The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring access to clean, safe and sustainable water and sanitation services for Nigerians.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, stated this on Tuesday while addressing participants at the Africa Water and Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium in Kigali, Rwanda.

Utsev said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had moved the water and sanitation sector from fragmented institutions towards a more coordinated national system by bringing stakeholders together through various programmes, projects and reforms.

‎He listed some of the initiatives as the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH), Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN), Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), and the National Action Plan. He added that the government was implementing the initiatives in collaboration with development partners, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNICEF, WaterAid and the private sector.

‎The minister said Nigeria was also taking steps to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030 through the development of a National Water Compact. According to him, the compact is designed to address water for people, water for food and water for the planet, in collaboration with state and local governments.

Utsev disclosed that the final draft of the National Water Compact would be validated by stakeholders in August. He also said Nigeria, through the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), was collaborating with other African countries to advance the Africa Implementation Programme.

The minister called for stronger collaboration among African leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to accelerate action towards universal access to clean, safe and sustainable water and sanitation services.

‎Earlier, while declaring the symposium open, Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva, urged African leaders and development partners to make sincere commitments and take practical steps towards achieving the continent’s vision of sustainable water and sanitation services by 2063.

The symposium, themed “Accelerating Water and Sanitation Transformation for Sustainable Impact,” is hosted by the Rwandan Government, co-convened by AMCOW and facilitated by IRC Africa. It focuses on strengthening leadership, governance, regulation, professional capacity and strategic public finance, and is attended by more than 700 delegates from Africa and beyond.