By Fatima Saka
Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu has identified the Private sector/stakeholders contributions in the pursuit of the Ministry’s mandate.
This he said when the Federal Ministry of Water Resources signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday in Abuja with Reckitt Benckiser on CLEAN NAIJA PROJECT.
Adamu stated that ” we understand as Government the need to create an enabling environment and framework that incentivises the participation of the Private sector in service delivery.
“In the bid to continually drive the enabling environment for private sector players to contribute and invest across the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene value chain which can make significant contributions to the Nation’s economic indices,” he stated.
Adamu also revealed that a coordinating platform known as OPWASH (Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) was launched in 2019 with the mandate of ensuring effective coordination of the Private sector interventions and aimed at reducing Nigeria’s poor indices on WASH .
In the earlier remarks, Akbar Ali Shah, the Group Manager, Reckitt Benkizer Sub Saharan Africa , said that the main objective of the company is to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world and it’s an honour that the Ministry of Water Resources finds her worthy of partnership in it’s “Clean Nigeria Initiative”.
Akbar revealed that Reckitt through it’s Dettol brand have initiated Hygiene educational programs, to mention but a few and her resolve to being a part of the reason why Nigeria will accomplish one of it’s objective which is, reducing diarrhoea related child mortality, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, via the “Clean Naija Initiative”.
The group Manager while expressing gratitude said, ” Reckitt Nigeria is committing to partner with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in the area of WASH on Awareness Building, Eco-system Creation, Infrastructure Development and Behavioural Change in order to achieve a cleaner and healthier Nigeria”.
Meanwhile, the Memorandum of Understanding details initiatives on Awareness Creation, Stakeholders’ collaboration and infrastructural development which is intended to contribute to reduction in diarrhoea disease occasioned by poor Sanitation and Hygiene practices, improvement in Sanitation and Hygiene services; and elimination of open defecation in line with the objectives of the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign.”
