A FIVE-DAY workshop on water financing for thirty journalists from 11 West African Countries has opened in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The workshop organised by the Global Water Partnership for West Africa in collaboration with the Central and West Africa Programme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature is expected to build the capacity of the journalists and help them understand the financial needs of different activities in water sector.
The workshop themed “ Financing and protection of the resource in West Africa”, would help the participants learn about the conditions of application of economic tools for natural resource management and also sensitise the media on the economic tools for sustainable management of natural resources, such as payment for environmental services.
Participants would also consider the need to create a multi-stakeholder response to the financial needs of different activities in the water sector, with a view that water resources are used and managed in a fair and sustainable way to reduce poverty, ensure socio-economic development and regional integration and environmental projection.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Ndri Koffi, representative of the Global Water Partnership West Africa noted that fact that water was life and that “protecting it is an individual and collective obligation”.
Maxime Somda, Regional Coordinator of Poverty Reduction and Environment Management at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stated that there was growing demand on the limited water resources.
He said some of the risk related to water in the West African region include too much rain fall which resulted in floods, frequent droughts, conflicts over water, water borne diseases, exploitation of water for hydropower, irrigation or ecotourism, among others.
Citing the activities of mining companies and industries, he said
“people who pollute water must pay a fine. There are companies who dump waste in water bodies or chemicals they use in their production activities end up in water resources and that deteriorates the quality of water and we sometimes see dead fishes”.
He also pointed out that the challenge of climate change was also threatening water resources quality and quantity in recent times.
Tozan Micheal, Director of the Cote D’Ivoire Ministry of Water Resources and Forestry said his country was developing a national policy to ensure sustainable water management and protection of water resources.
From Emelia Ennin Abbey, Cote d’Ivoire
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