The idea proved popular with many of the sector's leaders at the time, and in February 1980 they met in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, for the founding congress of the African Union of Water Suppliers (AUWS), headquartered  in Liberia. The member companies of the  AUWS are performing well in providing services to the population, and their results are attracting new members. Between 1990 and 2000, numerous institutional reforms were introduced in African water and sanitation companies, giving rise to asset management companies, sanitation boards and regulators, who also joined the Association.

The Union continued to grow and in the process welcomed private service providers, NGOs, researchers and professionals from academia, research and public policy. To take account of all these changes and encompass all the stakeholders in the water sector, in 2000, at the Durban Congress, the African Union of Water Distributors changed its name to the African Water Association (AfWA), and adopted a new logo. The association continues to grow. It now enjoys the confidence of a number of well-known donors (UN, BMGF, USAID, WB, UNICEF, OFID, etc.) for the implementation of water and sanitation projects. 350 million people are affected by its water and sanitation activities.