The Self Help Africa (SHA) has unveiled a four-year Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Systems for Health Programme. This was done in collaboration with Nigeria’s Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.
The Nigeria Strategy 2023-2027 will strengthen and enable quality of the environment.
“FCDO-supported WS4H Programme when brought on board will act as a crucial catalyst in this journey, enabling us to strengthen our WASH systems, enhance community , and empower local stakeholders to be the driving force behind sustainable change”, said the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, represented by the Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo on Thursday in Abuja.
Ex Minister of Water Resources, and SHA Nigeria Chairman, Engr Suleiman Adamu, said the must recognize that climate resilience is not just an aspiration but, a necessity.
“Building resilience means adapting our water and agricultural systems to withstand the shocks and stresses associated with a changing climate”, he stated.
“It involves implementing innovative and sustainable practices that protect and preserve our natural resources, ensuring their longevity for future generations”.
Self Help Africa, Nigeria Country Director, Joy Aderele added that SHA in Nigeria will forge a strategic alliance with the Ministry of Water Resources alongside state government and relevant institutions, in conjunction with a consortium of partners .
During a panelist session anchored by Timeyin Uwejamomere, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, on the topic, Identifying The Relationship Between Health and WASH, it was understood that a good percentage of boreholes in the country are not up to standards and within the first year of construction, they tend to get weakened.
Annually, 87 percent of children die of water diseases and a lot of them are out of school because of poor sanitation. Adult survival is also a challenge, 18 percent of children are not doing well, 29 percent are under wavered.
At the course of the session, Shadrack Guusu, the Head of WASH Programmes said the building blocks for WASH is made of components that aim to make it efficient and ensure that the system is strong. Some of the components he said include infrastructure, planning and adaptation, and each must be strengthened to have a sustainable access.
Opara Chizoma said WASH need to be coordinated properly through funding to ensure that the support is spread. She also spoke on capacity building, saying it is needed at the rural level to strengthen operations because the system at the federal level is already strong, compared to the states.
She also said understanding the need for financing is about prioritising WASH and called for the private sector to be given a more enabling environment to be able to operate.
The event also marked the commemoration of SHA’s 25th anniversary.