GAPWAS

Chamber and Association Partnership (GAPWAS)

Within the framework of the Chamber and Association Partnership Programme, BMZ supports the project GAPWAS – German-African Partnership for Water and Sanitation – via Sequa GmbH.

A long-standing connection links AfWA and GWP, which dates back to the 2012 AfWA Congress in Morocco. This was followed by GWP’s participation in the AfWA Congresses in Côte d’Ivoire in 2014 and in Kenya in 2016, where the first talks on closer cooperation were held. In 2018, a GWP delegation visited the AfWA executive office in Abidjan to initiate the Chamber and Association Partnership. AfWA returned the visit and spent a week in Berlin, where AfWA representatives exchanged views with GWP members, visited reference plants in the water and wastewater sector, and held meetings at ministries and the Ivorian Embassy.

After the preparation of a project outline, a project review and final application, the Chamber and Association Partnership, called GAPWAS, formally started on November 1st, 2019. The first project phase lasts three years. During this time, AfWA is to be strengthened through various measures, trainings, consultations, technical exchanges, etc. and thus enabled to improve the water management situation across the African continent.

At the same time, the partnership allows companies from the German water sector to gain access to an Africa-wide network and offers them a platform to present their products and services, to intensify cooperation and to initiate new business.

Expected project results

  • AfWA has improved its overall management and has a sustainable financing concept
  • AfWA has expanded its demand oriented services for members
  • AfWA has a sustainable, efficient regional network structure and has expanded its international cooperation

Recent & upcoming activities

  • Internal Communication Workshop for AfWA staff in March 2021
  • Technical Training for AfWA members on Non-Revenue Water run by two local and one German expert in May 2021
  • Online workshop on Change Management for AfWA’s board members in June 2021
  • Technical Trainings for AfWA members in October and November 2021
  • Set-up of a benchmarking website for African water and sanitation operators by the end of 2021

Partner association

Founded in 1980, the African Water Association (AfWA) is an association that brings together institutions, companies, and operators working in the water, sanitation, and environment sectors in Africa. It develops programs and supports knowledge exchange in sustainable water management through the development and management of professional networks and advocacy groups. Based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, AfWA has about 130 members and is active in 43 African countries.

Project partner

Project partner

Supported by

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Contact

GWP delegates a staff member to Abidjan as a so-called long-term expert to implement the project, who manages the project, advises the partner association and acts as a contact person for German companies. In Berlin, a staff member from the GWP-office also supports the project.