Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
Deogratias Mushi
18 November 2009
interview
Jamillah Rowland Mwanjisi is a veteran Tanzanian journalist-cum-social worker, currently leading an organisation called The African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Jamillah was born in 1969 in Mbeya Region and obtained her primary and secondary education in Mbeya before joining Jangwani Girls Secondary School for A level studies.
She later on did a Diploma course at the Tanzania School of Journalism (TSJ) from 1990 to 1992 and thereafter joined Media Holdings Limited (publishers of the then Mwananchi and The Express Newspapers) as a reporter.
She worked there for three years. Before going to Nairobi, Jamillah worked with Femina and PACT Tanzania where she held senior positions. She remembers many people who helped her when she was working as a reporter, especially her editors Felix Kaiza and William Shija. Our Staff Writer DEOGRATIAS MUSHI caught up with her in Johannesburg, South Africa last week, where she was presenting her office in the Second African Water Week. She granted him the following interview in which she tells about her work
What does your organisation do?
The African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) ensures that African Civil Societies are represented in international and regional water policy forums and their voices are heard during political water debates. It is a regional networking body of African civil society organizations actively involved in the field of sustainable water management, water supply and sanitation. Such organisations are committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) targets.
As a civil society how do you involve yourself in water and sanitation sectors?
ANEW shall continue to create opportunities for citizen engagement to influence policies, practices and programmes, while continuing to seek innovation and demonstrate best practices, working along communities, governments, international agencies and the private sector to ensure all water and sanitation targets are met. We are also trying to monitor progress on implementation of programmes on commitments to support water projects. Our task is also to lobby our governments and donors for extraordinary action to meet the MDGs targets on water and sanitation.
How is water and sanitation infrastructure financed in Africa?
Various declarations have committed African leaders to increasing financing in water and sanitation sector. However, there have not been sufficient efforts to actualise these commitments at national levels, and there is a great disparity in the focus of the sectors' financing that favour large scale infrastructure.
What would you like government and donors to do in supporting water and sanitation?
Government leaders and donors should meet existing commitments for financing water and sanitation, in particular 0.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for sanitation, and also target funding for water and sanitation where the need is greatest for the achievement of the MDGs. The two bodies should provide adequate human, financial, technical and systematic resources and also build capacity for implementation of existing commitments. Governments and donors should also create and support mechanism to eliminate corruption such as water charters and audit for accountability and transparency. This will help to address rampant corruption in the water and sanitation sectors.
What about sanitation?
Recent declarations and Action plans have prioritized sanitation as a key issue in meeting the MDGs targets. However, there is a huge access gap - the whole of sub-Saharan Africa is off track to meeting the MDGs, and access is notably lacking in rural areas and urban poor settlements. Local governments are not fully empowered to focus their resources in closing this gap. African governments and donors should increase their political priority of sanitation and ensure it is reflected in resource allocation and clear implementation mechanism to achieve MDGs. They should scale-up successful approaches and implement appropriate technologies. African governments ought to set a strong African agenda for the first global framework for action meeting on water and sanitation that will be held in Washington DC in April next year.
What does ANEW say about climate change and adaptations?
So far, the effect of climate change on Africa is not fully understood or addressed. Communities adversely affected by climate change are not being empowered or supported financially or technically to prepare or adapt. There is also insufficient recognition that the impacts of climate change are largely experienced through the water cycle. There is also a huge imbalance between financing for mitigation and adaptation.
How should African leaders, donors team up in addressing climate change?
They should build climate resilience by investing in infrastructure to mitigate against floods, drought and other threats, in partnership with affected stakeholders. They should also increase funding for adaptation, making sure that African interests including the funding for mitigation are represented internationally.
How can Africa's trans-boundary waters be handled?
Twenty-five per cent of the world's trans-boundary waters are in Africa, making this a key aspect of water resource management for the continent. Even though most river and lake basins have management mechanisms, they are largely ineffective. African leaders and donors should design projects that bring maximum benefits to riparian communities, and also strengthen mechanisms to involve affected citizens in planning, decision making and monitoring with regards to the management of river and lake basins.
Any success made by ANEW so far?
We are now the potential. We have established a platform that speaks on behalf of all African CSOs, recognized by key organizations in Africa. We are invited to attend all the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) meetings, and we are in the final phase of formalizing our observer status. For example, in October 2004, we were involved in the organization of a regional meeting dubbed African CSO Policy Compass to CSD 13, which was attended by 40 participants from all over Africa.
What do you think organisations dealing with water in Africa should do?
They need to examine obstacles and barriers that prevent sustainable development in the areas of agriculture, land use, rural development, drought and desertification in Africa. This is because African countries occasionally report their progress, but sadly forget to mention water resources management, water supply and sanitation. National reports related to water and sanitation should also focus more on efforts and achievements especially in the area of water resources management and water supply.
Any water challenges that need attention?
Lack of funding, poor infrastructure and capacity should from time to time be addressed. Also, lack of political commitment and proper policies that promote affordable and equitable water supply and sanitation services especially for poor people should receive proper attention. Challenges like trade, debt and natural resources should be looked into. But, water and sanitation are areas that need special attention.
What is the situation of water supply in Africa?
One third of the population in Africa does not have access to clean water, while 60 per cent lack access to safe improved sanitation, which is responsible for the death of millions annually due to sanitation related disease.
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