As part of IWA’s mission to empower Young Water Professionals to contribute to sustainable water management, a new IWA Young Water Professionals (IWA YWP) chapter was officially established in Sudan in November 2024. This IWA YWP chapter will be the country’s go-to network boosting connections for YWPs and a platform to support equal opportunities and quality career development. As a voluntary network, the Sudan chapter is open to all water professionals aged 35 or below who are enthusiastic, dedicated, and passionate about water-related issues. Here, Gazi Nouman, Chair of YWP Sudan, presents some key points about the chapter.
Q: What was the motivation for setting up an IWA YWP Chapter in Sudan?
Sudan, located in North-East Africa, blends African and Arab influences in its rich cultural heritage. With over 38,000 water sources, effective water resource management is crucial for our country. However, political and economic instability, which is exacerbated by the ongoing war, has plunged Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, hindering development and limiting opportunities for Sudanese students, particularly in water-related fields. Even before the conflict, the water sector faced youth exclusion, inadequate education, corruption, and an unappealing job market.
The establishment of the IWA Young Water Professionals (YWP) Sudan Chapter seeks to address these challenges by creating a dynamic platform that connects national youth networks with governmental organisations and the global IWA community. Leveraging IWA’s presence in 140 countries, the chapter aims to foster knowledge exchange, empower youth through international opportunities, and drive innovative, locally-tailored solutions for Sudan’s water challenges, positioning youth as catalysts for sustainable development in Sudan.
Q: How will the chapter contribute to the empowerment of YWPs to contribute to the national water agenda of Sudan?
The IWA-YWP Sudan Chapter will empower young water professionals (YWPs) to support Sudan’s national water agenda through three strategic areas:
WASH: Facilitate youth contributions to national and global WASH strategies, while providing opportunities for leadership and advocacy in decision-making platforms.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): Integrate youth perspectives into national DRR strategies, foster collaboration across networks, and enhance capacities through targeted training and mentorship.
Water for Peace (WP): Advance water diplomacy by supporting youth-led peacebuilding initiatives and facilitating collaborative programs that leverage water resources for stability.
The chapter will amplify its impact by fostering regional cooperation with youth water networks in Africa and building partnerships with global and regional organisations. Through training, mentorship, and international collaboration, the chapter will equip YWPs to address Sudan’s water challenges, shape policy, and drive innovation, positioning youth as leaders in sustainable water management across and beyond Sudan.
Q: What are your aims and objectives for your chapter, and what activities do you plan to do?
The IWA-YWP Sudan Chapter aims to position youth as key stakeholders in Sudan’s water sector and across the region. The chapter will empower youth in three focus areas—WASH, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Water for Peace—through capacity building, technical support, and leadership opportunities.
Key objectives include advocating for meaningful youth representation at national, regional, and global levels, fostering cooperation between youth networks and governmental bodies, promoting youth inclusion in water governance frameworks, and supporting youth-led scientific research.
Planned activities include organising workshops, mentorship programmes, and regional learning exchange events, developing youth-driven policy inputs, and creating partnerships with regional and global organisations. The chapter will prioritise an iterative approach during its first year, refining goals and activities based on stakeholder feedback, ensuring adaptability, and maximising impact in empowering young professionals to lead Sudan’s water sector transformation.
Meet the founding committee of the IWA YWP Sudan Chapter
Gazi Nouman: Chair of the IWA YWP Sudan
Gazi is a Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Engineer from Sudan, currently pursuing an MSc in Water, Sanitation, and Health Engineering at the University of Leeds – UK. Prior to this, he served as a Regional WASH Consultant with the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) in North-East Africa. With over four years of experience in the WASH sector, Gazi is passionate about strengthening the WASH systems.
In addition, Gazi has been a strong advocate for youth involvement in the water sector, having led the Projects Department of the Sudan Youth Parliament for Water for two years. He is also a member of the 6th General Assembly of the World Youth Parliament for Water, where he represented youth voices at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali (May 2024) and participated as a panellist in the High-Level Panel on “Water and Sanitation for All” as the young people representative.
Gazi has been recognised for his impactful contributions to the WASH sector and the youth in his region (North and East Africa), honoured as the WASH champion for 2023 by CAWST, and received the “Top 30 under 30” award for 2024 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation-Canada.
Maab Banani: Vice Chair of the IWA YWP Sudan
Maab is a civil and environmental engineer with a strong academic foundation and a passion for addressing global water challenges. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Water Science, Policy, and Management at the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, where she is a Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholar.
Her research focuses on exploring innovative wastewater treatment technologies for application in both developing and developed countries, with the goal of achieving water reclamation and resource recovery. She previously earned a Master’s in Urban Water and Sanitation, specialising in Sanitary Engineering, from the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands. Her thesis, Membrane Application for Non-Sewer Sanitation, introduced groundbreaking approaches to transforming wastewater into a valuable resource.
With extensive professional experience in water governance and management, Maab integrates technical, engineering, and managerial expertise to develop interdisciplinary solutions for sustainable water resource management. Her work contributes to advancing global water sustainability and ensuring equitable access to clean water.
Randa Abubakr: Secretariat of the IWA YWP Sudan
Randa is a dedicated civil engineer with two years of experience in water modelling, flood prediction, and HEC software. Currently, she is pursuing an internship with the Global Water Partnership – Rwanda Office.
Randa co-developed a thesis on the Roseries Dam Break Hydraulic Model using HEC-RAS in 2022 to predict the level and the velocity of flood caused by dam break and provide accurate data to help authorities form an emergency plan. Additionally, she is advocating for Women in engineering through her online platform @letstalkhandsa, where she is helping Sudanese who are pursuing a career in engineering to explore different engineering pathways with focusing on women.
Randa is aiming to utilise her background and capabilities to support youth and women’s participation in the development of national and regional strategic disaster risk reduction and climate mitigation plans in Sudan and East Africa.
Ali Elhassan: Advisory Board Coordinator of the IWA YWP Sudan
Ali, a civil engineer from Sudan, currently pursuing an MSc in Water Science, Policy, and Management at the University of Oxford. He is a Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholar and a member of Hertford College.
Ali graduated with first-class honours in civil engineering from the University of Khartoum. His professional experience includes working as a Water Resources and Environmental Engineer at Newtech Consulting Group, where he addressed environmental challenges for different clients across Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Ali has also served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Khartoum, focusing on water and environmental engineering. His expertise includes research, software development, and consultancy, with a strong emphasis on sustainable water management practices.
