In 2002, the African Ministers responsible for water adopted the Abuja Ministerial Declaration on Water – a key to Sustainable Development in Africa. This declaration established the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW). The 2004 Sirte Declaration1 on the Challenges of Implementing Integrated and Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Water in Africa acknowledged AMCOW’s role in spearheading efforts to achieve Africa’s water and sanitation goals. Consequently, in June 2008, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt2, the assembly of the African Union (AU) mandated AMCOW to report annually on the progress made towards achieving their commitments on water and sanitation. Against this background, AMCOW’s organs now serve as the working group on water and sanitation of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (STC-ARDWE). In this role, AMCOW embodies the collaboration and commitments of Member States, partners and stakeholders.

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