The Federal Government is committed to ensuring Nigerians have access to clean, safe and sustainable water and sanitation services.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, stated this while addressing participants at the Africa Water and Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium in Kigali, Rwanda.
Prof. Utsev said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had repositioned the water and sanitation sector from fragmented institutions to a more coordinated national system by bringing relevant stakeholders together through various programmes, projects and reforms.
He listed some of the initiatives as the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH), Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN), Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), and the National Action Plan.
The Minister said the Federal Government was also collaborating with development partners, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNICEF, WaterAid and the private sector, to complement government resources and accelerate development in the sector.
According to him, in line with the government’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Six by 2030, the Ministry has commenced the development of a National Water Compact to address water for people, water for food and water for the planet.
He said the initiative was being developed in collaboration with state and local governments, adding that the final draft of the Water Compact would be validated by stakeholders this month.
Prof. Utsev further said Nigeria, through the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), was collaborating with other African countries towards the implementation of the Africa Implementation Programme.
He called for stronger collaboration among African leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to accelerate efforts towards universal access to clean, safe and sustainable water and sanitation services.
Earlier, while declaring the symposium open, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva, urged African leaders and development partners to make concrete commitments and take practical actions towards achieving the continent’s vision of sustainable water and sanitation services by 2063.
The symposium, with the theme, “Accelerating Water and Sanitation Transformation for Sustainable Impact,” is hosted by the Government of Rwanda, co-convened by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) and facilitated by IRC Africa.
It focuses on strengthening leadership, governance, regulation, professional capacity and strategic public financing to create reliable and investment-ready water and sanitation systems.
The symposium is being attended by more than 700 delegates from Africa and other parts of the world.
