Rabat – The regional consultations of the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) for North Africa opened on Tuesday in Rabat, with the participation, in person and remotely, of representatives of member states.
This meeting, for which Morocco holds the vice-presidency for the 2025-2027 term, aims to gather preliminary proposals and recommendations on priority issues related to water and sanitation, both at the sub-regional and continental levels.
During the opening session, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, reaffirmed Morocco's commitment to providing "substantial added value" during its North African vice-presidency of AMCOW, stressing the need for a "constructive and concerted contribution" to achieve the continent's common goals.
"This meeting is strategic as it aims to highlight priorities and discuss the specificities of the sub-region, in order to take them into account in the formulation of the African vision," specified Mr. Baraka in a speech read on his behalf by the Ministry's Secretary General, Abdelfattah Sahibi, noting that the conclusions will feed into the work of the 3rd African Conference on Implementation and Partnership (PANAFCON-3), scheduled for 27-29 May 2025 in Lusaka (Zambia).
Within the framework of developing the post-2025 African Water Vision, Mr. Baraka emphasised key elements that must be taken into account. According to the Minister, this involves taking stock of the current vision before projecting the future, adopting a common vision integrating the specificities of the five African sub-regions, and closely connecting water and sanitation issues.
Added to this, continued Mr. Baraka, is the establishment of strategic, inclusive, and coordinated governance, involving all stakeholders, with particular attention to gender and youth issues, in addition to responding to the insufficiency of investments for water resource management and proposing adapted solutions.
It is also a matter of collectively reflecting on financing methods, by favouring alternative financing and technology transfer without conditionality, in the face of a need estimated at 64 billion dollars per year, as well as encouraging research and development and better collaboration between public institutions and the academic world, he specified.
For his part, the Executive Secretary of AMCOW, Rashid Mbazira, welcomed the "crucial" role of these consultations in developing an African water policy aligned with the African Union's Agenda 2063.
"Sustainable management of water resources and WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) solutions are essential to realise our socio-economic ambitions," he said, calling for collective mobilisation to maximise long-term benefits.
Organised until 10 April, this meeting is part of the perspective of developing a post-2025 African Water Vision, adapted to the needs of African countries and respectful of the specificities of each sub-region.
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