Making IUWM Work in African Cities 119
Africa would be a collaboration of various organizations including regional and local municipalities, educational and training institutions, nongovernmental and not-for-profit organizations, service providers (governmental and/or private), and utility operators. The network would also actively reach out to the communities that these organizations serve. The operationalization of IUWM in Africa will need to be based on a range of models that address a diverse set of realities. The development and testing of these models will be facilitated by an IUWM Network– Learning Alliance. The alliance should include a diverse set of actors who can exchange ideas about what IUWM can mean for development and management of urban centers in Africa. An IUWM Network–Learning Alliance for Africa can build on the experience gained in other parts of the world. The idea of learning alliances emerged in response to the widespread failure of new research to have a significant impact (SWITCH, 2011a). It was also a recognition that new products and processes are brought into use not just by the activities of researchers, but through the activities of a number of widely different actors and organizations. Many cities in Latin America have dealt with water management challenges in an urban transition similar to those in Africa. Much practical experience has been gained in relation to IUWM, for example in São Paulo. South-South collaboration could play an important role in expanding knowledge about and use of IUWM. Networks of water professionals in Latin America are interested in becoming suppliers in South-South collaboration. For example, the Brazilian Water and Environmental Engineering Association is in the process of establishing a South-South Knowledge Exchange Water Hub with World Bank/World Bank Institute support. Comision Nacional del Agua, Mexico, and other organizations have also expressed interest in supplying relevant knowledge on water management. The core target audience of an IUWM Network–Learning Alliance would be professionals involved in urban water and sanitation services, water resources management, and urban planning. However, because the measures that follow from an IUWM approach will need to be financed and publicly accepted, and might require changes to regulatory frameworks, it will be prudent to ensure close links to professionals from budgetary, health, and other relevant institutions. For an IUWM approach to gain acceptance and be operational Africawide, higher-education institutions will need to change their curricula. In addition to curriculum changes, water professionals and urban planners will need to learn and update themselves throughout their careers. A