By Stella Kabruk
The Kaduna State Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure on Thursday held a review meeting on progress to strengthen the implementation of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions across the state.
Speaking at the meeting, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, who is the acting Chairman of the State Steering Committee, Ashiru Abdu-Na-Abdu, said the retreat was organised to present a comprehensive progress report on the implementation of SURWASH.
He said the meeting will also identify achievements, review challenges and agree on practical measures to improve programme performance.
Abdu-Na-Abdu said the meeting was organised under the World Bank-supported Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) Programme .
He noted that while the programme has recorded significant progress, particularly in strengthening WASH institutions across the state, there is a need to critically examine areas where implementation has fallen short and develop workable solutions to accelerate results.
The Permanent Secretary highlighted the functionality of the 23 LGAs WASH departments as one of the priority areas requiring urgent attention.
He commended the restoration of the departments and the posting of personnel by the Local Government Service Board and stressed the need for proper staff documentation and dedicated budget lines in collaboration with the Ministry for Local Government and the Planning and Budget Commission to ensure the departments operate effectively.
He also called for the mainstreaming of the Environmental and Social Screening Assessment Mechanism (ESSAM) into WASH procurement processes and encouraged stronger collaboration with the education sector to establish WASH Clubs in schools across SURWASH-supported communities.
According to him, the retreat provided an opportunity for stakeholders to honestly assess the current status of SURWASH implementation in Kaduna State, identify gaps affecting programme performance, determine immediate actions required by implementing Agencies and agree on mechanisms to ensure timely implementation and follow-up of decisions reached.
He further urged stakeholders to finalise staffing and budget documentation for the 23 LGAs WASH departments before the end of August, emphasising that the departments must be supported with appropriate structures and financial provisions to function effectively.
He stressed that the success of the SURWASH programme depends on effective collaboration among all implementing institutions, noting that issues confronting the programme require collective action, sincerity and prompt responses from all stakeholders.
According to him, at the end of the retreat, participants developed clear action plans outlining responsibilities, timelines and expected outputs for implementing agencies.
“Stakeholders also agreed on key action points aimed at strengthening coordination, improving institutional performance, enhancing monitoring and accountability, addressing implementation bottlenecks and accelerating the delivery of WASH services across the state .
He assured participants that the implementation of all agreed action points would be closely monitored by the state steering committee to ensure responsible institutions deliver on their commitments and sustain the gains of the SURWASH programme.
The source reports stakeholders at the retreat made a renewed commitment to work together towards improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services for the people of the state.
