By John Oba
Abuja
World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), French Development Agency and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have pledged to commit over $827.7 million in the Nigeria water sector within the next two years in 11 states.
The country directors of the organizations in Abuja yesterday at the national urban water sector reform project workshop in their various speeches revealed this.
Giving her good will message, Nigeria World Bank country director, Ms Marie Francoise Marie Nelly, said the national urban water sector reform program was tailored toward addressing challenges of weak performance, insufficient funding, institutional deficiencies and high incidences of political interference Nigeria like other countries are faced with.
She said the objectives of the project was to increase access to piped water networks in selected urban areas and improve reliability and financial viability of selected urban water utilities.
She however urged the minister of water to engage with the state governors for the establishment and/or implementation of water sector reform and funding adding that there is need for the development of MoU between the , ministry, state and the partners for the implementation of the action plans incorporating the funding, strategies, performance, target, and incentive framework.
African Development Bank (AfDB) country director, Mrs Barbara Barungi, on her part said there is need to improve on financial management, while an independence technical/financial auditor be engaged to periodically monitor performance and compute incentives and penalties recruited on behalf of both parties.
The minister of water, Mrs Sarah Reng Ochekpe, said the government is committed to the implementation of the water reform program and that the government will continue to play it facilitation and coordination roles for the development of the water sector.
Breaking down of the contribution shows that World Bank is committing $250 million to the project in 11 state aside from the $520 million spent in Kaduna, Ogun, Enugu, Lagos and Cross River since 2004 while AfDB is committing 277.7 million, French Development agency and JICA are committing $150 million each.