SWAKOPMUND: The seventh Africa Sanitation and Hygiene Conference expressed concern about the number of Africans who still lack access to safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services.

Attendees of the conference, which started Monday and ended Friday, also noted the fast-fading aspiration to achieve the Africa Water Vision of “an Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation and the environment” by 2025.

For this reason, the Swakopmund Declaration on ‘Accelerated Actions for Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient Sanitation and Hygiene Services Delivery in Africa’ has committed to raising the profile of water and sanitation in national systems for economic planning as an integral element of mechanisms to improve domestic allocations and attract investments to the water, sanitation and hygiene sector.

The declaration delivered by African Ministers’ Council on Water Technical Advisory Committee (AMCOW) Chair Dr Tahani Sileet in Swakopmund on Friday further committed to mobilising funding to implement AMCOW initiatives, especially the Africa Water Facility hosted by the African Development Bank.

“Additionally, we are committed to utilising the African Sanitation Policy Guidelines towards inclusive, sustainable and resilient sanitation and hygiene services delivery in Africa, especially given the lessons learnt from combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also aware of the negative impacts on Africa’s health systems and economic activity that result from climate-exacerbated public health emergencies of preventable diseases associated with sanitation failures,” Sileet added.

The gathering also undertook to revitalise the pursuit of the targets of the Ngor Declaration through promoting “accelerated actions for inclusive, sustainable and resilient sanitation and hygiene services delivery in Africa.”

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein in his closing statement noted that the declaration is the result of everything covered during the conference and the different discussions held on the sidelines.

He noted that ministers and heads of delegation responsible for water, sanitation, hygiene and related affairs in Africa will therefore take the declaration into account and implement the measures it discusses.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency