The Africa Leadership Forum, supported by Melody for Dialogue among Civilisations Association, involved various stakeholders to galvanise support for increased attention to water issues in Africa. PEMBI STEPHEN-DAVID writes
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Water experts have emphasised the need for an integrated approach and regional cooperation among countries for the effective management of Africa’s water resources, if the continent is to solve its current and future challenges. The experts, drawn from various parts of Africa, made the call during a two-day regional conference on water organised by the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF) in conjunction with the Melody for Dialogue among Civilisations Association (MDACA).
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The event, held on November 30 and December 1, 2011 was graced by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who delivered the keynote address drew the attention of participants to the depleting condition of Africa’s water sources. “Some key water sources like the Lake Chad are fast disappearing and unless urgent actions are taken to reverse the trend, the lives and livelihood of millions of people will be at risk,” Chief Obasanjo said.
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He expressed optimism that participants at the conference will develop advocacy strategy that will influence policymaking on water management across the continent.??
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“In your reviews, assessments and discussions, I implore you to look at several continental initiatives which have been designed to address some of these concerns, so as to have a united and harmonised agenda going forward to the Global Forum in 2012 and also the June 2012 gathering of World Leaders in Rio de Janeiro to seek a new consensus on global actions to safeguard the future of the planet and the right of future generations everywhere to live healthy and fulfilling lives,” he beseeched.
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While welcoming participants to the event, the executive director of ALF, Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale, said African countries are failing to utilise their water resources to the benefit of their people. He cited the example of Nigeria which has “surface and groundwater resources estimated to at about 300 billion cubic meters, a volume very much adequate to meet the country’s current and future water demand. So the question is, ‘why are we surrounded with so much water, yet we have so little to use?’
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According to Aderinwale, the devastating effect of clean water scarcity necessitated ALF and MDACA to organise the conference in order “to form multi-stakeholder partnerships that accelerate the provision of water to the majority of the under-served and unreached population.”
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Assistant Director-General for Strategic Planning, UNESCO, Hans d’Orville,? argued that, ‘‘ The management of water resources, both at the national and international levels, has grown in complexity due to the unique physical, geographic, and political characteristics of water and its impact on the entire spectrum of socio-economic development.
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There is an urgent need to develop appropriate water management frameworks, infrastructure and knowledge-sharing networks for sound and sustainable cooperation between people whose lives depend upon shared water resources.’’
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Delivering a paper on ‘‘Taking Action on the Depletion of our Greatest Natural Resource: Coherence, Capacity, and Cooperation,’’ Dr. Grace Ongile, revealed that women are often the primary users of water in domestic consumption, subsistence agriculture, health and sanitation in many societies. This means that lack of access to water and sanitation affects negatively affects women’s and their families’ health, education, income and empowerment.
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‘‘Furthermore, lack of gender-disaggregated data, makes it impossible to fully measure actual progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Thus making it difficult to analyse, understand and monitor needs of women and men with respect to global water and sanitation.? In addition, gender indicators for water and sanitation have not been given enough attention by global commitments.’’
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President, Melody for Dialogue among Civilizations Association, Mehri Madarshahi, revealed that: ‘‘in recent years, water use has grown at more than twice the rate of the population and it has become an increasingly crucial issue facing many cities around the world. Rapid population growth, urbanisation and economic development have led to growing pressure on water resources in urban areas, the demand for water is rising constantly with water demand exceeding water supplies.Water shortage has become more prominent in many cities in both the developed and developing courtiers. A global water shortage is looming high and some 2.8 billion people, representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s population, live in river basins with some form of water scarcity.’’
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Madarshahi continued that equitable and sustainable management of shared water resources requires flexible, holistic institutions, able to respond to hydrological variations, changes in socio-economic needs, societal values and particularly, political regime changes leading to conflict and loss of security.
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Dr. Stephen Maxwell Kwame Donkor said it is important that the complex subject of water and its management, which cuts across so many development sectors, should be?? monitored, assessed and reported on a regular basis in order to understand the progress that has been made in achieving the African Water Vision as well as the problems that have been encountered. Both successes as well as setbacks can provide useful lessons for future decision making.
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It is also important to monitor and understand the trends in the many dimensions of water in its interaction with the broad development processes underway on the African continent and to identify where the continuation of such trends could assist or detract from broader development goals.
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Highlights of the conference include performance by the Queen of Drums, Ara, of the theme song written by her for the conference.
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The music drama entitled: “The Breath of water holds Life” focused on the essence of preserving water and keeping it clean to save lives. Participants were also treated to poetry performance by Amelia Aghwana, a student of The Bells Secondary School, Ota.
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At the end of the meeting, participants created an Africa Water Focus Group to serve as a conduit pipe for the integration of Africa’s water management needs to the global water agenda. The members were Mehri Madarshahi, Stephen Donkor, Peter Akari, Ayodele Aderinwale, Araola Olumuyiwa and Arukiano Umokor.
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