IWA (International Water Association) /Africa Regional Office organized the Utility Leaders' Forum on 17-20 October in Swaziland, where it was hosted by the Swaziland Water Services Corporation (SWSC). The Forum aimed to bring together leading utilities from East and Southern Africa, to share trends, emerging issues and their own practical approach. On the first day, the main themes of the meeting were: 'Driving changes for efficient utility management', 'Exploring Performance Based Contracts' and Non-Revenue Water.  | Participants at the Utility Leaders' Forum in Swaziland. |
The second day was devoted to Water Safety Plans and to Franchising partnership principles for Operation and Maintenance . Doulaye Kone, WOP-Africa coordinator, introduced the audience to Water Operators' Partnerships (WOPs), and Anne Bousquet, Training and Capacity Building Officer with Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA), presented the Alliance approach of capacity building, notably on Water Safety Plans. Utilities which were new to Water Safety Plans were highly motivated to introduce this concept in their respective countries. The field trip to the SWSC headquarters and to the water intake premises allowed the audience to know better about the performance of the local host, SWSC which showed a great interest in partnering with peers from the region. |
