UNESCO Urges Investment In Africa’s Hydro-Power Potential

United Nation Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) has urged investors to channel their funds towards harnessing Africa’s
hydro power potential to boost the continent’s economy.

The Rector, UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education),
Prof. Andras Szollosi-Nagy, made the call in an interview in Stockholm, on the
sideline of the 2012 World Water Week Commemoration.

UNESCO-IHE was established in 2003 to carry out research,
capacity building and education in the fields of water and infrastructure.

He said that if Africa’s hydro power potential was
adequately harnessed, it would generate adequate hydro power and create
business opportunities for Africans.

“The business
opportunity, which will be very important for the whole international community
and for the investors, is to invest in the untapped hydro power potential of
Africa.

“Africa’s tremendous hydro power potentials are currently
less than 7 per cent that is being utilised.

“So, Africa will need infrastructure that will generate
hydro power, generates business opportunity and along with a whole chain
reaction that goes on because if you invest in big project, the big projects
provide business opportunities, they provide work, they need more engineers,
they need more technicians, so, the whole economy would get off.

“Nigeria, like other countries, need more capacities to deal
with their own problems, so, they need to invest in capacity building in
education programmes, training programmes at all levels from village level to
government.’’

Szollosi-Nagy said “water should be seen as a business
opportunity and not a risk”, insisting that with the necessary investment in
capacity building and training in the field, water business would yield profit.

He stressed the need for adequate training of personnel on
management and maintenance of water facilities, citing Uganda as an example of
a country faced with the problem of sewage leakages.

He, however, said the problem was resolved a few years back
through in-depth training of engineers on water education.