WASH News West Africa
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Africa Day 2008: “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation”
28 May 08
Africa Day, celebrated annually on 25 May, is the official day of the African Union (AU). This year, on the 45th anniversary of Africa Day, the theme is “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation”. In his official statement, Jean Ping, the Chairperson of the AU Commission said that Africa’s “Heads [...]
Gambia: Rural Water Project Improves Lives
28 May 08
The rural water project initiative, which resulted from the long-term bilateral co-operation between the governments of the Gambia and Japan, has been taking pace in the rural areas, especially in areas around of the Lower River Region, most notably, in the Districts of Kiang. In Nema, one of the beneficiary villages, 12 public taps were [...]
Ghana - US/Coca-Cola Launch Clliance To Support Tano River Basin Communities
02 May 08
The water needs of communities along the Tano River Basin received a boost as the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and the United States Government yesterday launched a 500,000 dollar initiative to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation services in the area.The project dubbed: ‘Transboundary Community Water Management Alliance,’ located at the Tano River Basin [...]
Ghana Launches Sanitation Campaign Strategy
02 May 08
The vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama yesterday, in Accra, launched the Ghana sanitation campaign and called on all stakeholders to see environmental sanitation as a key challenging issue which requires immediate attention. (…)He called on public and private sector players, development allies, traditional rulers and the civil society to [...]
Nigeria: Meet Target On Latrines, Unicef Urges Kebbi Govt
23 Apr 08
United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has challenged the Kebbi State government to meet its target of constructing household latrines and compartments in schools across the state.The government has set a target to construct 31,480 household latrines, 270 compartments in 45 schools, 189 compartments in 63 health centres and 394 compartments in public places.Read More [...]
Ghana: Privatization of Water, Health Renders MDGs Unattainable, Says Civil Society
23 Apr 08
Civil Society groups participating in the ongoing UNCTAD XII conference in Accra have kicked against the privatization of water and health services.In their view privatizing water and health will make the attainment of the much-touted Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by developing countries a remote possibility.The theme of Civil Society Forum at the UNCTAD conference was [...]
Nigeria: Water Provision - Groups Seek Increased Funding
23 Apr 08
Governments at all levels have been called upon to ensure increased funding of the sector, especially the funding of the Local Development Plans (LDP), which was earlier supported by WaterAid Nigeria.Above call was made at an Annual Partners Roundtable (APRT) organised by WaterAid in Abuja, which drew over 118 participants and representatives from six States [...]
Cote d’Ivoire: Clean up campaign for hospitals
03 Apr 08
ABIDJAN, 31 March 2008 (IRIN) - Hygiene in most hospitals in Cote d’Ivoire is so low that the ministry of health has launched a nationwide clean-up campaign. […] The director of public health Alexandre N’Guessan said he believed that most of the infections occur because medical waste has not been properly disposed of as health [...]
Nigeria: Worst cholera outbreak in years in Benue State
03 Apr 08
LAGOS, 28 March 2008 (IRIN) - At least 35 people have died of cholera in the capital of Benue State, Madurdi, and the town of Oturkpo. Both areas have a history of cholera outbreaks but the latest toll is far higher than in previous years.The cases occurred in areas where conditions are known to be [...]
Burkina Faso: Flush With New Funds for Water and Sanitation
03 Apr 08
OUAGADOUGOU, 28 March 2008 (IRIN) - Donors announced in March that they will invest US $1.2 billion into Burkina Faso’s water sector, to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of halving the number of people in the world who lack access to safe drinking water by 2015. (…) Ambitious infrastructures The new funds, which [...]
