The Federal Government has launched the African Ministers Council of Water (AMCOW’s) flagship Project on Monitoring and Evaluation for the Water and Sanitation sector in Africa.
This is aimed at addressing the challenges of water resources development and sanitation by enhancing the water information and knowledge base and strengthening monitoring and evaluation.
The Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Chairperson of the Africa Water Facility, Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe made this known at the official launching of AMCOW’s flagship Project on Tuesday, 3rd March, 2015 in Abuja.
Mrs. Ochekpe called for AMCOW member countries’ commitment to the implementation of the project as this would enhance quality of life resulting from efficient use of the water resources potentials and sanitation at all levels for economic and social development in Africa.
“In my capacity as chairperson of the Africa Water Facility, I would like to urge member states, especially Government Ministries responsible for water and sanitation in Africa and all other stakeholders including CSOs, Youth and the Media to support the implementation of this Pan Africa M&E Project”, she said.
She stated that the Project marks a milestone in the Water and Sanitation sector not only in Africa but also at global level in line with the quest for data revolution and evidence based policy making.
She explained that the Project would allow AMCOW to fulfill the mandate of Heads of State and Government in Africa at the 2008 Africa Union (AU) Summit to report annually on the progress of commitments made on Water use and Sanitation in Africa towards achieving the MDGs and the Africa Water Vision 2025.
She said that just like other African member states, Nigeria welcomes the Project and called for support towards the creation of a National Coordination Platforms that would bring together all relevant sectoral data custodians at the Federal level.
In his welcome speech, the AMCOW Executive Secretary, Bai Mass Taal, noted the crucial need of monitoring and evaluation in the day to day running of the sector work programme adding that the Project would enable promotion of greater country accountability on Sharm el Sheik commitments made by Heads of state on Water and Sanitation.
“However, the greater beneficiaries will be the people of Africa who are going to benefit from greater access to drinking water and safe sanitation as direct fallouts from increased accountability actions by governments and other actors in the sector”, he explained. He thanked the government of Nigeria for their support in the launching of the Project and in particular, the Honourable Minister of Water Resources who has been part of the success of the Project having served in the past as AMCOW Vice President, later as AMCOW interim President and currently serving as the chairperson of the Governing Council of the African Water Facility.
The Country Director, African Development Bank (AFDB) ,Dr. Ousmane Dore, said his organization has committed a grant agreement of one million nine hundred ninety thousand seven hundred and eighty euro (E 1,998,780) to finance the establishment of the Project in order to achieve the anticipated results within the time frame.
