Water and Sanitation as Drivers for Economic Transformation and Sustainable Urbanization

  • An Africa Dialogue Series Webinar
The image shows a kid, a woman and a scientist against a background of splashing water and the details of the webinar's title, time and date
@UN
活动日期
2026年 May 13日
Time
From 9:00am to 10:30am (America/New York)

Africa is entering a decisive century of urban and economic development. Its population is rapidly urbanising, with the number of urban residents projected to double from around 700 million to 1.4 billion by 2050, making Africa the world’s second-largest urban region after Asia. This transformation – spanning more than 11,000 urban agglomerations – offers major opportunities for industrialisation, job creation, regional integration and climate-resilient growth. Realising these opportunities, however, depends fundamentally on reliable, well-managed water and sanitation systems. This webinar and the related policy brief seek to identify key constraints, strategic levers, and priority actions to reposition water and sanitation at the centre of Africa’s economic and urban development agenda.

Register here to participate!

Webinar Programme

  • Moderated by: Mr. Oumar Sylla, Regional Director for Africa, UN-Habitat

9:00 - 9:15 Opening remarks

  • H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations

  • Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat

  • Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, AUDA-NEPAD

9:15 - 9:25 Setting the Stage

  • H.E. Mr. Moses Vilakati, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission (tbc)

9:25 - 10:15 Panel Discussion

  • Mr. Nelson Gomonda, Acting Executive Secretary, African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW)
  • ⁠Ms. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone
  • Mr. Harsen Nyambe Nyambe, Director of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy, African Union Commission
  • Ms. Kelly Ann Naylor, Consultant on International Water Policy
  • Mr. Khaled Mehiz, Chargé de mission to the Director General, Algiers Water and Sanitation Company (SEAAL), Algeria

10:15 - 10:25 Q&A with the audience

10:25 - 10:30 Closing remarks and call to action

  • Ms. Cristina Duarte, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, OSAA