AFDB, Ministers Council To Improve Access To Water, Sanitation In Nigeria

The African Development Bank, AFDB, and African Ministers Council have teamed up to enhance strategic collaboration and maximize advocacy and resource mobilization to improve equitable access to water and sanitation in Africa.

African Ministers Council on Water, Knowledge Management, Communications and Visibility Officer,
Obinna Anah in a statement yesterday, said the two pan-African institutions expressed determination to strengthen their relationship and collaboration during a three-day strategic dialogue held in Abuja at the headquarters of the African Ministers Council on Water.

The African Development Bank’s director of water development and sanitation department, Osward Chanda, said that the strategic dialogue was critical for the relationship between the Bank and its partner: “We agreed to take actions that would help AMCOW to strengthen its leadership role in the governance of the African Water Facility (AWF) – the African Special Fund for preparation of water supply and sanitation projects, and in its efforts to mobilize more support and resources from African governments and international partners,” Chanda added.

The statement said the meeting in Abuja also agreed on ways to address some of the key issues identified in the 2019 African Water Facility evaluation.

AMCOW Executive Secretary, Dr Rashid Mbaziira, commended the bank for its commitment to improving AMCOW’s leadership role in African Water Facility’s Governing Council and in its important policy advocacy mandate to ensure high-level political support for Africa’s water and sanitation agenda.

Anah said AFDB and AMCOW agreed to review AMCOW governance framework and AWF’s instrument to make provisions for the inclusion of women, private sector, sanitation and hygiene.

African Water Facility’s coordinator, Mtchera Chirwa, said the AWF had already initiated a robust resources mobilization drive and expressed satisfaction with the support provided by AMCOW and their pledge to play a bigger role in supporting the campaign.

AFDB’s delegation included Osward Chanda, Mtchera Johannes and Foday Kargbo, the finance and Resource Management officer at the African water facility, while the AMCOW team constituted the Executive Secretary, Dr Rashid Mbaziira, the Acting Director of Programmes, Dr Azzika Tanko, and the Senior Policy Officers including, Water Resources Management, Prof. Moshood Tijani, Monitoring and Evaluation, Patrice Leumeni, and Knowledge Management, Communications and Visibility officer, Obinna Anah.