Large Dams for Africa

Africa is now the new land of opportunity for dams’ development. After the very successful ICOLD Annual Meeting in Johannesburg (South Africa), last June, ICOLD prepares Africa 2017, next March in Marrakech (Morocco).

Africa is now the new land of opportunity for dams’ development and there are many signs for that, including inside ICOLD. First, ICOLD has elected an African President, Mr Adama Nombre, from Burkina Faso. He was president from 2012 to 2015. Second, ICOLD is developing with many new African countries joining ICOLD family, most recently Guinea Bissau. It has already co-organized with Aqua Media International the conference Africa 2013 in Addis-Ababa and it will co-organize another one: Africa 2017 in Marrakech.

ICOLD played a key role in the dams’ development in Africa, especially with the World Declaration “Dams and Hydropower for Africa Sustainable Development”. ICOLD initiated that Declaration and convinced important institutions to sign it: African Union, World Energy Council, International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage and the Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa and the International Hydropower Association.

Everything that was said in that important declaration is still more valuable today. It ended thus :

8 years later, much progress has been accomplished and many new dams are helping African Economic Development. Many others are being prepared, including the giant Grand Inga project in Congo or the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam in Ethiopia.

ICOLD has thus shown that it is not only a very important technical institution: all ICOLD officials have worked very hard to enable Africa to share the benefits of development through dams, including through capacity building.

During Johannesburg 84th Annual Meeting, May 18, members of Young Engineers Forum of ICOLD share their passion for Dams and Development.

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