The Deputy General Manager of the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM), Dr. Shey Peter Mabu and a delegation of the Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA) headed by its board chair, Adama Mbaye on thursday February 16 in Yaounde discussed ways of establishing a partnership. During a working session at SOPECAM, Dr. Mabu and six members of WSA x-rayed possibilities of a partnership to ensure that more Cameroonians have access to potable water and better sanitation. The Deputy GM, Dr. Mabu acknowledged that the corporation stands a better place to spread information on the importance of water and sanitation and pledged the company’s support to WSA’s plans to help Cameroon in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Managing Editor of Cameroon Tribune, SOPECAM’s major publication, Badjang ba Nken reaffirmed the company’s interest in WSA and in its mission in Cameroon.
The Board Chair of WSA, Adama Mbaye said the objective of their visit was to let SOPECAM management know that a partnership is indispensable for them to enable communities know that water is life but it can also be a source of death if not well treated. The Executive Secretary of WSA, Idrissa Doucoure unveiled the agency’s line of interest, hinting at their determination to increase access to potable water for Cameroonians, ensure the sustainability of infrastructure and train Cameroonians on positive hygiene and sanitation attitudes. Based in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso, WSA operates in 22 African countries, helping to teach people on simple ways of treating water while assisting governments to achieve goals in the water and sanitation sector. In Cameroon, the body has partnered with government to sensitise people on the need to wash hands before and after meals, and other hygienic practices that keep cholera at bay. WSA assisted in the construction of modern latrines in the Far North Region and on the use of excreta from ecological toilets for farming, the Resident Representative for WSA, Salomé Onana Bene, told Cameroon Tribune during the meeting.
