AfDB now lead partner of 9th World Water Forum

The African Development Bank Group is a lead partner of the 9th World Water Forum, which will be held from 21-26 March 2022 in the lake city of Diamniadio, Senegal.

Co-organized by the World Water Council and the Government of Senegal, this year’s World Water Forum is the first hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa. The forum’s theme is “Water Security for Peace and Development.”

The African Development Bank has earmarked more than $5.6 million to support the 9th edition of the forum, billed as the world’s largest international water-related gathering. The event will be an opportunity for attendees to gain a deeper insight into how the Bank provides technical and financial support to regional member countries to ensure water security for sustainable development in their territories through its Water Development and Sanitation Department.

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“As one of the leading financing institutions on the continent with a commitment to the development of Africa’s water and sanitation sectors, it is a natural fit for the African Development Bank to support the Government of Senegal in co-hosting this Forum,” said Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “Failure is not an option when it comes to mitigating the imbalance between water needs and water availability to boost economic development and stability,” she added.

The African Development Bank is a member of the forum’s International Steering Committee and plays a lead role in its pilot group responsible for sessions exploring the modalities and tools needed to implement policies and solutions for water security. The Bank also coordinates the forum’s action group that aims to mobilize financial resources and promote innovative funding.

The Bank’s delegation at the event comprises Vice President Dunford; Director General for the Bank’s Northern Region Mohamed El Azizi; Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization Solomon Quaynor; Director for Water Development and Sanitation Osward Chanda; Director for Human Capital, Youth, and Skills Development Martha Phiri; African Water Facility Coordinator Mtchera Johannes Chirwa, and other representatives.

The Bank will participate in more than two dozen high-level panels, key roundtable discussions, technical sessions, and side events. Highlights include launching the Bank’s Comprehensive Handbook of Financial Tools for the Water and Sanitation Sector, and its Climate Proofing Transboundary Waters Agreements report. There will also be a session on key findings of the Bank’s State of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in Africa report.

The Bank and the African Ministers’ Council on Water are co-hosting a pavilion at the forum. The pavilion will serve as a knowledge-sharing destination for leaders and allies of Africa’s water development and sanitation agenda.

 “Following a request from His Excellency Macky Sall, the President of the Republic of Senegal, to the Bank Group President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, we’ve helped Senegal deliver a great Forum experience for those joining us in Dakar,” said Director Chanda.