AMCOW Technical Consultation Meeting for North Africa,  Nouakchott, September 14-15, 2022

The Sahara and Sahel Observatory and the Coordination Unit of the North Western Sahara Aquifer System Consultation Mechanism (NWSAS-CM), took part in the AMCOW regional technical consultation meeting for North Africa, held on September 14-15, 2022 in Nouakchott (Mauritania).

Mr. Aissa HLAIMI, the NWSAS-CM Coordinator, Mr. Mohamedou BABA SY, OSS representative, and Mr. Younes TOUITHA, representative of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), kick-started the works of the meeting that aimed to consult with the countries over water and sanitation issues and to reinforce the institutional connections and operational arrangements between AMCOW, the North African Member States and sub-regional organizations such as the OSS and the AMU.

During the discussions, special focus was put on :

• The appointment of Member States to represent North Africa at the AMCOW Executive Committee (EXCO) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) ;
• Sharing the AMCOW financial situation and the challenges ahead of it, with the Member States ;
• Sharing key AMCOW information and documents with the representatives of AMCOW EXCO non-member-countries.

The OSS and NWSAS-CM representatives, shared their NWSAS project implementation experience in terms of knowledge improvement and the establishment and operationalization of the Tripartite consultation mechanism between Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, for the management of this trans-boundary aquifer.

AMCOW, the African Ministers' Council on Water, was established in 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria, with the main objective of promoting cooperation, security, social and economic development and poverty eradication within the Member States through the effective management of the continent's water resources and the provision of water supply services.