For the country to meet its Millennium Development Goal of adequate water supply by 2015, the government will need to expend N360bn annually on development projects in the sector, the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, has said.
According to her, the sum will be needed annually for the next three to five years to meet the nation’s water supply and sanitation needs.
Ochekpe spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a briefing on the forthcoming presidential summit with the theme: ‘Innovative funding of water sector in Nigeria.’
She said, “From the analysis carried out, we need about N360bn annually for the next three to five years to meet the target of 75 per cent water supply and 65 per cent sanitation.
“The N360bn is for the development of the water sector generally, because we require funding for almost every aspect. We need funding to carry out interventions in rural communities, hydrological services, integrated water services, working on dams, as well as for our irrigational facilities.”
Ochekpe observed that the country had been off track for some years in its bid to actualise the MDG on water supply, adding that the summit was initiated to put it back on the track.
She said the summit would aim to enhance cooperative funding for water projects and create opportunities for both local and foreign investors through Public-Private Partnerships.
According to the minister, at the end of the summit, the government hopes to have created enough awareness on the importance of increased funding for sustainable impact in the water sector.
Ochekpe also said the target so far achieved, based on the road map for the sector, showed that Nigeria had about 66 per cent coverage for water supply and 40 per cent for sanitation.
“But until we meet our real target, we will not rest on our responsibilities as a ministry,” she added.
She explained that the significance of water for economic development in any society could not be overemphasised; stressing that infrastructural improvement in the country would not be achieved without adequate supply of water.