IWA Members have formed a Young Water Professionals Chapter in Nigeria, a network to empower young water (related) professionals at country level and start to engage them at international level.

The IWA Nigeria Young Water Professional chapter (IWA YWP Nigeria in short) is open to all Nigerian water (related) professionals of the age 35 and below, who are IWA members or want to get acquainted with IWA. It is aimed at empowering Nigerian young water professionals by equipping them with skills that will make them relevant, employable and efficient in the local and global water industry.

Nigeria has large gaps and huge challenges in the water sector which require skilled professionals. With (young) water professionals locally not skilled properly at country level, foreign trained professionals are given preference in the job placement. The result is an increase in unemployment in young water professionals. Godwin Chinemerem – Academic at University of Benin and founder of the chapter – said: The IWA YWP chapter can be a game changer for Nigeria. We can connect Nigerian young water professionals with IWA, and work at local level to empower them by connecting and engaging them, providing them with professional development opportunities, and recognition.

Picture: Chinemerem Godwin (right-hand side yellow blouse)

The committee of the chapter – who lead the network – comprises young water professionals who will work on delivering quality events for young water professionals to update their knowledge, develop their career skills, and build their networks. The first activity the chapter embarked on was to organize the 2018 Nigerian Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition (see picture)

IWA – supporting the country network – said that the local network is a means to start engagement in the IWA, whilst building your network, skills and profile locally. IWA supports a growing number of YWP chapters in its formation, execution of networking and professional development activities, and gives them high level profile within and beyond the IWA for the voluntary inputs.

Interested to connect: Join IWA Connect and the IWA Nigeria YWP chapter group