The whole of Africa’s wastewater could be treated using Hungarian technology only costing 50 dollars per capita, János Áder, the former president of the republic, told the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in New York on Thursday. Áder said introduction of the Hungarian technology to the continent would require an annual 6 billion dollars for 15-20 years and would help deliver water supplies to the population and for agriculture while improving health conditions and helping protect the environment. The technology also preserves biodiversity, while introducing better sewage treatment would also help to reduce migration, he added. Áder appealed for the costs to be raised from “the budgets of countries, subsidies, involving private capital and bank loans”. “If the answer is no, then we should forget about any further conferences, declarations or high-sounding speeches. If the answer is yes … those who are in charge should urgently start working,” he said. After the conference, Áder told MTI the world was lagging behind when it came to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015. During the UN Water Conference, Áder talked with managers of Pureco, a Hungarian company active in African wastewater treatment whose technology is widely used in Ghana. Negotiations are under way to make investments in other countries, too. The former president is a member of the UN’s Water and Climate Leaders panel.