World Bank has commended the Gombe State government for demonstrating the political will in the implementation of the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) projects.
The global bank’s task team lead by Mr Gérard Soppe, visited Governor Inuwa Yahaya at the Gombe Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, and promised more support for Gombe and other pilot states to ensure the functioning of the result-based structure of the SURWASH programme.
Earlier, the national coordinator of SURWASH, Engr AbdulhamidGwaram, said the project, initiated by the federal government in partnership with the World Bank was aimed at providing protection for human health, supporting economic growth in the short-term, mid and long-term for sustainable, inclusive economic recovery that would improve livelihood of the poor and the vulnerable.
He said the programme which would run for six years became effective from January this year and was expected to ensure reforms in governance and service provision through increased access to drinking water and sanitation services via the construction and rehabilitation of WASH infrastructure.
Gwaram added that the programme will operate in Gombe and six other states of the country.
In a statement made available to journalists on the visit, the Gombe State Project coordinator of SURWASH, Engr Usman Abubakar Aliyu, said, “SURWASH will provide six million people with basic drinking water services and 1.4 million people access to improved sanitation services. The programme will deliver improved water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to 2,000 schools and health care facilities and assist 500 communities to achieve open defecation free status.”
