African Ministers Council on Water

The African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) (French: Conseil des Ministres Africains Chargés de L'eau), is considered by the African Union as the support mechanism for its Specialised Technical Committee (STC) to drive achievement in the water and sanitation sectors. It is a regional development network of 55 African countries that advances socioeconomic development and the abolition of poverty through effective cooperation, management of water supply services, and provision of the continent's water resources to its members.[1][2]

African Ministers' Council on Water
Conseil des Ministres Africains Chargés de L'eau
AbbreviationAMCOW
NicknameWater and sanitation support mechanism for the African Union's Specialised Technical Committee.
Formation2002
FounderAfrican Ministers in charge of Water and Sanitation
Founded atAbuja
TypeNonprofit, Intergovernmental Organisation
Legal statusLegal
PurposeSupport delivery of Africa's water resources management and sustainable water supply and sanitation services.
HeadquartersAbuja
Location
  • Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Region served
Africa
Membership
55 Countries of African Union
Parent organization
African Union
Websitewww.amcow-online.org

History

In April 2002, the African Ministers responsible for water meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, formed the African Ministerial Conference on Water (AMCOW) following the adoption of the "Abuja Ministerial Declaration on Water - a key to Sustainable Development". The organization was formed to accelerate the achievement of water and sanitation goals in Africa. In 2008, at the 11th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt, African Heads of State and Government, mandated AMCOW to establish and monitor a strategy for the implementation of their commitments on accelerating sanitation and hygiene.[3][4][5]

Governing structure

The institutional structure of the AMCOW consists of a Council of Ministers (the Ministers responsible for water in each Member Country), an executive committee (EXCO) with a President/Chair, and a Board of Directors (currently Namibia). Each of the five sub-regions is represented on the executive committee by three representatives/water Ministers (AMCOW member states are divided into five sub-regions: West Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa, North Africa, and Southern Africa) for the coordination of sub-regional activities.[6]

A vice president oversees each sub-region. The AMCOW Secretariat is based in Abuja, Nigeria, and is led by an interim Executive Secretary and a team of professional and support workers. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) serves as the Executive Committee's advisor. The executive committee is responsible for ensuring that the council's decisions are carried out, as well as developing work programs/budgets for approval by the council, mobilizing necessary funding, and supervising the Secretariat's activities.[7]

The primary functions of AMCOW are to facilitate regional and international cooperation by coordinating policies and actions among African countries on water resources issues, to review and mobilize additional financing for the African water sector, providing a mechanism for monitoring the progress of major regional and global water resources, water supply, and sanitation initiatives.[8]

AMCOW also serves as a forum for dialogue on water issues with UN agencies and other partners. It encourages participation in regional studies on climate change, the development of observation networks, the exchange of information, and the development of policies and strategies to address water issues in Africa.[9]

Mission and Vision

Mission:To provide political leadership, policy direction and advocacy in the provision, use and management of water resources for sustainable social and economic development and maintenance of African ecosystems.

Vision: To accomplish the 2025 Africa Water Vision by effectively managing Africa's water resources and providing water supply services. To foster cooperation, security, social and economic growth, and the eradication of poverty among member states.[10]

Initiatives
  • The African Groundwater Programme
  • AMCOW Pan African Groundwater Programme (APAGroP)[11]
  • African Water and Sanitation Monitoring (WASSMO) System[12]
  • African Water and Sanitation Knowledge Management Challenge[13]
  • African Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPG)[14]
  • Youth and Gender Inclusion program[15]
  • Online Knowledge Hub
  • Mukhtari Shehu Shagari Resource Centre[16]

Activities
  • Africa Focus Day[17]
  • Africa Water and Sanitation Week[18]
  • African Water Facility (AWF)[19]
  • AfricaSan[20]

Achievements

The major AMCOW achievements includes:

  • Developed a 10 years water Strategic plan for implementation between 2018 and 2030.[21]
  • Established a ministerial mechanism supported by a network of senior water officials for systematic consideration of water policy challenges in Africa.
  • Provided support for regional integration.
  • Adopted a triennial work program that provides strategic direction for national, regional, and international cooperation.[22]
  • Provided organizational, political, and institutional support for the implementation of major water initiatives.[23]
  • Compiled key water portfolios for the five sub-regions of Africa, the establishment of the African Water Facility (AWF) which is hosted and managed by the African Development Bank, and establishment of a Trust Fund under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).[24]
  • Developed reports on the AfricaSan Ngor Commitment Monitoring of Heads of State and Government to accelerate sanitation and hygiene development in Africa.[25]
  • Developed an African Groundwater Programme.[26]
  • In November 2020 a web based open access knowledge hub was launched for collecting and sharing Africa's water and sanitation information and knowledge.[27]
  • In 2021 the African Sanitation Policy Guideline was developed with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
  • Commemorated its 15th anniversary in November, 2017.[28][29] It will be commemorating its 20th anniversary during the World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2022.[30][31]

Member states

See also

References
  1. AFRICAN UNION (2019). "Third Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment 21-25 October 2019, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia" (PDF). African Union: 40 – via au.int.
  2. "AMCOW - African Ministers' Council on Water". infontd. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  3. AFRICAN, UNION (2008). "ASSEMBLY OF THE AFRICAN UNION Eleventh Ordinary Session 30 June to 1 July 2008 Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt: Decisions, Declaration, Tribute and Resolution" (PDF). African Union: 40 – via African Union Int.
  4. Coombes, Yolande; Hickling, Sophie; Radin, Mark (2015). "Investment in Sanitation to Support Economic Growth in Africa: Recommendations to the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and Ministers of Finance" (PDF). Water and Sanitation Program:Report: 32 – via Water and Sanitation Program (WSP).
  5. "Yolande Coombes, Sophie Hickling and Mark Radin - PDF Free Download". docplayer.net. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  6. "African Ministers' Council on Water | UIA Yearbook Profile | Union of International Associations". uia.org. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  7. Special Technical Committee of the African Union (2018). "Decisions of the 11th ordinary session of the governing council of AMCOW 29 – 30 October 2018, Libreville, GABON and 13 February 2019, Kigali, RWANDA" (PDF). AMCOW: 8.
  8. "AMCOW launches the African Sanitation Policy Guidelines". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  9. "IISD Reporting Services - African Regional Coverage - AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON WATER". enb.iisd.org. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  10. "AMCOW - African Ministers' Council on Water | InfoNTD". www.infontd.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  11. sandaruwan (2020-03-19). "African Ministers' Council on Water reaches out to co-develop and consolidate its Pan-African groundwater program - GRIPP". Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice (GRIPP). Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  12. "Improving water and sanitation monitoring in Africa: AMCOW trains WASSMO focal points in Central Africa". Global Water Partnership. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  13. afrique-news. "African Ministers Council on Water launches Africa's Water and Sanitation Knowledge Management Challenge on the sidelines of the Stockholm World Water Week 2022 | Afrique News". afrique-news.info (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  14. MBAYE, Bara (2022-03-21). "Achieving Universal Coverage through Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines ⋆ Speak Up Africa". Speak Up Africa (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  15. "Development of AMCOW Youth, Gender and Social Inclusion Strategy". Josh's Water Jobs. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  16. Online, Tribune (2020-11-23). "Shagari tasks African countries on information sharing as AMCOW names resource centre after him". Tribune Online. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  17. "AFRICA Focus - High Level Ministerial Panel: Waste to benefits". World Water Week. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  18. "Africa Water and Sanitation Week 2021". africa.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  19. "The African Water Facility (AWF)". UNCCD. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  20. "AfricaSan 5 / FSM5". World Bank. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  21. African Ministers' Council on Water (2018). African Ministers' Council on Water Strategy 2018–2030. ISBN 978-978-967-549-4.
  22. "Partnership: AMCOW engage in the preparatory phase and the organization of the Dakar Forum | 9th World Water Forum". www.worldwaterforum.org. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  23. Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS)Team (2019). Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support (WALIS): Year 4 Annual Report: 1 October 2018 – 30 September 2019 ; and Year 5 Work Plan: 1 October 2019 – 24 September 2020 (PDF). United States Agency for International Development (Report). p. 97.
  24. "AMCOW 15th anniversary holds in Abuja". The Guardian. Nigeria. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  25. "Laying the Foundation for Sanitation Revolution in Africa: WALIS Technical Brief". Laying the Foundation for Sanitation Revolution in Africa: WALIS Technical Brief | Globalwaters.org. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  26. "AMCOW launches its Pan-African Groundwater Program". Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice (GRIPP). 2019-10-08. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  27. Rapier, Richard (April 15, 2021). Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional Support Quarterly Report: 1 January – 31 March 2021 (PDF). United States Agency for International Development (Report).
  28. Simire, Michael (2017-09-21). "AMCOW set to celebrate 15th anniversary". EnviroNews Nigeria -. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  29. "AMCOW 15th anniversary holds in Abuja". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  30. "Dakar 2022". World Water Council. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  31. "Partnership: AMCOW engage in the preparatory phase and the organization of the Dakar Forum | 9th World Water Forum". www.worldwaterforum.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.

*Official Website

*Specialised Technical Committee

*AMCOW 20 years of service to Africa's water and sanitation sector

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