Africa needs to apply STI in its water and sanitation sector

By Vivienne Irikefe(Nigeria) At the first Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Nairobi Kenya, a session on water and sanitation agreed that trained professionals are needed in this sector and government and donor partnership was emphasized for enhanced funds to reform existing institutions, train and provide efficient water supply, design septic tanks, latrines and proper disposal of waste that can be accessed by all Africans. The idea was to look at issues of STI that can be applied in the water resources sector including sanitation. Participants deliberated on challenges and opportunities that will investigate mechanisms that can lead to solutions and suggest the way forward at the plenary in a consultative manner. The provocateur, Paul Ginies, from the International Institute for water and Environmental Engineering Burkina Faso, said that Africa lacks qualified engineers in essential areas in water management, irrigation and sanitation and stressed that awareness is fundamental for people to be able to differentiate between clean water and safe drinking water. A science programme specialist with UNESCO, Alexandros Makarigakis, who was one of the rapporteurs, said the Africa water vision for 2025 for equitable and sustainable use of water for socio-economic development has to be reviewed.

Scientists at one of the sessions at the First Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation in Nairobi, Kenya 1-3 April 2012, (Photo By Arsenio Manhice) He argued that the vision was a very innovative document at the time it was conceptualized but since then new challenges have surfaced like climate change because it will change not only the current surface water resources quantities but also it will put additional pressure on ground water systems. Dr Makarigakis explained that due to climate change the rainfall patterns would alter having extreme events taking place more often like floods and droughts. This affects agriculture and food production, which is basically the livelihood of the ordinary man in Africa who relies on rain fed agriculture. One of the participants Prof. Abdalla Abdelsalam Ahmed from Islamic University, Sudan said we need water resources assessment and evaluation in Africa and focus on providing people with the knowledge for saving water as a precious gift. As a part of innovation, a chemist Dr. Florence Tobo Lobe from Cameroon suggested that in places with scarcity of water, humidity in the air could be captured as water, purified for drinking and other uses. About 4.2 billion people suffer from water and sanitation worldwide according to the World Health Organization and Africa has the highest percentage. The session also highlighted the importance of community involvement and how African youths can be carried along to take advantage of the immense job opportunities in the fields of water and sanitation.