Strengthening Water Quality Management in Africa
In a significant move towards enhancing water quality across the African continent, the Director General of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), Tarik Hamane, presided over the opening session of the "Water Quality in Africa" cooperation program in Rabat on April 14, 2026. This initiative, developed in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD), aims to address critical challenges surrounding water management in the face of climate change, population growth, and access to potable water.
The event gathered experts from various sectors, including representatives from Senegal's National Water Company (SONES) and Mauritania's National Water Distribution Company (SNDE). During this session, Hamane emphasized that water quality is a strategic priority that intertwines public health, sustainable development, and social justice. He called for collective action across the continent to tackle these pressing issues effectively.
Innovative Partnership and Capacity Building
Hamane reiterated ONEE's commitment to establishing itself as a key player in Africa's water sector, particularly in water quality control. He highlighted the agency's recognized technical expertise, backed by its central laboratory accredited under ISO 17025 and certified for ISO 9001, along with a network of over 100 laboratories throughout Morocco. This extensive infrastructure enables rigorous monitoring of drinking water quality, supported by more than 300 highly qualified professionals. Furthermore, ONEE actively participates in continental, regional, and international bodies dedicated to water issues.
In December 2025, ONEE signed a cooperation memorandum with AFD to initiate the "Water Quality" program, which will unfold in several phases until September 2026. This innovative collaboration will benefit water operators across Africa, including SONES, SNDE, and CAMWATER in Cameroon, by sharing Morocco's expertise to bolster their technical and managerial capacities in water quality control.
The program marks a pioneering approach for AFD, where a public African operator, ONEE, serves as the technical expertise provider, aligning with the African vision for water management outlined by AMCOW during the 39th African Union summit held in Addis Ababa in February 2026.
AFD's Morocco Director, Catherine Bonnaud, noted that the agency's support for the water sector has been effective for over three decades, improving access to enhanced drinking water services for 4 million people through AFD funding. She expressed confidence that this enhanced partnership between ONEE and AFD would extend beyond Morocco to benefit African populations, with SONES, SNDE, and CAMWATER recognizing the real value for their teams and users.
Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco has embraced a framework of South-South and triangular cooperation. In this context, ONEE has implemented an ambitious strategy in electricity, drinking water, and wastewater management focused on sharing expertise, technical assistance, and capacity building for African partners. This strategy aligns seamlessly with the Royal Atlantic Initiative, aimed at facilitating access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, promoting regional integration and sustainable development across the continent.
This expert workshop on water quality, held in Rabat on April 14 and 15, 2026, further solidified ONEE's role as a reference player in Africa, committed to ensuring equitable and sustainable access to drinking water for all.
As reported by medias24.com.
