97th AfWASA STC: Three days of discussions to advance the WASH sector in Africa

Three days, thirteen sessions, forty-eight presentations: the 97th AfWASA Strategic and Technological Council brought together, from 13 to 15 July 2026, nearly 700 participants from 65 countries and 98 organizations around an ambitious theme, "Water and Sanitation in Africa: Building Smart, Inclusive and Resilient Services."
The first day highlighted data, artificial intelligence, and the reduction of non-revenue water losses as levers of performance. The second focused on off-grid sanitation, financing, and water quality, revealing a persistent gap between innovative mechanisms and the continent's real needs. The third, built around the STC's Strategic Dialogue "Preparing the African Water and Sanitation Sector for 2030 and Beyond," drove home a truth too often forgotten: technology is only as good as the people who put it to work.
The sector now knows what resilient services look like; what remains is financing their implementation. The next stop: Djibouti, in November 2026, for the 98th STC.