Cape Town, South Africa, May 08, 2020 --(PR.com)-- “A shift in resources allocation towards the health sector to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic is going to starve other sectors like the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector of much needed financing,” says Paul Yillia, award-winning water sector expert.

“Often WASH is treated independently from the health sector,” he adds, “and given the importance of WASH in preventing the spread of COVID-19, I think this is an opportunity and actually a need for authorities to consider WASH as an essential enabler to the public health measures that are being considered and put in place and this applied to resources allocation as well.”

Paul Yillia, Guest Research Scholar (Water Programme) at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, is the moderator of the live discussion on “WASH as first line of defence against Covid-19: unpacking the African water sector response" next week during the Virtual African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.

The session is one of 10 unique, live discussions focusing on the power, energy and power sectors on the continent that are free to attend online from 11-15 May 2020. During the week long webinar series, attendees will be able to engage with speakers and fellow attendees through an exclusive virtual matchmaking digital tool.

Discussion topics will include private sector investment opportunities in the power and water sectors, utility maintenance as well as challenges that cities and municipalities face regarding revenue management. View the full programme on the event website.

World-class speakers
“The Virtual African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is a completely free initiative,” event director Evan Schiff explains, “open and available to any interested parts of the sector. It is our way to offer both our long time partners and friends as well as new acquaintances the opportunity to learn, connect and engage. As always, the event will feature world-class speakers, an insightful programme and business matchmaking opportunities, albeit online.”

The programme will include:

Monday, 11 May 2020
13h00: Exploring private sector participation in the African power and water sector
15h00: Adopting new behaviours to influence emissions across Africa

Tuesday, 12 May 2020
13h00: Maintenance: key to keeping the lights on
15h00: The energy transition for Africa in a post COVID-19 world

Wednesday, 13 May 2020
13h00: How to attract investment opportunities for South African SMMEs working in the green economy
15h00: Energy access matters

Thursday, 14 May 2020
12h30: CEO Forum - Financial health in the aftermath of Covid-19: lessons learnt and best practices for African power utilities
15h00: WASH as first line of defence against Covid-19: unpacking the African water sector response

Friday, 15 May 2020
13h00: Municipal Leaders Forum: Solutions for city and municipal revenue management
15h00: Key considerations in smart grid and metering communication

For more information about confirmed speakers and to register go to the event website. The full interview with Paul Yillia can also be viewed there.

Leading event
The virtual event, taking place from 11-15 May 2020, is a free, online initiative after the 20th annual African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will now take place from 24-26 November at the CTICC in Cape Town. It is the leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals. The event brings together over 10 000 decision makers from over 90 countries, including 35 African countries, to source the latest solutions and meet over 350 suppliers. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions, the event also boasts a CPD-accredited strategic conference and technical presentations with over 300 expert speakers.

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa recently won the AAXO ROAR Award for Best Trade Exhibition in the 12000+ sqm category for the third time.

About the organisers
African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is the flagship energy event organised by Clarion Events Africa, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the energy, infrastructure and mining sectors. Other well-known events by Clarion Events on the continent include Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, the Utility CEO Forums, Nigeria Mining Week, DRC Mining Week and Africa Mining Forum. Clarion Events Africa is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group and African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa forms part of Clarion Energy, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of Clarion Events’ largest portfolios.

Dates and location for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa:
Virtual conference: 11-15 May 2020
Conference and expo: 24-26 November 2020
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa