Through the extension of the commitment of the AgroParisTech “Suez-water for all” Chair, its partners aim to strengthen the capacities of senior managers in the water and sanitation sector in developing countries, a large part of which is in Africa. These professionals will receive training on the different functions of a water and sanitation utility, its global challenges (infrastructure operation, customer management, human resources management, asset management, cost control, finance, etc.), to enable managers to establish diagnoses, set medium- and long-term objectives, draw up associated action plans and manage them.
The continuation of this academic initiative, launched in 2008, was made official thanks to the signing of a 4-year partnership between the Suez group, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Suez Foundation, the ESSEC Business School and the Rhône Méditerranée Corse Water Agency. The partnership has been extended to the Polytechnic School of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (Ucad-ESP) in Senegal and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.
A boon for the African continent
Over the next four years, the “Suez-Water for All” Chair will provide training on general management issues, including management and strategic planning, setting up the legal framework and coordinating action plans, institutional relations, relations with stakeholders and project management.
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This university chair dedicated to water and sanitation is particularly important in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the international organisation Global Citizen, 40% of the 783 million people in Africa without access to a safe drinking water supply live south of the Sahara. “Training in the water and sanitation sector is vitally important if we are to shape a sustainable environment. This process starts now. The Chair will provide a means of sharing and strengthening skills for services in developing countries, with quality training and an international scope,” says Bertrand Camus, the CEO of the Suez group.
Distance learning
In addition to training senior managers and management teams, the Chair promotes the development and sharing of knowledge by acting as a forum for managers and researchers in the water and sanitation field. In addition, the Chair will organise scientific meetings for an international audience every 2 years. From 2021, African water and sanitation professionals will have the opportunity to strengthen their skills.
The training is given from the AgroParisTech Water Centre and the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) International Centre in Paris, France. African executives will be able to follow the training at a distance via various e-learning approaches.
Jean Marie Takouleu