Africa Water and Sanitation Local Authorities Network launched

Open to all local and subnational governments across Africa, the Africa Water and Sanitation Local Authorities (AWASLA) Network was officially launched at the Africities 6 Summit in Dakar, Senegal, on 4 December 2012.

Founded jointly by ICLEI Africa, the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) and International Water Association (IWA), the Network provides a dynamic and innovative platform for local governments to connect, exchange knowledge and good practice, inform decision making and empower advocacy on sustainable and effective urban water and sanitation practices.

Mayor Ousmane Drame from the City of Nioro du Rip, Senegal, presided the launch in his official capacity as Chair of the ICLEI Africa Committee. Recognizing the growing pressure brought by rapid urbanization, he noted that local governments -  the closet government sphere to the community - must develop innovative strategies to address urban challenges such as the increasing demand for water and sanitation.

Charles Patsika of UCLGA stressed the need for a focused, persistent and coherent approach to urban development, one which “links research and theory to practice and solutions development”.

Emphasizing the need to work closely with local governments, Christophe le Jalle of Programme Solidarité Eau, representative from IWA, said the AWALSA Network offers an opportune platform for engaging leaders and to influence the development of strategic urban plans on water and sanitation.

The AWASLA Secretariat will shortly be launching its online platform at www.awasla.org.

For more information, visit http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=13063