Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hany Sewilam, and South Africa's Minister of Water and Sanitation, Bimmy Majodina, opened a joint virtual seminar marking International Women's Day to discuss women's roles in water management and international water cooperation. Held under the theme "Water for People", the event gathered female engineers, scientists, and water-sector specialists from both countries to exchange expertise and underscore women's contributions to water governance and diplomacy.
The joint virtual seminar between Egypt and South Africa featured participation from experts, emphasizing women's contributions in the water sector. Sewilam stated that access to safe water and sanitation services is a fundamental human right and a key pillar for achieving sustainable development. He pointed to shared challenges faced by both nations, including water scarcity, climate change, population growth, and increasing pressure on limited water resources, with reliance on international rivers as major sources of freshwater.
Additionally, he highlighted Egypt's efforts to empower women in the water sector, such as initiatives training rural women to recycle water hyacinth into handicrafts that generate income for vulnerable families.
For her part, Majodina praised the strong cooperation between the two countries in the water sector, noting that Egypt and South Africa were selected among 12 countries to represent Africa at the United Nations Water Conference 2026, scheduled for December 2026. She explained that Egypt and Japan will co-chair the interactive dialogue titled "Water for Planet", while South Africa and France will co-chair the dialogue on "Investments for Water". Majodina also expressed interest in participating in Cairo Water Week 2026, set to take place in Cairo in October 2026.