By Matthew Tabe
In an effort to ensure a healthy environment and improve standard of living, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that Nigeria will need to quadrupling current investments in the sectors.
He stated this on Friday evening while declaring open the 2022 World Toilet Summit in Abuja, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking on the sanitation economy potential, the vice president observed that “while the demand for sanitation services is being generated through the social and behaviour change communications approach of the campaign, we also recognise the need to strengthen the supply side of the value chain and maximize the sanitation economy potential in the country.
“Only a few of these (potentials) are being exploited and there is need to identify scalable approaches for their realisation. It is, therefore, important that we bring in innovation and new solutions to actualize this. That means providing an enabling environment that incentivises the private sector and promotes sustainability.
Osinbajo reiterated Nigeria’s commitment towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target for Sanitation, which seeks to “achieve by 2030, access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
“Our commitment is motivated by the realization that meeting our sanitation targets means meeting several other development targets, including the enhancement of social inclusion, poverty reduction, expanding access to quality education, affordable healthcare and expanding business growth and entrepreneurship,” he noted.
Continuing, he noted that, “While governments must acknowledge their role in providing the needed leadership to rally all other stakeholders in contributing to improved and sustainable access to sanitation services, the development sector, private sector, civil society, research institutions, media, and other stakeholders, must also play their roles by bringing in the technical expertise, finance, advocacy, and by promoting innovative and scalable approaches towards strengthening systems for accelerated progress.”
The vice president, referencing the theme of the Summit, “Sanitation Innovations for Economic Development”, emphasized the need for partnership and collaboration in tackling global sanitation crisis for wholesome development.
He noted that “it will require the quadrupling of the current rate of progress to meet up with the 2030 target date.”