Why AfDB’s $150m water, sanitation project in North East is stalled, by minister

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, told the House of Representatives, yesterday, that the African Development Bank (AfDB)-assisted Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in the North East suffers delay because of insurgency and other factors.

Giving the explanation when he appeared before the House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt, he said the water, sanitation and hygiene component of the programme was being financed by the federal and state governments on a loan of $150 million.

Breaking down the loan, Adamu said his ministry contributed $5.9 million, while Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Taraba states contributed $33 million, $29 million, $38 million, $16 million and $16 million respectively.

“It is worthy to note that each state is directly responsible for the programme implementation, while the Federal Ministry of Water Resources carries out oversight and quality assurance.

“The entire programme has the following three main components: Service Delivery, Economy Recovery and Institutional Strengthening,” he stated.

According to the minister, the specific objective of the programme is to improve the quality of life by increasing access of the vulnerable to basic social services in water, sanitation, hygiene, health and education, as well as livelihood opportunities and strengthened safety net system in the affected North-East states.

He, however, disclosed that, while implementation units at states and federal levels strive hard, they were not able to achieve the expected planned objectives within the scheduled time due to constraints.

The first disbursement was made 18 months after the loan agreement was signed, which led to the delay in procurement activities, he hinted.

Another constraint, according to him, is the lack of understanding of AfDB’s mode of operation at the outset, especially at the states.

Similarly, the minister said the Programme to Rehabilitate and Strengthen the Resilience of Socio-Ecological Systems in the Lake Chad Basin (PRESIBALT) was to alleviate poverty in the area.

“It is a regional five-year programme derived from the Five-Year Investment Plan of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, developed after the Roundtable in Bologna on April 4 and 5, 2014.

“The goal of the investment plan is to improve the resilience of vulnerable populations, who depend on the natural resources of Lake Chad Basin in Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Chad,” he added.