Global Affairs Canada, in partnership with WaterAid Canada and WaterAid Nigeria, has committed $7.98 million to improve access to water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and sexual and reproductive health services in Bauchi State.

The five-year initiative, tagged EmpowerHer, aims to transform the lives of women and girls across 1,000 communities.

Speaking at the project launch in Abuja, Senior International Office Assistant at Global Affairs Canada, Dr. Martins Osunbor, said the programme will directly benefit 20,000 adolescent girls, 15,000 adolescent boys, and 71,000 women of reproductive age, with an estimated indirect impact on more than 600,000 residents.

Osunbor noted that only a third of health facilities in Bauchi have basic WASH services, and fewer than one in ten have adequate sanitation, resulting in preventable infections, childbirth complications, and poor health outcomes.

“This is why the EmpowerHer project matters so profoundly,” he said. “With a joint investment of $7.98 million over five years, this initiative will raise awareness in schools and communities, strengthen WASH and health infrastructure, and improve policies, governance, and accountability mechanisms.”

He praised project partners, Forward in Action for Education, Poverty and Malnutrition (FAcE-PaM), and the Women Development Association for Self-Sustenance (WODASS), for their grassroots leadership in gender equality and reproductive health.

WaterAid Nigeria Country Director, Evelyn Mere, said the project would deliver gender-responsive and climate-resilient WASH services in communities, schools, and healthcare facilities, train health workers, and strengthen government systems for sustainability.

“Our vision is a future where women and girls can manage their health and hygiene with dignity, free from stigma, and where access to clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene can be taken for granted,” she said.

Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Elizabeth Ugoh, commended the initiative, noting that the three participating LGAs would serve as models for replication nationwide.

Bauchi State Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Suleiman Abubakar, pledged the state government’s support to ensure the project’s success and long-term sustainability.