The Niger Basin Authority (NBA) and the Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA) signed on Wednesday, 21 June 2017 in Niamey a collaboration agreement between The two institutions. The idea of ​​signing such a collaborative framework document has been issued since 2009 but could not be realized.

The Regional Center AGRHYMET and the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Union brought together experts and research structures at the national level involved in the implementation of the Mékrou Project for a training workshop on hydrological modelling and the L-Moments methodology. "The aim of this workshop is to strengthen the capacities of the actors of the technical management of the Mékrou basin on tools that have been developed in the framework of the Project in order to allow the experts to master these tools and also to perpetuate all the assets of the project in terms of developing tools for replication in other basins. This makes it a very important workshop to ensure the sustainability of tools in the region", according to Dr. Abdou Ali, the Regional Coordinator of the training at AGRHYMET.

On June 26, GWP-Med launched a new partnership with the city of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece, signing an MOU promoting sustainable urban water management. The first demo project to mark this partnership involves the construction of a sustainable, rainfed green wall.

GWP and Partners recently organised a one-day high level workshop in Stockholm, Sweden, to discuss gender equality and inclusion in water management, and set out a path forward for a range of influential stakeholders. This was the second part of a wider study on how to better address gender-equality and inclusion issues in water-related policies and programmes. The event was facilitated by Melita Grant of the Institute for Sustainable Futures - University of Technology of Sydney (ISF-UTS) in Australia. She talks us through the process.

To support its partners and CWPs in their work, GWP CAf is recruiting a Regional Communications and Knowledge Management Officer to be based at the GWP-CAf regional secretariat in Yaoundé. Under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of GWP-CAf Regional Secretariat, the Regional Communications and Knowledge Management Officer will be responsible for ensuring the visibility of GWP-CAf actions and activities at different levels, as well as the organization and coordination of knowledge generated by the GWP-CAf and its partners.

The Government of Kenya and Global Water Partnership East Africa have entered into a collaboration that will contribute to the efforts of the country towards meeting international commitments in the Paris Agreement, Kenya’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation Principal Secretary Prof. Fred Segor has said.

Experts and practitioners gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, on 19 June to discuss the results of GWP-commissioned research on gender equality and inclusion in water management. The aim was to lay the groundwork for broader change and bring about practical steps to action.

The 2017 meeting of the Regional Advisory Committee of the Global Coordination Mechanism of the Mekrou Project held on 15 and 16 June 2017 in Niamey, Niger. The meeting aimed at validating the choice of a preferential scenario for the draft Strategic Framework for Water Security (SFWS) in the Mékrou basin. The Advisory Committee is expected to choose a preferential scenario to enable the consultant to develop it in detail by incorporating the needs for modifications of the action plans for adaptation to extreme events at the basin level as well as at the country level, the procedures for their management and the mapping of the actors concerned.

Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) and River Basin Organisations (RBO) in the region must create an enabling policy environment that supports harmonised approaches and implementation of joint water quality programmes.

There is an opportunity for a Zambia water industry that will help boost the country’s economy, Global Water Partnership – Southern Africa (GWP-SA) Executive Secretary, Alex Simalabwi has said.