Sato, Indorama partner to improve sanitation

SATO – a global provider of affordable and sustainable toilets and handwashing products and the largest fertilizer producer in Africa, Indorama has joined efforts to deliver improved quality hygiene and sanitation solutions for local communities in Nigeria.

Under the partnership, Indorama will purchase SATO’s innovative toilets and distribute them through its extensive network of Agro dealers.

Farmers, their workers, and their families in Kano, Bauchi, Sokoto and Zaria will have access to affordable and water-efficient sanitation systems that are easy to use and maintain.

With 25,000 families already benefiting from SATO toilet installations, Indorama plans to reach more beneficiaries in the future. Also, initial 70 masons are already trained to carry out the work; which will support broader sanitation infrastructure for years to come. This initiative will help decrease in open defecation, and diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid.

Michael Adegbe, SATO country manager in Nigeria, described the partnership with Indorama as a timely initiative that will improve hygiene access for many Nigerians.

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He noted that communities across Nigeria lack adequate facilities to eradicate open defection by 2030.

The Nigerian government unveiled a National Action Plan in 2018 to provide safe, sustainable sanitation and hygiene services to Nigerians by 2030, with the goal to put an end to open defection by 2025.

But stakeholders believe significant mobilization will be necessary to accomplish the ambition for better services, which may be supported by the networks, resources, and innovation of the private sector.

“This partnership is effective because it not only provides access to quality sanitation and hygiene in places where it has previously been most limited but also upskills the local communities. By utilizing already-existing relationships with farmers to launch new products, other members of the community are given the opportunity to learn the value of hygiene and sanitation and are more willing to give them a chance.” Adegbe said in an official statement provided to BusinessDay.

Titilope Oyerinde, head of agronomy services at Indorama, Nigeria said: “We have been partnering with SATO since 2021 in improving water sanitation and hygiene services in rural communities. Our farmers have quickly embraced the SATO pans because they recognize it is a more sustainable and healthier alternative to open defecation. In the future, we hope to see a Nigeria where everyone can live in cleanliness, and safety,” during an interview at the World Toilet Summit.