Graduation Ceremony for Future Leaders of Water and Sanitation Services in the Global South
March 22 2024At the end of a 14-month program, 39 students from the ninth graduating class of the OpT International Executive Master, a program backed by AgroParisTech’s “Suez – Water for All” partnership chair, offering training to managers and senior executives at urban water and sanitation providers in developing and transitioning countries, were awarded their degrees in the presence of His Excellency Mr. Jumaa Hamidu Aweso, Minister of Water in Tanzania, and his delegation; His Excellency Mr. Ambassador Mohamed Yahya Teiss; His Excellency Mr. Ambassador Ali Jabir Mwadini; Mr. Mbodj, representing His Excellency the Ambassador of Senegal; Ms. Elobari, representing His Excellency the Ambassador of Egypt; Mr. Rajapakse, representing His Excellency the Ambassador of Sri Lanka; Mr. Zinyuke, representing Her Excellency the Ambassador of Zimbabwe; Sabrina Soussan, Chairwoman and CEO of Suez; and Laurent Buisson, Managing Director of AgroParisTech.
The OpT Specialized Master’s Degree: Who is it for?
The OpT Specialized Master’s Degree, backed by AgroParisTech’s “Suez – Water for All” partnership chair (which was awarded the UNESCO label for its contribution to responding to the challenge of access to quality water and sanitation for all), is designed for managers, high-potential executives, and operational directors with public, private, or joint public/private urban water and/or sanitation networks with at least 5 years’ experience in their role.
Objective
In the face of climate change and growing urbanization, this Specialized Master’s Degree program aims to consolidate the skills of senior executives in the water and sanitation sector, so that they can progress in their careers and prepare for management positions. It is intended for experienced, talented professionals from public and private service operators in the Global South.
The program is taught in French and English, in person and remotely. It includes immersive case studies in Cambodia, Singapore, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, and Togo. It is accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE) of Paris. It is a place where researchers and professionals come together.
About the Partnership Chair
AgroParisTech’s “Suez – Water for All” partnership chair was created at the initiative of Suez, the Suez Foundation, and AgroParisTech, in partnership with AFD and the Agence de l’Eau Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse (a French regional water company). The Chair involves partnerships with a number of African and Asian universities. It encourages research programs that aim to improve access to quality water and sanitation while optimizing the way that services are managed. This includes analyzing the economic, political, institutional, and managerial aspects involved and assessing the governance systems in place—particularly in the area of sanitation.
The Chair aims to foster knowledge transfer by facilitating exchanges between researchers and managers of water and sanitation services.
The Chair offers:
- managerial training on different operational aspects of public water and sanitation services and their overall importance;
- training on general management aspects: strategic management and planning, scoping and coordinating action plans, institutional relations, and stakeholder relations;
- training on project management: scoping, operational assessments, devising an action plan, implementation, acceptance, tools and methodologies, and problem solving;
- customized, real-world international continuing education offerings (including, in particular, in Africa and Asia).
The AgroParisTech Suez – Water for All Partnership Chair: Key Figures
- 281 students from 54 countries on 4 continents have been trained as part of the International Executive Master program for the title of “Urban Water and Sanitation Services Manager,” in addition to 107 executives for short training courses;
- Over 100 water and sanitation companies and institutions from Asia and Africa have re-enrolled their managers in the International Executive Master;
- Over 80 instructors, professionals from the water and sanitation industry, and 30 or so coaches per year, around 20 of whom work at Suez;
- 124 Chief Executive Officers from 20 African and Asian countries trained in Strategic Management.
Academic Partners: Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar), University of Lomé (Togo), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), Institute of Technology of Cambodia, the ESSEC Business School Rabat Campus (Morocco), and the ESSEC Business School Singapore Campus.