Needs for dams and hydropower for sustainable development in Africa

Harnessing water and energy resources is one of the key factors for improving life conditions and also creating the basic infrastructures for development for nations. Thehistory of developed countries and emerging one confirmed this statement. Harnessing water resources allows the development of irrigation at large scale, the production ofclean and cheap energy, clean water, sanitation, the protection of human establishments against floods and develops the transportation systems countries. At the end, it contributes to the overall development and modernisation of nations andcountries. Africa is one of the continents where the water, energy and food crisis is worse and increasing every year despite the efforts spent at the international and home levels.This is due to weak development of water resources, low access to clean water, sanitation and cheap energy and at the end to food.There is today a consensus at the international level that the Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved within the deadline. Access to clean water, to food, tomodern energy is today a very challenge in many countries of Africa. Africa is also one of the continents endowed with large rivers systems and waterresources, different key mineral resources and primary forests with huge natural resources. The key challenge is how to develop these potentials to meet therequirements and needs of people and create the basis for economic and socialdevelopment. Dams and water resources professions are interplead today in Africa to provide the mean to decision makers for progress in the development of waterresources and energy potentials. The last decade is characterised by a new pace in the progress of water resources and hydropower development in Africa. Many largehydropower projects are under construction or planned including the Grand Inga project in DRC, the regional cooperation is progressing for large international riverssystems, but the rate of the progress is still under the requirements. The aim of the presentation is to discuss the main constraints for the development ofwater and hydropower resources in Africa and to focus on the contribution of theprofession to speed and sustain this new pace of development. Ongoing initiatives like the World declaration for dams and sustainable in Africaleads by ICOLD and some keys stakeholders worldwide and in Africa , the initiatives of ICOLD for capacity Building in Dam engineering will be presented.

کلیدواژه ها:

dam ، hydropower ، sustainable development ، Africa