Senegal: KnoWat results presented at the German Embassy
The results of the KnoWat project "Knowing Water Better" in Senegal were presented to the Ambassador of the Federal Government of Germany, Mr Siemon Sönke, by Dr Robert Guei, Coordinator of the FAO sub-regional office in West Africa and FAO Representative in Senegal, and Mr Lamine Samaké, National Coordinator of the KnoWAT project in the country.
The KnoWat project is financed by the Federal Government of Germany through the BMEL bilateral trust fund and implemented by FAO.
During the meeting, Dr Guei emphasized the need for more effective water management in the Sahel region, to secure people’s equal access to water resources in the area, and the use these resources sustainably. According to him, the KnoWat project supports this path by contributing to the water governance process in Senegal.
Mr Samaké highlighted the project’s actions in the country, such as the development of a Geospatial database, the water tenure assessment, the water productivity assessment, activities of awareness-raising on water governance/tenure, and the training of national experts on WaPOR, AQUASTAT, etc.
In addition, Mr Samaké mentioned that even though Senegal has significant water resources, equitable access and sustainable use remain an issue. Thus, there is a need for innovative approaches to water governance. Hence, the KnoWat project is an important tool for improving the water governance process.
Later, these main results of the project were discussed, as well as the collaboration opportunities for scaling up the developed approaches, and the integration of people’s rights to access water in an equitable and sustainable way.