By Stanley Onyekwere
The French Development Agency (AFD) has reiterated its commitment to improving water supply across Nigeria with an ongoing €300 million investment portfolio targeting infrastructure development in multiple states.
Speaking at a peer-learning workshop in Abuja that brought together representatives from 25 Nigerian states, the Country Director for AFD, Jacky Amprou, highlighted that while substantial funding is actively being deployed, structural reforms and enhanced sector governance remain critical to achieving long-term sustainability.
The AFD’s current multi-million euro intervention spans four key states, including Kano, Enugu, Plateau, and Ondo.
The country Director, explained that the funding is primarily directed toward constructing robust physical water infrastructure and providing critical technical assistance to state-level water utilities.
According to Amprou, the broad representation of states at the gathering underscores a collective urgency to address systemic gaps in population access to clean water.
“AFD has been deeply involved in supporting access to water in several states.
“We are financing many investments, but we want to discuss also with the different states the governance of the water sector. That is a main takeaway of these two days,” Amprou stated.
Amprou pointed to international success stories presented during the summit as a blueprint for Nigerian states.
With Nigeria’s political campaign season approaching, the AFD Country Director urged local and state governments to capitalize on current project timelines to showcase tangible deliverables to the public.
“The first thing is really the delivery of the projects that we are currently implementing. We want to see infrastructure being built on the ground.
“Second, we must share a common vision with the states on the longer-run governance of the water sector, ensuring we have water boards that are financially sustainable and capable of managing infrastructure properly,” he stated.
The workshop served as a critical reality check for the stark disparities in water infrastructure across Nigeria, as state officials shared varying operational hurdles.
One of the participants from Nasarawa State, Madawa Absolom, Permanent Secretary for the State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, revealed a critical situation in the state capital, Lafia, where urban water supply coverage sits at a dismal 2%.
This, he noted has forced a widespread, non-optimal reliance on private boreholes.
Absolom also noted that Nasarawa faces a severe public health challenge, with a 46% Open Defecation Free (ODF) deficit—ranking among the worst in the country—which directly threatens local water safety.
Another participant from Kaduna State, representing the Kaduna State Water Corporation, Director of Operations Engineer Aminu Mu’azu reported that while urban water supply reaches about 60% of dwellers, municipal progress is consistently undermined by a lack of inter-agency synergy.
He noted that ongoing road construction contracts frequently result in contractors exhuming or destroying vital water pipes and electrical connections.
However, to counter localized disruptions and ensure that state water boards become financially self-sustaining, the AFD is pushing for an emphasis on cost recovery models and optimized asset management.
