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Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Business Reporter
VICE President Emmerson Mnangagwa will officially open the second Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Energy (WASHen) Conference in Bulawayo next week.

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company is organising the two-day event that is expected to attract participation from academics, local authorities, engineers, government officials, the private sector and civic society.

“WASHen 2015 delegate confirmations continue to come in. Among the high-level delegates who have confirmed attendance is the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who will be the guest of honour at the event,” ZITF Company marketing and public relations manager Stella Nkomo said yesterday.

The conference begins on Thursday at the ZITF exhibition centre under the theme “Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development”.

Discussions will centre on information communication technology and private-public partnerships as they relate to the provision of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the country.

Nkomo said Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri will deliver the keynote address, while her Permanent Secretary, Prince Mupazviriho, would give an overview of the Zimbabwean WASH sector.

Nkomo said a wide range of speakers with technical expertise in the areas of WASH would be in attendance including representatives from the African Development Bank, the City of Bulawayo, Integrated Edge Systems, SNV Zimbabwe and the World Bank.

“Confirmed delegates so far include town secretaries, engineers and planners from both rural and urban local authorities, business people, as well as WASH and coordinators in civil society and central government,” said Nkomo.

As part of the knowledge sharing activities, the Bulawayo City Council will host delegates on a guided field tour on Friday September 25.

The tour will cover the Southern Area Sewerage Treatment (SAST), BCC Call Centre (the first of its kind in Zimbabwe) and BCC GIS Mapping Office.

WASHen is organised by ZITF Company in conjunction with SNV Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.