Water, sanitation experts to meet in Kampala

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Water and sanitation experts from 40 countries are to converge in Kampala Uganda, for the 22nd African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) International Congress and Exhibition 2025.

According to the organisers, the conference is part of mechanisms to enhance the exchange of ideas and recent developments in the water and sanitation sector.

The African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) is a professional association of establishments, enterprises and utilities operating in the areas of drinking water, sanitation, and environment.

The 22nd AfWASA conference which takes place from February 16 to 20, 2025, at the Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo in Kampala is organised by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), an agency of the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), on behalf of the Government of Uganda in association with local partners.

It will run under the theme Water and Sanitation for All: A secure Future for Africa.

Key topics of discussion have been divided into five tracks, which include the following:

Track 1: Integrated Water Resources Management

1. Source protection and catchment management
2. Modelling for water resource management
3. Climate change resilience and adaptation
4. Water, energy, and food nexus

Track 2: Water Management

1. Water treatment technologies
2. Water supply systems
3. Non-Revenue Water management
4. Pro-poor and rural water services
5. Water quality management
6. Innovative water supply tools, systems and practices

Track 3: Sanitation Management

1. Sewered and non-sewered services
2. Solid waste management
3. Sanitation safety planning
4. Wastewater treatment technologies and Faecal sludge management
5. Resource recovery and circular economy
6. Innovative sanitation tools, systems and practices

Track 4: Capacity Development, Communication and Partnerships

1. Water and sanitation operators’ partnerships
2. Career building and competencies development
3. Performance benchmarking and networking
4. Private sector participation
5. Communication tools and systems
6. Efficient utility management and operation

Track 5: Governance and Financing

1. Policies, reforms and institutional frameworks
2. Innovative finance
3. Pricing and cost recovery
4. Local market-financing mechanisms

Track 6: Research, Technology, and Innovation

1. Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence
2. Innovations and big ideas
3. Research and funding
4. Digital Water

Apart from discussions around the tracks, the African Water and Sanitation Academy will be launched.

 Its primary purpose is to build the capacity of water and sanitation utility managers and African decision-makers in the sector.

President Yoweri Museveni is expected to officially open the conference.