Panelists at an event convened by the African Development Bank have highlighted the importance of including rural residents in initiatives to improve access to water and sanitation services, even in the face of challenging economics.
The session, titled Maximizing the potential of the private sector in the Water & Sanitation Sector in Africa to reach Sustainable Development Goal 6, took place on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 21st International Congress of the African Water Association and 7th Faecal Sludge Management Conference in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The discussion was moderated by Jeanne Astrid Fouegue-Ngako de Foki, African Development Bank Division Manager for Water Coordination and Partnerships, who skillfully guided the participants through a wide range of topics and insights.
Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Panelists, representing the public and private sectors as well as civil society, called for comprehensive reviews of national water policies and an approach that distinguishes between multinational corporations and small and micro enterprises.
Mali's Deputy National Director of Hydraulics, Djoouro Bocoum, pointed out disparities in service delivery between urban and rural areas, calling on the African Development Bank to help overcome this inequality. Thierry Barbotte, President of Odial Solutions, echoed this. He said businesses were forced to balance between profitability and serving end users but stressed that rural areas needed infrastructure for water and sanitation too. Barbotte warned that investments in rural areas may take up to five years to yield profits and suggested that a system be developed to allow businesses to absorb any losses incurred during this time.
Basile Ebah President of the Board of Directors of SODECI, Côte d'Ivoire's water distribution company, opened the session with a presentation on the now-privatized entity and the role that its partnership with French company Eranove, played in its development. Basile noted that former president Félix Houphouët-Boigny was instrumental in pushing the alliance as he sought to consolidate Côte d'Ivoire's economic miracle in the 1960s by expanding access to drinking water. Ebah stressed that governments have an essential role to play in terms of putting good regulations in place to support the private sector.
Ralph Olaye, Eranove's Director for Development and Projects offered some context in the form of statistics. According to African Development Bank figures, developing Africa's water sector requires an investment of $40 billion a year. He said the private sector's contribution to investments in the sector was just 2%, nothing that businesses could bring much more than just financing to the table, such as valuable management expertise and services.
The congress runs from 19-23 February, drawing together experts, engineers, technicians, researchers, and other stakeholders to discuss Africa's water and sanitation challenges under the theme "Acting for sustainable management of resources and access to water and sanitation for all". The African Development Bank has organized panel sessions, exhibitions, and will also host an exhibition booth to showcase projects.
