WaterAid to increase influence in Southern Africa with new regional base

20 January

WaterAid is pleased to announce that its new office in South Africa has officially been registered by the Government, bringing us one step closer to having a fully-functional regional base in the hub of Southern Africa.

An office in South Africa's administrative capital city, Pretoria, will help strengthen our advocacy, campaigning and policy work in the region as well as providing an easily accessible base for staff in the region.

Lindlyn Moma, Regional Advocacy Manager for Southern Africa, explained: "Our presence in Pretoria will help us to create a strong identity and visibility within the Southern African region while also facilitating better linkages with key regional, governmental and non-governmental institutions."

Robert Kampala, Head of Region, added: "It also provides flexibility to respond to opportunities and challenges as they arise, such as opportunities for influencing and new partnerships. It further provides an opportunity to work closely with the South African government, which has a stronger regional and international influence in realising the rights to water and sanitation for the poor."

Regional role

Our base in Southern Africa will house our regional team, which represents WaterAid in regional debates and discussions. It also works closely with the regional institutions to influence government and development partners in prioritising the provision of clean water and sanitation.

In Pretoria, the team will work now very closely with the South African government on a number of key strategic areas for the region.

Robert Kampala, Head of Region, said: "There are no immediate plans to begin programme work in the country; this will be reviewed in the future when the financial position improves globally. However, WaterAid will work closely with a number of South African charities and the Government, and will therefore contribute to the water and sanitation sector in South Africa."