WorldStage— The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring universal access to clean, safe and sustainable water and sanitation services for Nigerians.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, stated this on Tuesday while addressing the Africa Water Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium in Kigali, Rwanda.
Utsev said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had repositioned Nigeria’s water and sanitation sector from fragmented institutions towards a more coordinated national system through reforms, programmes and projects involving key stakeholders.
According to him, the government is implementing initiatives including the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH), Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN), and Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH).
He said the government was also implementing the National Action Plan in collaboration with development partners, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNICEF, WaterAid and the private sector, to complement government resources.
The Minister said Nigeria was taking deliberate steps to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which seeks universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.
Utsev disclosed that his ministry had commenced the development of a National Water Compact in collaboration with states and local governments.
He said the compact was designed to address three critical areas — water for people, water for food and water for the planet — adding that the final draft would be validated by stakeholders in August.
The Minister also said Nigeria, through the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), was collaborating with other African countries towards the implementation of the Africa Implementation Programme (AIP).
He called for stronger collaboration among African leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to accelerate action 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, themed “Accelerating Water and Sanitation Transformation for Sustainable Impact,” is hosted by the Government of Rwanda, co-convened by 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.
More than 700 delegates from Africa and other parts of the world are attending the symposium.
