Nigeria inaugurates 30-man World Toilet Summit planning committee

Nigeria has inaugurated a 30-man international committee to plan and organize a successful World Toilet Summit in the Abuja.

The committee, which was inaugurated by the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, would be co-chaired by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Environment.

The committee has representatives from International organisations as the World Bank, United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), WaterAid, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Development Bank among others.

Adamu, who tasked the multi-stakeholders committee to mobilise all resources needed for the success of the event, named Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, chairman of the committee and Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Emmanuel Awe, to serve as secretary of the committee
He charged the committee to ”identify various sources of funding for the event and manage such funds for a successful host.

“We acknowledge that Nigeria needs all the support it can get in ensuring that the different sector initiatives gain traction and with all stakeholders playing their part,” Adamu said.

“It is our expectation that the World Toilet summit will provide a veritable platform for the mobilisation of the private sector and other critical stakeholders in addressing the challenge of open defecation in the country.

“We also acknowledge the role of the private sector in boosting the sanitation value chain and creating a circular economy across the value chain which can boost the country’s economic indices and have positive impacts across other sectors.

“The 2022 World Toilet Summit is expected to bring together government actors, private sector players, development partners, NGOs and other sector stakeholders, to highlight the issue of open defecation and bring it to greater public focus.”

Adamu, while inaugurating the 30-man committee at the ministry headquarters in Abuja while other members joined via zoom, termed it not exhaustive, as needs would inform further additions and creation of other sub-committees.

The founder of the World Toilet Organization ( WTO), Mr. Jack Sim had in February, officially announced the selection of Nigeria to host the year 2022 World Toilet Summit, coming up in November, 2022.

WTO , a non profit organisation established in 2021 organised the world Toilet Summit on an annual basis geared toward mobilising key private sector players, NGOs and high level decision makers to bring the issue of open defecation to the greater public.