Kwara benefits from FG’s SURWASH Programme, $60m W’Bank grant

The Kwara State Government has announced its readiness to partner with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in Abuja on Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme (SURWASH).

Speaking through a statement by the ministry’s Press Secretary, Adamu M Saidu, on Thursday, the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Usman Yunusa Lade stated that Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene is like a sister programme to Partnership for Expansion of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), that will help to improve the living standard of Kwara residents.

The Commissioner further noted that the State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is always interested in programmes that will benefit the people of the state.

Lade promised that the state government is prepared to use all of the resources at its disposal to implement the program for the benefit of the state’s citizens.

Addressing the major stakeholders during his presentation, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Abuja, who is also the Institutional Policy Development Officer of SURWASH, Mr. Abdulyekeen Shafiu Olutade hinted that the purpose of the visit was to introduce the In-depth Engineering Limited as the consultant engaged by the federal government of Nigeria for the SURWASH Programme.

“Kwara State would benefit from the $60 Million which is a grant from the World Bank through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation as a form of technical support for the State Ministry and other WASH agencies in the state”, Olutade added.

“Mr. Olutade briefed the participants that the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari declared a state of emergency in the WASH sector in 2018 to revitalise it for being in comatose for decades.

“He stressed that the state and local governments need to put in place certain basic things in order to be able to properly key into the programme.

“Olutade emphasized further that the SURWASH programme is supported by the World Bank with seven states as pioneer states that have met eligibility and readiness criteria for participation in the programme.

“The states are Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina and Plateau, noting that nine other states and the FCT are in the second tier and have also met the eligibility criteria to access technical assistance as well.

“The nine other states are Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Edo, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, Oyo, Taraba, and the FCT, Abuja.

“He explained that the programme is to strengthen and expand access to WASH services in Nigeria while simultaneously improving their effective management and sustainability.