Lord Paul Boateng DL PC, former British High Commissioner to South Africa and a Minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board for WSUP.
The appointment will support WSUP’s growth plans and enable WSUP to further support cities in developing countries to improve access to vital water and sanitation services. Lord Boateng takes over from Will Day, Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Sustainability Advisor to PwC, who has guided the organisation for more than 10 years.
Ed Mitchell, Chair of the WSUP Board Nominations Committee, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Lord Boateng as the new Chair of our Board, to help move towards our vision of a world in which all urban dwellers, including the poorest, enjoy affordable, high-quality water and sanitation services. Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which will help us make an even bigger impact and contribution to that vision. He builds on the outstanding leadership provided by our outgoing Chair, Will Day.”
Lord Paul Boateng, incoming Chair, said:
“The reality for too many people in the developing world is not to have the use of a flush toilet. This was the case in the earliest years of my own childhood in West Africa and I can still remember my excitement and my parents’ relief when we finally got one. Sixty years on the absence of affordable, sustainable water and sanitation provision remains a serious hazard to public health and well-being in so many parts of the world and a real obstacle to development, jobs and livelihoods.”
“I am delighted to have been invited to chair the Board of an innovative and ground-breaking organisation that is harnessing the insights and resources of the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to working with a much respected, highly skilled and motivated multi-disciplinary group of dedicated people in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the UK.”
The Rt Hon Lord Paul Boateng DL PC is a Member of the House of Lords. He was formerly in the UK Cabinet as Chief Secretary to HM Treasury and UK High Commissioner to South Africa. He is a Barrister by profession and grew up in Ghana West Africa and then in the UK.
He is currently Chairman of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund based in Nairobi and is on the Board of the London based Ghana International Bank. He is Chair of a number of charities working in Africa including BookAid International and the International Council of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.