FG, development partners seek stronger reforms in water sector

Participants at the workshop on Urban Water Supply Sector Reform in Nigeria held in Abuja on Monday. Photo: Gift Habib

The Federal Government and Development Partners have reiterated the need for sustained reforms, increased investment and stronger partnerships to improve urban water supply and sanitation services across the country. Speaking at the Workshop on ‘Urban Water Supply Sector Reform in Nigeria: Progresses, Challenges, and Way Forward’ held in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, said the country must intensify efforts to address challenges facing water and sanitation service delivery. The workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in collaboration with development partners, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and the European Union. It was financially supported by France through the Agence Française de Développement. Addressing participants, including state commissioners, permanent secretaries, chief executives of state water agencies and development partners, the minister, who was represented by the Director of Water Supply and Support Services at the ministry, Babarinde Mukaila, described access to quality water services as one of the major challenges confronting many African countries. According to him, increasing water scarcity, population growth, climate change variability and financing gaps have continued to threaten the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals on water and sanitation. “As we all know, provision of quality water services remains one of the biggest challenges in many countries in Africa, and Nigeria is no exception. “With increasing water scarcity and risks associated with population growth and climate change variability, combined with the financing gap experienced in many countries, to meet the SDGs for Water (Goal 6.1) and Sanitation (Goal 6.2), concerted effort is needed and through large infrastructure investments in water and sanitation, major governance and policy reforms, and an integrated approach towards sustainable water management and more importantly partnership,” Utsev stated. The minister noted that development partners, including the French Development Agency, World Bank, African Development Bank, United Nations Children’s Fund, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, WaterAid, JICA, Islamic Development Bank and the European Union, had financed “several programmes aimed at improving infrastructure facilities and services to the urban and rural populations” over the years. He list