Information on Loughborough

Loughborough University Water Engineering Development Centre

Posted on 09/11/2007
P. Klein

water valvesAn event was recently held in Ghana to raise awareness of the Loughborough University Water, Engineering and Development Centres (WEDC) 2008 international conference.

WEDC " an institute dedicated to helping improve the health and wellbeing of some of the worlds poorest people " has organised conferences in Africa and Asia on the provision of infrastructure services for low and middle-income countries since 1973.

Its 33rd conference, entitled Access to Sanitation and Safe Water: Global Partnerships and Local Actions, is taking place from 7 " 11 April 2008. Lasting five days and hosted by Ghanas Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the conference will attract around 500 delegates from across the world. More than 120 papers and posters will be presented during the event, which will also feature informal discussion groups, debates and workshops.

The conferences pre-launch event was attended by the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Abubakar Saddique Boniface, along with representatives from industry, the Ghana Water Directorate, the Department for International Development (DFID) and the local media.

At the event the Minister drew attention to the difficulties faced by Ghana in achieving the UNs Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for water and sanitation coverage in 2015, identifying inadequate service delivery and financial constraints as key barriers to this.

WEDCs conference manager, Julie Fisher, said: "Low-income countries face many difficulties in improving sanitation and access to safe water. We hope this conference, in the International Year of Sanitation, will address some of these issues and attract much needed support and assistance. It will also provide an opportunity for Ghana to showcase what it has achieved in this area.