USAID hands over $3.5m WASH project to Jigawa, Kano rural communities

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has today handed over water and sanitation projects worth $3.5 million to the Jigawa and Kano state governments.

This was disclosed by Mr. Simeon Nyiakaa, Chief of Party for the Water Improvement and Sanitation Enhancement (WISE) project, during a speech delivered at the handover ceremony held at the Manpower Development Institute in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital.

Mr. Nyiakaa said, “It is my immense pleasure and honor to welcome you all today to the official closeout and handover of the Partners for Development (PfD) Water Improvement and Sanitation Enhancement (WISE) Activity products, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).”

He explained, “This moment marks the culmination of PfD’s three years of dedicated effort and collaboration in Kano and Jigawa states.”

According to him, “The three-year project commenced on August 1, 2021, with the aim of reducing the occurrence and effects of waterborne diseases among targeted populations, especially children, women, and the elderly in underserved and rural communities of the two states.”

He stated that the projects targeted 66,000 residents to have access to basic water and 123,000 persons to basic sanitation, with 55 improved water supply systems and 50 improved sanitation facilities in public institutions, including schools and primary healthcare centers in the two states.

“Here in Jigawa, the program has achieved success in 32 communities, including 17 communities in Kaugama and 15 in Miga LGAs, where the WISE project first established and trained 62 water caretakers and local area mechanics, 102 Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOMs), and 102 artisans in each of our targeted communities,” Nyiakaa noted.

He emphasized that the efforts aim to drive WASH service delivery and management, ensuring that the ownership and sustainability of installed WASH facilities remain strong.

Secondly, “WISE has successfully installed and sustained the operations of 55 improved water facilities in rural communities of Kaugama and Miga LGAs in the state, including 14 in schools and three in healthcare facilities.”

The Chief of Party maintained that the facilities are currently providing potable water to over 42,000 rural community residents at 20 liters per person per day, surpassing the initial target of 33,000 beneficiaries, ensuring more people have access to safe and sustainable drinking water in the state.

He added that WISE has installed 18 improved and gender-responsive sanitation facilities in 14 public schools and four healthcare facilities within these 32 rural communities and has supported over 6,000 households, approximately 60,000 individuals, in constructing and using their own safely managed latrines.

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“The initiatives have significantly reduced open defecation, with 28 of the 32 project communities certified as Open Defecation Free by the Jigawa State and National Sanitation Task Groups,” he emphasized.

Mr. Nyiakaa further stated that under the project, 193 women facilitators have been trained on financial literacy and business skills and have formed over 89 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) with more than 1,350 members, including 1,200 women in 32 rural communities. “These initiatives have not only enhanced women’s financial independence but also fostered household resilience,” he said.

Speaking at the occasion, the Commissioner of Water Resources in the state, Mal. Ibrahim Garba, promised that the state government would provide the political will and commitment to support all interventions even after the project’s duration, and would scale up and sustain the programs.

The commissioner added that the government, through the ministry’s agencies, the Small Towns Water Supply Agency (STOWA) and the Rural Water Supply Agency (RUWASA), will continue to support any programs that will enhance water resources management and service delivery in the state by sharing knowledge and information on WASH.

He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the legal framework, policies, and procedures for implementing WASH services by providing technical expertise and resources available at the Ministry of Water Resources, including geologists, engineers, and technicians.