Imo State is among states in Nigeria that will benefit from a $60.4 million Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) activity, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase access to clean water and reduce diseases.
Indications to this development emerged at the weekend when USAID Mission Director Stephen Haykin joined with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma in a virtual signing ceremony toformalize a new partnership with the state to improve the management and delivery of water and sanitation (WASH) services to help people live healthier lives through reliable access to clean water.
The Memorandum of Understanding according a USAID statement outlines commitments between USAID and Imo State to jointlydevelop a professionally managed, commercially oriented, and accountable state Water Board. This will be accomplished by improving the Water Board’sfinancial viability, and strengthening policy, institutional, and regulatory frameworks for better WASH service delivery.
“USAID, through E-WASH, will help increase access to clean water and reduce waterborne disease in Imo State, feeding into our mutualgoal of creating a healthier, more economically robust Nigeria,” Haykin said at the ceremony.
He added that this would be achieved by “strengthening the Water Board’s capacity to make solid investment decisions, improve billing and collection systems, and improve responsiveness to customer needs.”
After formal declaration of corporatization of the new Imo State Water and Sewerage Corporation, Governor Uzodinma, promised to announce the board of directors at a later date.
In his remarks, Governor Uzodinma acknowledged that up to 85 percent of his rural constituents lack access to a reliable source of running water and expressed hope that within a year the activity could reach up to 100,000 residents of the state.
“This project is consistent with the goals of my administration to ensure that the welfare of my people is advanced and protected.
“Therefore, I commit our cooperation to ensure this project is delivered. We are also committed to running the Imo Water Board as a business to ensure its commercial viability,” the governor said.
Over four years, E-WASH will spur the mobilization of an additional $50 million from public and private sources. It will also provide access to piped clean water to at least 50,000 households. Delta, Abia and Taraba have all signed similar agreements.
E-WASH is one component of a wider USAID effort to foster closer coordination with federal and state government agencies to advance broad-based economic growth and resilience in Nigeria through improved WASH services.
