Speaking at a panel during the 2nd edition of MD Sahara held in Dakhla on March 3-5, the geopolitical expert and President of the Morocco-Israel Friendship Circle (CAMI) Gabriel Banon said that Africa, which is endowed with powerful countries economically or politically, is called on to “increase the number of groupings between states to speak with one voice.”

Cooperation is not the only challenge that the continent must meet, noted Banon, stating that the issues of rural-urban migration that has led to rapid and and unplanned urbanization, as well as the brain drain are obstacles that the continent must face.

For her part, the legal and institutional expert in water and sustainable development, president of the Moroccan Coalition for Water (COALMA) and governor of the World Water Council, Houria Tazi Sadeq, said that the major challenge of the coming decade is water stress and water management.

She recalled, in this sense, that the demand for water resources in Africa far exceeds the supply, unevenly distributed, 1/3 of the African population does not have access to drinking water, only 30% have access to sanitation services and 65% could be faced with water stress by 2025, adding that the rapid urban development of African countries leads to greater needs for water and sanitation networks.