Enugu State has recorded a major global triumph as Ambassador Mrs. Amaka Nweke JP, Member IV of the Enugu State Local Government Service Commission and Chairman of its WASH Committee, emerged winner of the Overall Best Scientific Oral Presentation at the XIX World Water Congress in Marrakech, Morocco. Her groundbreaking presentation, which showcased Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s audacious Water-City transformation agenda, drew widespread acclaim from global policymakers, scientists, ministers and development leaders gathered from over 100 countries.
Her session, titled “Water and Nature: Innovative Solutions for a City in Nature – Using Enugu’s Coal City to Water City as a Case Study,” became one of the most celebrated moments of the Congress, brilliantly unpacking Enugu’s historic evolution from a coal-dependent landscape to a rising global model for water governance and climate resilience. She highlighted how Governor Mbah’s administration has delivered an unprecedented leap in water production from a mere 2 million liters to 120 million liters per day, powered by a 4.4MW gas plant, modernized distribution networks, and a statewide expansion of pipe-borne water designed to end reliance on tanker supply.
Ambassador Nweke traced the environmental scars left by decades of coal mining—deforestation, erosion, water scarcity, and infrastructural decay—emphasizing how rapid urbanization intensified these challenges. She then detailed the Governor’s bold interventions, including the adoption of nature-based solutions such as sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS), rainwater harvesting, green roofs, and urban wetlands restoration. International delegates praised the scientific depth of her modeling, commending its practicality, scalability, and alignment with global best practices.
The hall erupted in applause when she was announced as the Overall Best Scientific Oral Presentation Award winner, with participants describing her delivery as exceptional, scientifically rigorous, and transformational for African urban water policy. Her exposition on Enugu’s $100 million Austrian partnership to strengthen water distribution infrastructure, alongside the government’s transparency reforms and NEWARI’s community-driven accountability campaigns, strengthened global confidence in Enugu’s Water-City blueprint.
Ambassador Nweke extended Governor Peter Mbah’s goodwill to His Majesty, Sidi Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Alawi, King of Morocco; IWRA President Yuanyuan Li; and all distinguished delegates. She also commended NEWARI for its unwavering support in sustaining reforms across communities, describing the partnership as essential to the success and protection of the state’s water investments.
Dignitaries present at the event included the United Nations Secretary-General; Dr. Nizar Baraka, Morocco’s Minister for Equipment and Water and host of the Congress; Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, Senegal’s Minister for Hydraulics and Sanitation and President of AMCOW; and Dr. Hannah Sao Kpato, Sierra Leone’s Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation. Their presence framed the Congress as one of the world’s most important platforms for shaping sustainable water governance.
Through her exceptional performance and historic win, Ambassador Amaka Nweke has not only elevated Enugu State’s profile on the global stage but has reinforced Governor Peter Mbah’s Water-City vision as one of the most compelling examples of 21st-century urban transformation. Her success signals a new era for Enugu—one where innovation, resilience and global recognition converge to affirm that the state’s future is not just being imagined, but boldly built.