9AWW: Africa Water Vision and Human Resources Capacity: paving the way

Africa Water Vision 2025 identified as a compound challenge of the water sector in Africa the inadequate research for water-resources development adding that a key challenge is “Securing and retaining skilled and motivated water professionals”. Twenty years later, water security is still being hampered by the limited human resources in the water sector. Recently a number of efforts have been initiated at Global and Regional levels to amend the situation. The UN-Water SDG 6 Capacity Development Initiative and the Global Water Education focus on a comprehensive assessment of the human resources requirements and trainings to respond to them in a sustainable way. Similarly, efforts have been made at continental level via the work of the AUDA-NEPAD Network of Water Centres of Excellence. The required capacity development is not limited to water resources management but it further focuses on issues of quantity and quality of data as well as research capacities. The session aims to raise the awareness of the participants on the human resources related gaps identified and current initiatives developed to respond to them. Furthermore, to discuss and draw a common way forward on ways to domesticate them further at continental, regional and national levels.