Egypt’s Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation, Prof. Hani Sewilam has taken over the presidency of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), for the next two years.
The outgoing Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Resources, Namibia, Carl Hermann Schlettwein handed over AMCOW Presidency to Sewilam during the 4th Extra-Ordinary Session of the Executive Committee (EXCO) of AMCOW.
Every two years, the African Ministers’ Council on Water rotates its presidency from one African Union country to the other, according to its rules of procedure. According to AMCOW’s rules of procedure, Egypt tenure covers 2023 – 2025.
In his remarks, Schlettwein and Executive Director, Ministry for Agriculture, Water and Land Resources, Namibia, Mrs Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, highlighted the achievements of the council, which includes adoption of the 2021 Windhoek Multistakeholder Resolutions for accelerating Water Security and Access to Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa and endorsement of the Dakar Declaration, “A Blue Deal for Water Security and Sanitation for Peace and Development,” as Africa’s contribution to the UN 2023 Water Conference.
Other achievements are revitalisation of institutional linkages and working relationships between AMCOW; African Union Commission (AUC); African Development Bank (AfDB); United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); successful election campaign to win back a seat on the Board of Governors of the World Water Council for the period 2023 – 2025, as well as improvement of the fiduciary system at theSecretariat and AMCOW’s new recognition by the US Department of State as a Public International Organisation.
The EXCO commended the member states for their increasing commitment to AMCOW and urged them to do more. Namibia, therefore, handed over to Egypt, an approved AMCOW work programme for 2023-2025.
In his acceptance message, the Egyptian Minister committed to revitalising the water agenda in the continent and to raise the voice of AMCOW further at global and continental platforms.
Also, Sewilam committed to increasing mobilisation of support for the implementation of AMCOW’s work programme and called on member countries and partners to continue to support AMCOW in driving further the African water agenda towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and “the Africa we want.”
AMCOW was formed in 2002 primarily to promote cooperation, security, social and economic development and poverty eradication among member states through the effective management of the continent’s water resources and provision of water supply services.
