By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged government agencies to collaborate effectively to optimize resources and avoid duplication in WASH projects in the states of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa.
UNICEF WASH officer, Kano Field Office, Mrs Stella Terva made the call during a 3-day Institutional WASH system strengthening review meeting for Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.
Terver emphasized the importance of strengthening the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) system across the states of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa.
According to her, system strengthening is about improving coordination, collaboration, and synergy between agencies.
She said that UNICEF has been supporting the governments of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states for years, to improve institutional WASH services.
The WASH officer noted that the organization now focused on reviewing the progress made so far and ensuring that the states comply with the agreed actions.
“We are trying to assess how far we’ve come and how well the states have adhered to the agreed actions in various areas.
“The meeting aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the WASH system in the states, looking specifically at how well the system strengthening efforts have fostered collaboration and synergy among different agencies.
“The essence of organizing this meeting was to look inward into each state and determine how the system strengthening has worked.
“We are also examining whether the efforts have enabled better collaboration and reduced duplication of resources,” she explained.
According to her, UNICEF is examining the roles of various agencies, including the Ministry of Education, SUBEB, and Primary Health Care (PHC), to ensure their activities align with the work being done by RUWASA (Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency).
She stressed that when these agencies operate independently or separately, it often leads to project duplication and unnecessary wastage of resources.
“System strengthening is all about working as a team to deliver better results for children.
“In some schools, for example, you may find an existing WASH facility, but still see a new one being built. Meanwhile, other schools may have none at all,” she added.
According to Terver, in order to ensure more children benefit from WASH services, there is a need to close the existing gaps by fostering collaboration among all stakeholders.
Dr. Ishaku Ziyok, a WASH expert specializing in system strengthening within institutions, stated that he had visited the three states where efforts toward institutional strengthening are beginning to take shape.
He highlighted the emerging synergy and partnership between key agencies, including RUWASA, SUBEB, and PHCDA.
Ziyok further noted that the benefits of these efforts include the avoidance of duplication, as schools in need of support are being identified, with a focus on providing solar-powered boreholes.
The Permanent Secretaries of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states who spoke to newsmen emphasized that coordination was crucial for achieving sustainable development goals and improving service delivery.
They noted that overlapping projects could lead to a wastage of funds and hinder progress in key sectors, including health, education, and water sanitation.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), and other relevant agencies, all of whom are committed to improving WASH services for children across the three states.