By Muhammad Amaan
The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on states benefiting from the $700 million Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme to improve their implementation strategies to better serve the public.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, made this appeal during the Midterm Review Workshop for the SURWASH programme in collaboration with the World Bank on Tuesday in Abuja.
He expressed concern over the slow progress of the programme in relation to its financial disbursements.
“By the end of 2023, we had anticipated a cumulative disbursement of $133 million from the allocated $700 million. However, as of December 2023, the total disbursement stood at $80.3 million.
“Our collective efforts are crucial to accelerating disbursements and ensuring that the funds are used efficiently to achieve the programme’s goals,” Utsev stated.
This shortfall, according to the minister, calls for urgent reflection and action to ensure future commitments are met.
The minister noted the improvements across participating states in meeting conditions for disbursement and in preparing the necessary Policy, Institutional and Regulatory (PIR) plans, in spite of the challenges.
Utsev stressed the importance of assessing the achievements so far, identifying areas of progress, and critically evaluating remaining challenges.
He added that the workshop offered an opportunity to adjust strategies and ensure that the programme remained on track to achieve its ambitious goals.
SURWASH National Programme Coordinator, Abdulhamid Gwaram, stated that the meeting aimed to review progress, address implementation challenges, and agree on strategic restructuring to accelerate progress.
He noted the need to evaluate achievements, identify gaps, and strengthen coordination between federal, state, and development partners.
World Bank representative Ms. Awa Diagne, noted progress in policy development, institutional strengthening, and service delivery in water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Diagne emphasised the programme’s role in addressing public health, poverty reduction, and sustainable development.
She called for renewed efforts to accelerate progress and achieve the programme’s goals.
She also commended teams in the seven participating states for their hard work, in spite of challenges, and expressed confidence in the programme’s continued positive impact.
Mr Hassan Kida, the Midterm Review Consultant said Nigeria’s water, sanitation and hygiene sector was in a state of emergency, saying efforts to improve it should not be ‘business as usual’.
Kida, however, called for collaboration between all stakeholders to enhance implementation sustainably.
The $700 million SURWASH programme, inaugurated on February 14, 2022, has a six-year implementation period, ending on June 30, 2027.
It aims to strengthen sector policies and institutions to improve water and sanitation services, reflecting the government’s commitment to tackling these challenges in urban, small-town, and rural areas.
Currently, the programme is being implemented in seven states: Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau.
