and sanitation policy, technology, and management.
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