African Ministers Council on Water

African Ministers' Council on Water

Conseil des Ministres Africains Chargés de L'eau

AMCOW LOGO

AMCOW Logo

AMCOW Office Headquarter in Abuja

Abbreviation| AMCOW
Nickname| Water and sanitation support mechanism for the African Union's Specialised Technical Committee.
Formation| 2002
Founder| African Ministers in charge of Water and Sanitation
Founded at| Abuja
Type| Nonprofit, Intergovernmental Organisation
Legal status| Legal
Purpose| Support delivery of Africa's water resources management and sustainable water supply and sanitation services.
Headquarters| Abuja
Location|

* Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Region served

| Africa

Membership

| 55 Countries of African Union

Parent organization

| African Union
Website| www.amcow-online.org

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]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Governing structure
* 3 Mission and Vision
* 4 Initiatives
* 5 Activities
* 6 Achievements
* 7 Member states
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## 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

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Republic of the Congo
* Rwanda
* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* File:Flag of the Seychelles.svg Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

## See also

* African Union
* Friends of the African Union
* List of country groupings

## 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.". African Union: 40. http://www.acmad.net/new/NEWSITEACMAD/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/infoReport-of-the-Ministers-of-the-2019-STC-on-ARDWE-Final-Nov-20-2010.pdf. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
2. ↑ "AMCOW - African Ministers' Council on Water". https://www.infontd.org/organization/amcow-african-ministers-council-water.
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.". African Union: 40. https://au.int/sites/default/files/decisions/9558-assembly_en_30_june_1_july_2008_auc_eleventh_ordinary_session_decisions_declarations_tribute_resolution.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
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.". Water and Sanitation Program:Report: 32. https://www.wsp.org/sites/wsp/files/publications/WSP-Investment-in-Sanitation-to-Support-Growth-Africa.pdf. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
5. ↑ "Yolande Coombes, Sophie Hickling and Mark Radin - PDF Free Download". https://docplayer.net/8667420-Yolande-coombes-sophie-hickling-and-mark-radin.html.
6. ↑ "African Ministers' Council on Water | UIA Yearbook Profile | Union of International Associations". https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100041436.
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.". AMCOW: 8. https://aquaknow.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/Final_11th_AMCOW_GC_Kigali_0.pdf.
8. ↑ "AMCOW launches the African Sanitation Policy Guidelines" (in en-US). 2021-06-22. https://guardian.ng/ama-press-releases/amcow-launches-the-african-sanitation-policy-guidelines/.
9. ↑ "IISD Reporting Services - African Regional Coverage - AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON WATER". https://enb.iisd.org/africa/water/amcow/amcow.html.
10. ↑ "AMCOW - African Ministers' Council on Water | InfoNTD" (in en). https://www.infontd.org/organization/amcow-african-ministers-council-water.
11. ↑ sandaruwan (2020-03-19). "African Ministers' Council on Water reaches out to co-develop and consolidate its Pan-African groundwater program - GRIPP" (in en-US). https://gripp.iwmi.org/2020/03/19/african-ministers-council-on-water-reaches-out-to-co-develop-and-consolidate-its-pan-african-groundwater-program/.
12. ↑ "Improving water and sanitation monitoring in Africa: AMCOW trains WASSMO focal points in Central Africa". https://www.gwp.org/en/GWP-Central-Africa/WE-ACT/news/improving-water-and-sanitation-monitoring-in-africa/.
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" (in fr-FR). https://afrique-news.info/african-ministers-council-on-water-launches-africas-water-and-sanitation-knowledge-management-challenge-on-the-sidelines-of-the-stockholm-world-water-week-2022/.
14. ↑ MBAYE, Bara (2022-03-21). "Achieving Universal Coverage through Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines ⋆ Speak Up Africa" (in fr). https://www.speakupafrica.org/achieving-universal-coverage-through-africa-sanitation-policy-guidelines/.
15. ↑ "Development of AMCOW Youth, Gender and Social Inclusion Strategy" (in en-US). 2020-12-21. https://www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs/28231/.
16. ↑ Online, Tribune (2020-11-23). "Shagari tasks African countries on information sharing as AMCOW names resource centre after him" (in en-GB). https://tribuneonlineng.com/shagari-tasks-african-countries-on-information-sharing-as-amcow-names-resource-centre-after-him/.
17. ↑ "AFRICA Focus - High Level Ministerial Panel: Waste to benefits". https://www.worldwaterweek.org/event/7000-africa-focus
high-level-ministerial-panel-waste-to-benefits.
18. ↑ "Africa Water and Sanitation Week 2021" (in en). https://africa.harvard.edu/event/africa-water-and-sanitation-week-2021.
19. ↑ "The African Water Facility (AWF)" (in en). https://www.unccd.int/cbm/african-water-facility-awf.
20. ↑ "AfricaSan 5 / FSM5" (in en). https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2019/01/25/africasan-5-fsm5.
21. ↑ African Ministers' Council on Water (2018) (in English). 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". https://www.worldwaterforum.org/en/latest-news/partnership-amcow-engage-in-the-preparatory-phase-and-the-organization-of-the-dakar.
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 (Report). p. 97. https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XSB5.pdf.
24. ↑ "AMCOW 15th anniversary holds in Abuja" (in en-US). The Guardian (Nigeria). 2017-09-25. https://guardian.ng/property/amcow-15th-anniversary-holds-in-abuja/.
25. ↑ "Laying the Foundation for Sanitation Revolution in Africa: WALIS Technical Brief" (in en). https://www.globalwaters.org/resources/assets/walis/laying-foundation-sanitation-revolution-africa-walis-technical-brief.
26. ↑ "AMCOW launches its Pan-African Groundwater Program" (in en-US). 2019-10-08. https://gripp.iwmi.org/2019/10/08/amcow-launches-its-pan-african-groundwater-program/.
27. ↑ Rapier, Richard (April 15, 2021). ﻿Water for Africa Through Leadership and Institutional Support Quarterly Report: 1 January – 31 March 2021﻿ (Report). http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XSWT.pdf.
28. ↑ Simire, Michael (2017-09-21). "AMCOW set to celebrate 15th anniversary" (in en-us). https://www.environewsnigeria.com/amcow-set-celebrate-15th-anniversary/.
29. ↑ "AMCOW 15th anniversary holds in Abuja" (in en-US). 2017-09-25. https://guardian.ng/property/amcow-15th-anniversary-holds-in-abuja/.
30. ↑ "Dakar 2022" (in en). https://www.worldwatercouncil.org/.
31. ↑ "Partnership: AMCOW engage in the preparatory phase and the organization of the Dakar Forum | 9th World Water Forum". https://www.worldwaterforum.org/en/latest-news/partnership-amcow-engage-in-the-preparatory-phase-and-the-organization-of-the-dakar.

## External links

*Official Website

*Specialised Technical Committee

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

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