World Bank wants Nigeria to increase budgetary allocation on water, sanitation SDGs

The World Bank Group in Nigeria says for Nigeria to meet the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, it must invest three times more than it currently does.

In a WASH Diagnostic Report launched at the ongoing National Retreat on Revitalising Urban Water Supply and Sanitation in Abuja, it showed that only 29 per cent of Nigerians have access to improved sanitation.

The report highlighted that public expenditure in water and sanitation is limited and the country needs to invest more, with only 31 per cent having access to improved water.

“There are no recent estimates for expenditure in the sector, but the sector used to spend close to $1 billion per year, that is 0.4 per cent of GDP between 2006 and 2010.

“Access to pipe water on the premises in urban areas has declined from 32 per cent in 1990 to 7 per cent in 2015, in the case of sanitation, only 29 per cent of Nigerians have access to improved sanitation.”

World Bank Lead Economist, Mr Luis Andres, said improving the sector would have significant implications on poverty reduction and human development outcomes, saying the system was constrained by inefficient service delivery and failing facilities.

He said institutional assessment shows severe constrains such as weak accountability relationship between the water providers, citizens and the state, saying urban and rural water services are impacted by poor quality of services.

He said the water sector requires greater, more efficient financing and investment, including an upgraded tariff and subsidy structures for a more accountable budget processes.

He urged Government to invest in closing implementation gaps by supporting serving delivery and integration of private sector into the water and sanitation sector.

Recall that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had said that with increasing rate of urbanisation, recent indices for water supply and sanitation access calls for all tiers of government to redouble their efforts towards meeting the nation’s water and sanitation demands.

He said the demand and supply gap for water in the urban areas should be discontinued, while calling for projects and policies that would be in line with the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan of the Federal Government.