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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged government agencies to collaborate and optimise resources effectively and prevent duplication in WASH projects across Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.
UNICEF WASH Officer at the Kano Field Office, Mrs. Stella Terver, made this appeal on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Zaria, Kaduna State.
She spoke during a three-day Institutional WASH System Strengthening Review Meeting for the three states.
Terver emphasised the need to enhance coordination, collaboration, and synergy between agencies to strengthen the WASH system in these states.
“System strengthening is about improving coordination and ensuring that agencies work together rather than in isolation,” she said.
She noted that UNICEF had been supporting the governments of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa for years to improve institutional WASH services.
According to her, the current focus is on reviewing progress and ensuring that states adhere to agreed action plans.
“We are assessing how far we’ve come and how well the states have implemented the agreed actions,” Terver said.
She added that the review was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of WASH system strengthening efforts, particularly in fostering collaboration among different agencies.
“The purpose of this meeting is to critically examine how well system strengthening has worked in each state.
“We also want to determine whether these efforts have improved collaboration and reduced duplication of resources,” Terver said.
According to her, UNICEF is assessing the roles of key agencies – including the Ministry of Education, SUBEB (State Universal Basic Education Board), and Primary Health Care (PHC).
“This is to ensure their activities align with those of RUWASA (Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency).”
According to her, lack of coordination among these agencies often leads to project duplication and unnecessary resource wastage.
“System strengthening is about teamwork. In some schools, you might find an existing WASH facility, yet another one is being built, while other schools have none at all,” Terver noted.
Terver noted that closing these gaps through improved collaboration was essential to ensuring more children benefitted from WASH services.
A WASH expert, Dr Ishaku Ziyok, specialising in system strengthening, shared his observations from visiting the three states.
He noted that institutional strengthening efforts were beginning to yield results, with key agencies such as RUWASA, SUBEB, and PHCDA (Primary Health Care Development Agency) working more closely together.
According to him, this synergy is already helping to prevent project duplication, as schools in genuine need of support are being identified, especially for solar-powered boreholes.
Some participants, who spoke expressed satisfaction with the executed projects in the states.
They, however, pointed out that overlapping projects could lead to wasteful spending and hinder progress in crucial sectors like health, education, and water sanitation.
By Muhammad Nur Tijani
