Open defecation: Nigeria needs 11 million toilets, says UNICEF

Nigeria urgently needs an estimated 11 million toilets nationwide even as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the private sector to play a more active role in addressing the country’s sanitation crisis.

To this end, a high-level meeting in Lagos State brought together government officials, private sector representatives, and international organisations to address the pressing issue of open defecation in Nigeria.

Addressing the participants who highlighted the significant health, economic, and social consequences of open defecation practice and called for urgent action to improve sanitation infrastructure and promote behavioural change, UNICEF’s Chief of WASH in Nigeria, Dr Jane Bevan, said with an estimated 48 million people lacking access to toilets, Nigeria remains one of the world’s worst offenders for open defecation.

“The government alone cannot solve this problem. We need a multi-faceted approach that includes the private sector,” Bevan emphasised.

She highlighted the potential for private businesses to invest in public toilets, particularly in urban areas like Lagos, and to support small businesses involved in sanitation services.

Bevan noted that while the government has made progress in reducing open defecation, much more needs to be done. She pointed to the example of Bauchi State, where UNICEF has been working with the government to provide revolving loans to sanitation businesses.

On her part, the Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, urged the private sector to play a more significant role in addressing Nigeria’s sanitation crisis, which affects an estimated 48 million people.

Highlighting the urgent need for investment and partnerships to improve sanitation infrastructure and promote behavioural change, she emphasised the critical importance of private sector involvement in achieving universal access to sanitation.