By Farida Salifu
The Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) Project has launched a transformative initiative in a bid to ensure access to sustainable and safe water and sanitation (WASH) services for all Nigerians by 2030.
During an advocacy visit to the Kaduna Zonal Office of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, the Kaduna State Programme Engineer (Urban-KD-SURWASH), Mr. Usman Ibrahim, emphasized the project’s commitment to improving the lives of residents.
Addressing NAN staffs who are ground to welcome him lbrahim said, “As members of the fourth estate of the realm, you are key in any developmental program. It is on this note that I request for a cordial working relationship between the Kaduna SURWASH team and your organization.”
He highlighted the introduction of a result-based approach incentivizing key policy reforms, infrastructure development, and institutional improvements.
“The program utilizes two financing instruments: investment project financing (IPF) for capacity improvements and program for result (P for R) which will drive results generation,” he emphasized.
With an implementation period of six years starting from January 14, 2022, the program targets pilot local government areas including Chikun, IGabi, Jaba, Jemaa, Sabo Gari, and Soba.
It aims to benefit approximately 6.1 million people with basic drinking water services, provide 1.4 million people with improved sanitation services, and ensure 500 ODF+ verified communities, along with enhancing WASH services in 2,000 schools and healthcare facilities.
The Kaduna Zonal Manager, Bashir Rabe-Mani, expressed gratitude for the visit and pledged a fruitful collaboration.
He commended NAN as a credible medium with extensive news coverage, highlighting its role as a leading content provider in Nigeria.
The SURWASH Project’s efforts mark a significant stride towards achieving national and global objectives in ensuring access to sustainable and safe WASH services.
