Abuja: Stakeholders in Nigeria’s water and sanitation sector have been urged to adopt Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approaches to address the country’s sanitation crisis, strengthen public health, and build resilient cities. Mr. Timeyin Uwejamomere, Managing Partner of Mangrove and Partners, made the call in Abuja at a 3-day capacity-building workshop organised under the African Water and Sanitation Association’s (AfWASA) SAO-CWIS programme.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the programme is being supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Uwejamomere, a leading development expert, described Nigeria’s sanitation crisis as a silent emergency with devastating consequences, especially for children. He emphasized that sanitation-related issues have caused more deaths annually than HIV and AIDS in the last five to ten years, being the second leading cause of death among children under five.
The 2021 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) report highlights that over 48 million Nigerians still practise open defecation, with only 13 per cent of the population having access to safely managed sanitation services. The majority of urban residents rely on poorly managed onsite sanitation systems, posing serious public health and environmental risks.
Despite the Federal Government’s commitment to end open defecation by 2025, Uwejamomere noted that only Jigawa has achieved the Open Defecation-Free (ODF) status out of 36 states, indicating an urgent need for a national rethink. He warned that without urgent, coordinated efforts, the revised 2030 target will also be missed.
Uwejamomere stressed that the CWIS approach prioritises both sewered and non-sewered sanitation options, ensuring inclusive, citywide access for all, including those living in informal settlements. This approach promotes safe sanitation by prioritising the underserved, ensuring efficient resource use, and delivering equitable, just, and accountable services.
He urged development partners to sustain investments in sanitation system strengthening, local capacity development, and governance reforms to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6.2). Mr. Francis Umemezia, the Nigeria Country Representative of AfWASA, explained that the organisation engaged Nigerian technical experts to implement the programme and build local capacity.
Umemezia highlighted that the inclusion of marginalised communities, women, and persons with disabilities in sanitation planning is central to the CWIS agenda. He noted that delegates from various regions are gaining new tools to develop context-specific sanitation roadmaps, building a healthier and more inclusive Nigeria.
NAN reports that the training focused on key components of CWIS, including faecal sludge management, stakeholder engagement, gender inclusion, and performance monitoring. Participants included representatives of benefiting state ministries, water and sanitation agencies, local government departments, NGOs, and private desludging operators.