FG seeks stronger climate financing to enhance water, sanitation services

Nigeria's Federal Government is urging for greater climate financing to strengthen its water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems, emphasizing the critical need to protect communities from escalating climate change impacts. Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, opened the 2026 Annual National Climate Change and WASH Conference in Abuja, reaffirming the government's commitment to embedding climate-resilient WASH infrastructure into Nigeria's climate adaptation strategy.

Utsev declared that robust water and sanitation systems are essential for water security, public health, food security, and economic growth. He pointed to Nigeria's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) as a key opportunity to make WASH a central component of the nation's climate response. "The climate crisis is fundamentally a water crisis," Utsev stated, acknowledging the mounting pressure climate change exerts on water resources and sanitation infrastructure nationwide.

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The climate crisis is fundamentally a water crisis.

The ministry plans to expand climate-resilient water infrastructure, promote integrated water resource management, advance climate-smart sanitation, enhance early warning systems, boost climate finance, and ensure community participation. Utsev encouraged conference attendees to move beyond discussion and produce actionable recommendations to accelerate WASH integration into Nigeria's climate adaptation framework. He also thanked President Bola Tinubu for his administration's support for water sector reforms.

The conference, themed "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Systems at the Frontline of Climate Change: Aligning NDC 3.0 with National Adaptation Priorities," was organized by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in collaboration with WaterAid, UNICEF, and the World Bank-supported SURWASH Programme. Ali Ibrahim Dallah, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, echoed the call for stronger coordination, sustainable financing, and innovative approaches to resilient WASH systems, identifying climate change as a primary national challenge.

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Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) provides a strategic opportunity to position WASH at the centre of the country’s climate adaptation agenda.