World Bank approves US $350m for Water Supply and Rural Sanitation Project in Nigeria

World Bank has approved US $350m for construction of Sustainable Water Supply and Rural Sanitation Project in Nigeria. This was revealed by Nigeria’s Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, at the National Stakeholders’ Consultation workshop on Nigeria Rural WASH Project.

Expectations for the project

According to Rachid Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director in Nigeria, the project aims to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. The project will be handled in 3 phases.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the project was implemented between 2016 and 2018. The phase aimed to prepare for the execution of the other phases of the project through the implementation of systems and infrastructure, as well as finalisation of standards, guidelines and manuals and project’s policies and investment plans. This phase also enabled the rehabilitation of drinking water and sanitation facilities in states like Kano and Ogun States.

Also read:Phase 2 of Zaria Water Supply and Expansion Project in Nigeria commissioned

Phase 2

Phase II of the Project will include construction of new drinking water and sanitation facilities in rural and semi-urban areas which will work with solar off grids. The implementation of this phase has already begun and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Phase 3

Phase III will be implemented in 2026 to 2030 where its main target will be the construction of latrines to prevent open defecation, which often leads to diseases. In this phase, the facilities will be built mainly in schools, health centres and markets. In order to complete the project, the government will rely on private companies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Water Supply and Sanitation

In 2015, Nigeria achieved basic service coverage of 69% for water and 29% for sanitation. This was nearly sufficient to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target for water, but insufficient for sanitation. Nigeria aims to achieve 100% access to basic water supply and basic sanitation by the year 2030.