Mariam Abeeb
A Non- Governmental Organization, NGO known as Self Help Africa, has emphasized the need for improved subnational capacity, leadership, and governance, particularly at the local government level, to enhance Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. WASH sector development and service delivery in Nigeria.
This was made known by the Head of Programmes, Self Help Africa, shadrack Guusu in chat with newsmen at the WASH Learning Forum under the WASH system for health, in Abuja.
He suggested building capacity at the sub-national level, citing the example of the World Bank-supported WASH program, which has not been fully utilized due to capacity issues.
According to him, there is need for leadership and governance at the sub-national level , with a call for state governors, commissioners, and political leaders to prioritize WASH services.
He stressed the importance of strengthening local government systems to ensure development reaches the grassroots.
Guusu explained the local government’s role in resource management and development is crucial for effective WASH service delivery.
He added that without strong local government systems, national-level discussions and plans may not translate into tangible improvements at the community level.
“We need the state governors, the commissioners, the political leaders, the decision makers, the chairman at the sub national to be strengthened so that they can take take leadership and push the sector forward.
“Lastly, the local government. The local government is so weak and development is local. Development is at the grassroot. We need to strengthen the local government system. We need to allow the local government to be able to to have enough resources, financial resources, and to take responsibility of their resources for their own development,” he stated.
Further speaking , he said that the forum is aims to highlight the need for capacity building, leadership, and governance at all levels to improve WASH services in Nigeria.
He noted that the forum is a continuation of a West Africa-focused learning event, aiming to facilitate cross-learning between Nigeria and Sierra Leone on systems strengthening.
According to him, the event is hybrid, with participants from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and other countries joining online.
He stated that the program is all to review progress, share learnings from different systems strengthening approaches, and learn from case studies to improve WASH services in various countries.
