Global Water Partnership advocates for increased funding from West African governments

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Mr. Hama Arba Diallo

Chairman for Global Water Partnership, West Africa (GWP-WA),  Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, has asked governments of the 13 member states in West Africa, to increase their national financial resources for the management of water resources.

Making the request during the opening session of the 4^th Assembly of Partners of the Global Water Partnership, West Africa (GWP-WA) on Friday June 22, 2012 in the Burkina Faso capital of Ouagadougou, the GWP-WA chair said an increase in budgetary allocations towards managing water resources in the sub-region, will demonstrate the political commitment of the various governments.

"Convince the respective governments to make concrete [their] political commitment by the increase in national financial resources budgeted by each country for management of water resources,” he told the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Burkina Faso, who presided over the ceremony to urge colleague ECOWAS ministers.

Mr. Hama Arba Diallo said that the challenge of the West African region in terms of water issue boils down to the implementation of the regional water policy developed by ECOWAS, whose objective is to enable the region to achieve water security.

"GWP West Africa is firmly in that logic and acts besides governments of the region so that the countries with all the environmental challenges and harsh climate can resolve the multiple problems of access to water and the sanitation and thus achieve the goals of meeting the needs of populations'"he said, adding that he recognises the efforts made by governments in the region, even if "challenges remain particularly in the context of climate change which undermine all efforts and jeopardise the availability of water resources in the sub-region."

Speaking of the work done by Country Water Partnerships (CWP) in the 13 ECOWAS countries, which makes it one of the most extensive of the whole network of GWP, Mr. Diallo expressed the belief that these platforms are available to national authorities of each country to assist in the sustainable management of water resources.

"If the high number may be a source of strength it can also be our weakness if we do not take advantage of all opportunities available to us in the country to make the organs work better and make our actions visible and sustainable,” he stresed.Mr. Diallo therefore advised the Country Water Partnerships to work with national authorities in charge of the management of water resources, "to improve the lives of people who are the ultimate target of all actions."

The 4^th Meeting of Partners of GWP-WA coincided with the 10^th anniversary of the official launching of the regional organisation established in March 2002 at the constitutive assembly in Bamako, Mali.