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SWA Welcomes São Tomé and Principe to the Partnership

Sanitation and Water for All Secretariat
14 Jun 2021

On the 28th May 2021, Catarina de Albuquerque, CEO of Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) held a virtual meeting with Eng. Osvaldo Abreu, the Minister of Infrastructure and Natural Resources from São Tomé and Príncipe to thank him for joining the partnership and to reinforce the importance of the relationship between SWA and the Government of São Tomé and Principe for the sustainability of the WASH sector. 

Minister Ebreu welcomed the collaboration with SWA, as he believes that the partnership will help improve the national WASH sector. He also reinforced his interest in cooperation, not only for the sector itself, but for the people in the sector, as an exchange of experiences with other countries will help with capacity building.  

Capacity building not only involves people, but also institutions, so it is necessary to strengthen rules and sector laws in order to improve what already exists and to optimize the use of existing resources.

Minister Ebreu 

 

Minister Ebreu emphasized São Tomé and Principe’s interest in improving the water supply in rural areas, which suffer from water scarcity and poor sanitation infrastructure. The Minister stated that both rural and peri-urban areas need improved WASH, as increased development has resulted in informal settlements without proper water, sanitation and energy infrastructure. The government is eager to improve this situation, with the involvement of many other sectors. 

Throughout the pandemic, water has been a mobilizing factor worldwide and São Tomé and Principe is no exception. Recently, we have received external support to improve water and sanitation services in specific projects. However, the crises and agendas are huge and longstanding, the problems have been exacerbated by the pandemic, and so we count on the will and support from SWA to work together.

Minister Ebreu
 

Catarina de Albuquerque acknowledged that all these problems are widespread among other partners but there are opportunities to learn without having to start from scratch. She offered SWA’s support in various ways, including helping São Tomé and Principe exchange experiences with other countries through workshops and webinars, which address these issues. 

During the discussion, de Albuquerque highlighted the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, explaining that countries see more progress when there is integration between government and national actors. She also explained SWA’s current focus on Climate Action in the water and sanitation sector and reinforced the invitation for São Tomé and Principe to the Sector Ministers Meeting 2022 in Indonesia.

On the issue of climate, the Minister said that São Tomé and Principe is committed to act, together with other international partners, to reduce the negative impact of climate change on the country, to increase sector resilience, and to protect the environment and biodiversity. 

In conclusion, the Minister said he looks forward to collaboration with SWA, and emphasized his commitment to mobilize both the funds and means needed to implement actions and improvements in the sector.