Drilled boreholes are vital to achieving universal, safe drinking water and meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1, particularly in Africa. Poor quality siting, borehole design, drilling and completion lead to premature failure of the water supply. From 2004 to 2020, a multi-stakeholder initiative through the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) has endeavored to raise the professionalism of borehole drilling and its management in Africa. The initiative comprised in-country and desk studies, training, and the development of guidelines, manuals, training materials, short animated films for advocacy as well as using blogs, webinars and online communities of practice to share experiences. The initiative was funded to approximately USD 750,000 in total. Funding was fragmented throughout, but the initial support by the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme Africa (WSP-AF), consistent leadership and subsequent partnerships between Skat Foundation, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WaterAid UK and others enabled progression on the topic, as well as innovation and opportunities to be harnessed. The initiative has raised the profile of drilling professionalism, provided a wealth of materials and inspired others to take action. Thousands of stakeholders have improved their knowledge. Academic research on the topic has also increased and capacity strengthening of groundwater management and professional drilling is now an action area for the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW). UNICEF and WaterAid are among the organizations that have made changes to procurement and project management as a result of the initiative. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of drilling professionalism, reliable, long-term investment in in-country training and professional development, and addressing challenges in the institutional environment remains inadequate. Despite the importance of water well drilling, and commitments to SDG 6.1’s, capacity strengthening in this area remains a marginal issue for national and international political leadership, and arguably for international funding agencies.

中文翻译：

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在非洲争取钻孔专业化：回顾 2004 年至 2020 年通过农村供水网络的 16 年倡议

钻孔对于实现普遍、安全的饮用水和实现可持续发展目标 (SDG) 6.1 至关重要，尤其是在非洲。劣质的选址、钻孔设计、钻井和完井会导致供水过早出现故障。从 2004 年到 2020 年，通过农村供水网络 (RWSN) 的多方利益相关者倡议努力提高非洲钻孔及其管理的专业性。该举措包括国内和案头研究、培训以及制定指南、手册、培训材料、宣传短片以及使用博客、网络研讨会和在线实践社区来分享经验。该倡议的资金总额约为 750,000 美元。资金分散，但世界银行非洲水和卫生计划 (WSP-AF) 的最初支持、Skat 基金会、联合国儿童基金会 (UNICEF)、英国水援助组织和其他机构之间的一致领导和随后的伙伴关系促进了该主题的进展和创新和可以利用的机会。该倡议提高了钻井专业水平，提供了丰富的材料并激励其他人采取行动。数以千计的利益相关者提高了他们的知识。关于该主题的学术研究也有所增加，地下水管理和专业钻探的能力加强现在是非洲水务部长理事会 (AMCOW) 的一个行动领域。联合国儿童基金会和水援助组织等组织因该倡议对采购和项目管理做出了改变。尽管人们越来越认识到钻井专业的重要性，但对国内培训和专业发展的可靠、长期投资以及应对制度环境中的挑战仍然不足。尽管水井钻探很重要，并且对可持续发展目标 6.1 做出了承诺，但该领域的能力加强对于国家和国际政治领导层来说仍然是一个边缘问题，可以说是对国际资助机构而言。